LL Cool J: Next Steps

Both a gentle romancer and menacing rapper, LL Cool J presents a study in contrasts that invites greater exploration. The legendary MC gets as close to pure R&B as he ever got on the Babyface ballad “This Is for the Lover in You”, and he reveals an introspective side on the gospel-seasoned “Father” as he laments his dad’s absence. But then he was never more fearsome and ferocious than on the bombastic diss track “Jack the Ripper”.