Exit 13 2008 Album

LL Cool J

Original Review: I can understand fans of early LL material being really disappointed with this, with its half poppy stuff (compared to his last album though you could call some of it NWAish), but apart from loving the track 'Mama Said Knock You Out' and enjoying '14 Shots to the Dome', I have never been a massive fan of his albums as a whole let alone his supposed 'classic' earlier stuff. As a vocalist and rapper though I have always rated him highly on the mic. For me, Exit 13 ain't a terrible album and has enough tracks I like to have some replay value. The track 'Ringtone Murder' though is perhaps a bit contradictory given some of the material he has created is the past. The hardest tracks though, such as 'It's Time for War' and 'Speedin' on da Highway' are quite well done. Best Tracks: It's Time for War, Old School New School, Baby, Baby (Rock Remix), I Fall in Love, Mr. President, Speedin' on da Highway / Exit 13. --------------- 2022 Revisit Review: The beginning of this reminds me of '14 Shots to the Dome'. The first song is dope and the second isn't far off. It's a shame he never quite made an album just full of hardcore hip hop. The hook of 'Get Over Here' ruins it. 'Baby' has a contagious hook but will be too poppy for many hip hop fans. The production aside from the hook is average though. Marley Marl returns for the first time in ages to produce 'You Better Watch Me' that takes us back to a harder hip hop feel for the first time since the start of the album. 'Like a Radio' is very Ryan Leslie. He always had a unique sound. He was everywhere for a minute then never quite seemed to pop. 'Speedin' on da Highway / Exit 13' is the song I have listened to most from this album over the years. It's high energy with LL's rapping great on the verses. There is more of an ol' school feel to some of the production on here compared to his previous albums. There isn't as much pop rap either as a number of his albums. This has a better balance but there isn't enough great stuff. So the thoughts in my original review haven't changed much with this one. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: It's Time for War, Old School New School, Baby (Rock Remix), I Fall in Love, Mr. President, Speedin' on da Highway / Exit 13, New York