Tuesday, December 17, 2002
21. "luv u better," l.l. cool j
there's a reason james todd smith's been a force in the rap game for over 15 years, folks, and it's borne out quite nicely on this smash from his tenth album, 10. "luv u better" is simultaneously current and still true to cool j's own aesthetic; the neptunes provide nothing shock-of-the-new, but sturdy-and-dependable, a sinuous, shiny-smoove bump track. l.l. sticks to one of his tried-and-true lyrical themes, that of apologizing to his girl (what other rapper can do that - let alone repeatedly - and makes you believe it? none. that's another key). he's not the hardest, but he might be one of the hardest-working, and it shows. and pays off.
there's a reason james todd smith's been a force in the rap game for over 15 years, folks, and it's borne out quite nicely on this smash from his tenth album, 10. "luv u better" is simultaneously current and still true to cool j's own aesthetic; the neptunes provide nothing shock-of-the-new, but sturdy-and-dependable, a sinuous, shiny-smoove bump track. l.l. sticks to one of his tried-and-true lyrical themes, that of apologizing to his girl (what other rapper can do that - let alone repeatedly - and makes you believe it? none. that's another key). he's not the hardest, but he might be one of the hardest-working, and it shows. and pays off.
# posted by Thomas : 6:45 PM
