| Product Summary | | Label: Uni/def Jam | | UPC: 00731454681926 | | Release Date: 9/12/2000 | | Buy.com Sku: 60433365 | | Item#: MRWQJX | Format:  CD |
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(P) 2000 The Island Def Jam Music Group
(C) 2000 The Island Def Jam Music Group A Universal Company
| Hordes of hopeful contenders have claimed to be it. Rabid rap fans will debate and argue about it from sundown to da break of dawn. But in the world of hip hop what does it truly take to be The Greatest Of All Time? Lyrics. Charisma. Personality. Versatility. Longevity. L.L Cool J has this.
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Contains a hidden track after "Ill Bomb." | | Personnel includes: LL Cool J, Kelly Price, Method Man, Redman, DMX, Prodigy, Snoop, Jayo Felony, Xzibit, Ja Rule, Amil, Carl Thomas, Tiki Diamond, Candice Love. | | Producers include: James "Bimmy" Antney, Rockwilder, Vada Nobles, DJ Scratch, Adam F. | | Recorded at The Hit Factory and Mirror Image Studios, New York, New York. | | With his first release in the mid-'80s, LL Cool J hit the rap scene with a unique sense for freestyle lyrics. He kept it up over the years with hits like "I'm That Type of Guy," "Going Back to Cali," and "Mama Said Knock You Out." As artists age, there seems to be a natural progression in the production and lyrics that take place. With acts like Tribe Called Quest we watched as Q-tip went from rapping about young ladies with long legs and long hair to wanting a woman with a more spiritual flair -- to quote the man loosely. Despite marriage and children, this hasn't happened with L.L., in fact it's the same lyrics, just with a different album cover. In addition, the raps of urban ills from a man who boasts publicly about his diamonds, riches, and furs (he often sports his fur coats in public during New York summer heat waves) are hard to believe. Once again, with the September 12, 2000 release of G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith, L.L. Cool J disappoints. | | The first single off the album, "Imagine That," puts L.L. in a school setting where he's the teacher and he needs to teach his "naughty" student a couple bad things. The theme of L.L. as the older seducer who is better than the current man of a girlish temptress has been common through L.L.'s albums ("Doin It Well," "Around the Way Girl"). It's like listening to the confessions of a horny 14-year-old teenage boy in the girl's locker room. Even with the help of popular rap acts like DMX and Redman, L.L. Cool J has made the same album he did once before, with no new twists. ~ Diana Potts | | One of the last hip-hop veterans standing, with many platinum albums and leading film roles to his credit, LL Cool J has taken the art form to a higher level than the music industry could have ever imagined back when he "rocked the bells" in 1985. Still sporting his battle rhyme style, LL returns with yet another classic album, G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). | | His collaborations on this album show that LL's very aware of the current hip-hop audience, teaming up with Mobb Deep's Prodigy on his hometown dedication "Queens," and Snoop Dogg and Xzibit on the West Coast-flavored "You Can't Fuck with Me." Those jams will have the hardcore fans satisfied, but then, as usual, LL gets freaky, with songs such as "Hello," featuring Amil, and "Imagine That" featuring LeShaun, that should please the ladies. LL's versatile persona proves that he is, indeed, the G.O.A.T. |
Musical Guests | | Redman | | Method Man | | Kelly Price | | Xzibit | | Snoop Dogg | | Ja Rule | | DMX | | Prodigy | | Kandice Love | | Tiki Diamond | | Carl Thomas | | Amil | | Jayo Felony |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 09/12/2000 | | Original Release Date : 2000 | | Catalog ID : 546 819 | | Label : Def Jam (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00731454681926 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (9/28/00, p.58)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...[It] highlights LL's greatest talent: to be everything to everybody. A freaky hybrid of bad boy and good guy, LL is hard as a ny gangsta but can also be cuddly and sincere..."Entertainment Weekly (9/24/00, p.78)
- "...[LL] in near top form. Talking trash, passing the mic to guests like DMX and Snoop Dog, reeling off endlessly inventive boasts - he makes it seem easy..." - Rating: B Q (12/00, p.126)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...He still has it and, unsurprisingly, he is not slow to alert his audience..." Vibe (9/00, pp.239-40)
- 4 records out of 5 - "...[His] most enthralling album in years.....delivering uncharacteristically bad-tempered put-downs, froths at the mouth, denounces his critics and maintains that [his] ability to compete with grittier contemporaries [has not weakened]..." NME (Magazine)
(9/16/00, p.36)
- 7 out of 10 - "...He still sounds fresh..." Billboard 8 of 10
...With eight albums under his belt, LL is arguably the best MC to ever touch the mike. With his latest offering, G.O.A.T., LL attempts to end the argument--and he makes a pretty good case... this is no stroll down memory lane... LL...seems to have regained the fire that was sorely missing from his previous release, Phenomenon.
Rolling Stone 9 of 10
...LL has been rocking the bells since his 1985 debut, which is a century in rap years... and G.O.A.T. glows with the heat of his rhymes. G.O.A.T. highlights LL's greatest talent: to be everything to everybody. A freaky hybrid of bad boy and good guy, LL is as hard as any gangsta but can also be cuddly and sincere. And he's got showmanship to spare. - Matt Diehl
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| | Bio | | Hordes of hopeful contenders have claimed to be it. Rabid rap fans will debate and argue about it from sundown to da break of dawn. But in the world of hiphop what does it truly take to be The Greatest Of All Time? Lyrics. Charisma. Personality. Versatility. Longevity. A command of the studio as well as the stage. The ability to conquer any and all obstacles from a brash newcomer or wily veteran picking a rhyme fight to the changing tastes of a fickle rap audience and emerge stronger than ever. As many living legends as hip hop has produced within its 20 years of recorded history, only one artist can honestly count all of these qualifications amongst his arsenal of talents: LL Cool J. From the moment a teenaged "young legend in leather" named James Todd Smith exclaimed "I Need A Beat" to the world in 1984 as Def Jam Records' Flagship artist, LL Cool J has blazed an unprecedented legacy of achievements. A two-time Grammy Award winner, respected television and feature film actor, author, humanitarian and devoted family man, he has never gone less than gold on any of his eight album projects. The St. Albans, Queens native is also the first rap artist to amass six consecutive platinum-plus selling albums and six gold singles. Now, with his ninth effort, G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), LL officially and rightfully assumes the title that has eluded all others.
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