Phenomenon [Explicit Lyrics]

LL Cool J has a tattoo of a microphone wearing a crown on his arm (representing that he is the self declared king of Hip-Hop). When they (LL, Redman, Method Man, DMX, & Canibus) came into the studio to record the song "4,3,2,1", Canibus noted the tattoo and told LL that he was going to get one similar to it on his arm. LL became furious that Canibus (being so young in the Hip-Hop game) was going to get a tattoo that he had worked years for. A non-violent altercation between the two broke out and they decided it would be best if they record their portions of the song on different days (to prevent further incidents). Canibus, angered by how LL reacted re-wrote his lyrics of the song dissing LL, "I'll snatch your crown off with your head still attached to it" and recorded his portion that day. LL came in later that week and listened to the previously reported portions and heard Canibus' portion of the song. Initially he wanted to remove Canibus from the song but, he decided to send a rebuttal at the end of the song. Listen closely...Hip-Hop is deeper than you think.

LL Cool J arguably has had one of the strongest rap careers ever. He started out as a pioneer back in the 80's and yet still manages to appeal to audiences of today. As much as the purist may hate it, no one (not even the greats like Rakim or Big Daddy Kane), has been able to survive like LL. That doesn't necessarily mean he's come out with a lot of great material in recent years.

"Phenomenon" by no means should simply be written off. "4, 3, 2, 1," is the rap fans wet dream. Outstanding lyrics by guests Method Man, Redman, DMX, and Canibus over a sick hardcore beat make this one of the best posse cuts ever. There's even a self-contained beef, featuring back and forth shots from Canibus and LL on the same track! To top it off, LL closes the track with one of his best verses EVER... it was even featured as a Hip-Hop quotable in the source: ("Every little boy wanna pick up the mic/ and try to run with the big boys and live up to the real hype/ But that's like pickin up a ball, playin with Mike/ Swingin at Ken Griffey or challengin Roy to a fight/ Stop it! you amateur MC's/ Don't you know I'm like the Dream Team tourin' overseas/ For rappers in my circle I'm a deadly disease/ Ringmaster, bringin' a tiger cub to his knees/ In the history of rap they've never seen such prominence/ Your naive confidence gets crushed by my dominance.")

"Starsky & Hutch" is a great tag-team rap with Busta Rhymes. It's got a nice grooving beat and the two trade lines back and forth. It's solid all around and is one of those tracks you put on repeat. LL actually shows some solid creative effort on "Father" which uses a George Michael sample and gospel choir that works pretty well. Definitely a track that'll end up on his [2nd] greatest hits album. The title track is a cliché LL single, that although simply makes me want to drive a tent stake in my temple, will surely please the ladies and fill up the dance floors. It would seem like this album would be well on its way to being a solid one for LL.

Then, LL just stopped trying, the rest of the album is on cruise control and really only mediocre at best. "Candy Rain" might make for a pretty good filler track on a New Edition album, but LL brings it down even farther and just sounds lazy. "Another Dollar" is shows off the "hardcore" LL, which alienates the ladies. This would be fine except for the fact the song sucks, and ends up leaving everyone unhappy. Ironically LL adopts the same style, as he drops "Drug Money" tales (kinda) with help from the Lost Boyz. Sounds about as good as it looks on paper: crap. I almost thought "Nobody Can Freak You" and "Hot, Hot, Hot" where the same song, until I realized that the latter was infinitely worse (talk about lame choruses). And the album closes on the super sweet, sensitive, and predictably boring "Don't Be Late, Don't Come Too Soon". Don't be surprised if you find yourself dozing off for a second or simply skipping the track all together.

Since 93 and including "Phenomenon", LL started a streak of mediocre albums and songs, and yet somehow maintains commercial success and strong fan base. It's undoubtedly due to the fact that while male popular option is ever critical and always shifting, one thing stays the same: ladies love James Smith. "Phenomenon" has it share of really great tracks, but overall it falls flat on its face. It's worth getting this album at a bargain price for the couple of highlights, even though I guarantee you'll never listen to this straight through more than once (if that). Ladies won't even love this one...
(3/10)

LL has been around a long time. He is one of the best battle rappers out there (Just listen to The Ripper Returns). Why does he keep making pop crap? This album feels exactly like Puffy produced it (He's an executive producer) and sounds more like a Hip-Hop Who's Who list. His best songs are those where he tests his chops lyrically (4, 3, 2, 1, Father). For his next album, he needs to be more like himself and less like Will Smith.