Exit 13 (by LL Cool J, Rap)

With more than 20 years as a rapper under his belt, you'd think LL Cool J wouldn't have anything left to prove to audiences. But you'd be wrong. It seems a new era of rappers have taken over his reign, so he's back with a vengeance to prove that he's still relevant and can compete with guys half his age. This 21-track album from the 40-year-old rapper marks a strong return -- as well as the end of LL's unprecedented two-decade relationship with Def Jam Records.

Rather than trying to directly compete with the new breed of MCs, LL sticks to his roots and uses his precision lyrical skills and affable personality to remain a hip-hop standout. "You Better Watch Me" is a daringly retro track steeped in early '90s sounds reminiscent of Black Sheep and House of Pain. Bringing back the classic New Jack style on songs like "Baby" and "Cry," the retro feel continues with appearances by Richie Sambora, Grandmaster Caz, and Grandmaster Flash. LL even summons Frank Sinatra for a posthumous cameo on the track "New York."

On tracks like "Mr. President," LL demonstrates his maturity: "Mr. President, I would ask you about the war, really and truly what is it for? When an IED makes a soldier fall, is he dying for something above us all?" If he continued this theme on other tracks -- rather than falling back on his tried-and-true, over-sexed persona with lyrics like "Keep the a-- poppin' like the locks on a Benz" -- this mid-tempo album would rise to greatness.

Released on: September 9, 2008
Label: Def Jam
Genre: Rap
Parental advisory: Yes
Edited version available: Yes