LL Cool J and Friends Make Some Authentic Wordplay

LL Cool J and the hip-hop crowds go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. "Whaddup", the latest single from Ladies Love Cool James's new set "Authentic" is sure to please not only the hip-hop camp but also the rock and pop/rock faithful too. That's because L put out the call to Blink 182's drummer Travis Barker and he answered with the backbone that's responsible for this track's swagger. Trip-Z is on hand to inject some undeniably fine scratch action behind the turntable, a feat that this master of his corner of the arts pulls off with heightened aplomb. Then there's the venomous guitar stylings of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello. His band is already endowed with the license to go guns blazing into any topic which gets its fancy going. Still, this is LL Cool J's baby and he hasn't lost his touch with hammering down maximum street menace topped off with the stage presence we all knew he carried around as preternatural talent since the "I Need Love" days back in '87. This man's gone every possible extra mile to make his rap fantasies turn to platinum, double platinum, and yes, triple platinum. Fellow rap pioneer Chuck D from ball busters Public Enemy is an enviable touch but even if Chuck was called away on similar old school business LL Cool J owns those streets as if he bent over and personally graffiti tagged each one. You bet he doesn't settle for the silver nor has he been so caught up collaring the baddies on prime time TV that he forgot the side his bread has largely been buttered on. Maybe he sports a thicker layer of studio polish but his edge and flair for spelling out the naked truth of his world remains a viable cultural force.