Sneak Peak Album Review for "All World 2" by LL Cool J

Just one month ago MTV and VH1 were filled with Hip Hop programming to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Def Jam Records. For those that are unaware, Def Jam is the most famous of Rap record labels because they took a risk on Hip Hop before it was considered a art form or even a form of music. This record label was responsible for the discovery of Onyx, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC and acts like Ja Rule, DMX, Jay-Z, and many other Hip Hop. Where would Hip Hop be without the existence or early acts like Run DMC? The answer is that Rap would not exist and one of the men responsible for Hip Hop and Rap as it is today is LL Cool J because he became the first Hip Hop mega star that was responsible for the success of Def Jam Records and hence the discovery of many huge acts to follow. There would be no Hip Hop today if it were not for LL Cool J or at least it would be very different. LL has been making music for 25 years now and in that time he has been doubted again and again. Yet, he has managed to consistently deliver great material with every CD release since he smash single "Knock You Out".

Many people would assume that LL has lost his touch but I have been a long time fan and I can tell you that he has not. For this reason I was excited to preview his new album titled "All World 2" which will be in stores just in time for Christmas. So the question is does this make a great gift? The CD includes 17 tracks or over an hour of amazing music. Every track is a throwback to the past, it is essentially classic LL Cool J material that has been remixed for the listening pleasure of the fan. The CD includes classic tracks like "Rock The Bells" and "Jack The Ripper". It also includes guest appearances by Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), Fat Joe, Foxy Brown, Amerie, The Neptunes and RNB superstar The-Dream. The new tracks include productions from Diddy and Timbaland and they blend well with the classic songs. This CD is not just an average Christmas release, if you are a fan of LL Cool J then you should not miss this one. This is a lot of material on one CD and some could be taken off but this is a 4/5 rating and makes a great Christmas present.