10 (LL Cool J album)

10 is the ninth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on October 15, 2002 in the United States. LL Cool J and 10 hit a milestone in Def Jam history, being the first artist ever on Def Jam to have ten albums (out of his thirteen-album deal) under the same record label. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, while also reaching number 26 on the UK Albums Chart.

10
Studio album by
LL Cool J
ReleasedOctober 15, 2002
Length62:31
Label
Producer
LL Cool J chronology
G.O.A.T.
(2000)		 10
(2002)		 The DEFinition
(2004)
Singles from 10
  1. "Luv U Better"
    Released: August 13, 2002
  2. "All I Have"
    Released: December 14, 2002
  3. "Paradise"
    Released: January 14, 2003
  4. "Amazin'"
    Released: April 8, 2003

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic60/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[1]
Rolling Stone[1]
Uncut[3]

10 earned largely mixed reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 60, based on eight reviews.[1] Uncut called the project his "best album since 1987's Bigger and Deffer" and felt that 10 "sounds as fresh as his first."[3] Dan Leory from Launch.com noted that the album "isn't a greatest hits collection – it just sounds like one. Reaching this career milestone, rare for any hip-hop artist, has brought on a rush of nostalgia that saturates each of these 15 songs."[4]

PopMatters editor Matt Cibula found that the album "suffers from the inevitable "L.L. album where he's not necessarily all that hungry and therefore a little too self-satisfied" syndrome, but only periodically. There are times on 10 where he’s in full effect boyeee with a side order of chips. It's a fun record, it's a frustrating record, it proves my thesis that L.L. is only dope when he's provoked and hungry."[5] AllMusic critic John Bush remarked: "Surprisingly, despite a strong roster of producers (Tone & Poke, the Neptunes, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence), 10 isn't much of a head-turner [...] Just like on the cover, there's a lot of posturing going on here, but very little substance."[2]

Chart performance

10 debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 2, 2002, selling 154,000 copies in its first week of release.[6] This marked LL Cool J's highest first week sales yet.[7] By September 2004, 10 had sold 968,000 copies in the United States.[7] The album also reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart, making it LL Cool J's highest charting album there to date.[8]

Track listing
10 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"Richard JacksonRich Nice1:04
2."Born to Love You"
Poke & Tone3:42
3."Luv U Better"
4:47
4."Paradise" (featuring Amerie)
Poke & Tone4:35
5."Fa Ha"
DJ S&S4:55
6."Niggy Nuts"
  • Smith
  • Williams
  • Hugo
The Neptunes3:40
7."Amazin'" (introducing Kandice Love)
  • Smith
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • The Neptunes
4:16
8."Clockin G's"
  • Smith
  • Williams
  • Hugo
The Neptunes4:08
9."Lollipop"
  • Smith
  • Zukhan Bey
  • Zukhan Bey
  • Eric Nicks
4:45
10."After School" (featuring P. Diddy)
  • Chop
  • Big Joe
4:39
11."Throw Ya L's Up"
3:52
12."U Should"
  • Smith
  • Williams
  • Hugo
The Neptunes4:20
13."10 Million Stars"
  • Lawrence
  • K-1 Million
4:01
14."Mirror Mirror"
  • Smith
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
Poke & Tone4:26
15."Big Mama (Unconditional Love)" (featuring Dru Hill)
  • Smith
  • Curry
  • Woolfolk
  • Bruce Howes
  • Joseph Jefferson
  • Charles Simmons
  • Chop
  • Big Joe
5:34
Special edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."All I Have" (Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J)
4:14
UK bonus track
No.TitleLength
16."Paradise" (James Yarde Mix) (featuring Terri Walker)4:14

Samples

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for 10
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Ten by LL Cool J". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  2. 10 LL Cool J Allmusic.com John Bush
  3. "LL Cool J – 10". Uncut. January 1, 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  4. Leroy, Dan (October 10, 2002). "Album Review: Ten". Launch.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. Cibula, Matt (December 19, 2002). "L.L. Cool J: 10". PopMatters. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  6. Hilburn, Robert (October 24, 2002). "No tears for Faith Hill as 'Cry' debuts in first place". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  7. "McGraw Lives Large At No. 1". Billboard.com. September 8, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  8. "LL Cool J | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  9. "25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About G-Unit".
  10. "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. November 3, 2002. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  11. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 1, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – 10" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  13. "Lescharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 10" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  15. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  17. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  18. "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  19. "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  20. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001 [sic]". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  21. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  22. "2002 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  24. "2003 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  25. "British album certifications – LL Cool J – 10". British Phonographic Industry.
  26. "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – 10". Recording Industry Association of America.
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