Album: LL Cool J

The Definition, DEF JAM

LL Cool J is clearly flexing himself for the kind of all-round success that Will Smith has finessed. Alongside the usual ringtone offers, the CD booklet contains adverts for three new films he's in, and also for his own clothing line. The photos confirm his determination: that pumped-up Hollywood look is a lifetime away from the puppy-dog appeal of his youth when, at 16, he recorded the tracks that first established the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam. With 20 years in the game, there's some justification to James's claim to be the Greatest of All Time, especially since, with The Definition, he's finally punching his weight. He doesn't have any great messages or innovative locutions, but he has mastered the art of spitting pleasantly meaningless phrases that sit perfectly in the infectious backing tracks of Teddy Riley, NO Joe and Timbaland. "I'm About to Get Her" is typical, with LL filling Riley's Caribbean-tinged groove with slick rhymes such as "I got the whole rap game cornered/ Watch me flaunt it/ Damn right I'm iconic". Timbaland's taut, twitchy grooves dominate, however, giving James's raps their most compelling undercarriage. The single "Headsprung" may be his best work, a combination of bounce and bluster that soon worms its way into your affections. A monster hit, surely?