Rapper

photo by Steed Media Service

When L.L. Cool J walks into Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles for his private listening session, he’s all smiles. But the truth is he’s at a crossroads of sorts. As music from his latest release, Exit 13, blares from the speakers, filling the space with intense imagery projected by songs like “It’s Time for War” and “Rocking with the G.O.A.T.,” his eyes discreetly scan the crowd, searching for a response. Heads are bobbing intently and traces of slight surprise line the faces of some of the attendees. This is the L.L. they’ve been waiting for years to hear from.

“I had this thought in my head that if I walked a mile [a] day everyday for 24 years, I would’ve walked 760 miles,” he says thoughtfully, explaining the concept behind the powerful imagery on his album cover. The artwork shows a microphone slammed into the highway. “Then I thought about the fact that it was my 13th album and I was leaving my contract and the whole thing felt like I was getting off at an exit.”

He openly acknowledges that he doesn’t exactly know what phase he’s entering in his life now that his contract is fulfilled, but he knows that he’s ready for whatever awaits him.

“I think I really grew up around the Mr. Smith album, because that’s when I took control of my career and took the reins away from a lot of people that were around me,” he says. “One thing about me, I don’t pretend to be 19 and I don’t pretend to be 75. I know they age rappers in dog years, but as a human being, I’m still young and that feels good.”

With that said, Exit 13 is a symbolic record that he worked on for two years, focusing himself solely on his music for the first time in a while.

“I made music I was a fan of as opposed to recording like whatever happens, happens, ‘oh, that seems good,’ and keep it moving,” he admits, comparing the process of recording music and making movies, simultaneously, to an athlete playing two sports.

Not only is this album more focused, he says the release is more reflective of the times. He mentions a collab with Wyclef, “Mr. President,” where he “very respectfully” asks the commander in chief some questions.

“That’s why I did my clothing line with Sears,” he says. “I looked at the climate and me throwing L.L. Cool J on $5,000 jeans doesn’t work. It feels good to know that I’m going to put clothes on the backs of families all over America at an affordable price, especially at this time.”

Social commentary aside, at the end of the day, he wanted to exit Def Jam with a bang.

“I just wanted to make a hot record,” he says. “I wanted to make a record where people could forget about all of the nonsense and the drama and just feel like they could escape their problems for a minute.”–jacinta howard

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