LL Cool J rose to fame through a series of firsts. In his 1984 debut single “I Need a Beat,” the scrappy and still-teenaged MC laid his braggadocio down to a precise, hard-hitting backbeat — production that the LP’s label described as “Reduced by Rick Rubin.” LL’s debut Radio became one of hip hop’s first commercially successful albums. “I Need Love” was the first rap song to be a #1 R&B hit. LL paved the way for Eminem and Drake by becoming one of the first rappers to achieve pop stardom. Yes, he was also accused of selling out.

But the more the mainstream paid attention to rap, the bigger the genre grew. So, for most of his 13-album deal with Def Jam, LL Cool J chased after rap’s most notable sounds and names, from West Coast-style rap reporting (14 Shots To The Dome) to Timbaland (The DEFinition). For 14th album Authentic (out today, April 30), LL has enlisted funk forefathers (Bootsy Collins), ’90s R&B stars (Seal) and Snoop Dogg, upon his own Reincarnation. Based on the tracklist, Authentic appears to be another first — that is, his first decisively retro affair. More »