The DEFinition – Wikipedia

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2004 studio album by LL Cool J

The DEFinition is the tenth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on August 31, 2004 by Def Jam Recordings. Largely produced by Timbaland, with several tracks produced by N.O. Joe, Teddy Riley, and 7 Aurelius, the album peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: “Headsprung” and “Hush”. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies.

Critical reception[edit]

The DEFinition received a mild reception from music critics, saying that it was better than 2002’s 10 because of Timbaland’s production. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 9 reviews.[1]

Steve ‘Flash’ Juon of RapReviews called The DEFinition LL’s “TRUE tenth album,” praising its change in sound from New York to Southern by Timbaland, balancing out the bangers and slow songs well and LL for still keeping his lyrical content up to date, concluding that “this new album proves he doesn’t have to give up acting to keep rapping.”[6]AllMusic’s David Jeffries said that the album had more energy than 10 because of Timbaland’s take on the southern sound and finding a balance between braggadocious rap and lovers rap.[2] Gavin Edwards of Rolling Stone also praised the production for updating LL’s sound along with his lyrics, saying that “on the eleventh record of his amazingly consistent twenty-year career, LL Cool J has as much swaggering presence as ever.”[7] Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine was mixed about the album, saying that he enjoyed the love jams better than the Timbaland bangers which were merely passable, concluding that “there’s a distinct lack of personality, meaning that LL Cool J’s eleventh long player is merely good, and his reputation (and bank balance) will be neither tarnished nor expanded.”[9]

Chart performance[edit]

The DEFinition debuted and peaked at number four on the US Bilboard 200 in the week of September 18, 2004, selling 173,000 copies in its first week of release.[10] This marked LL Cool J’s biggest first week sales yet, surpassing the opening sales of previous album 10, which bowed with 154,000 copies.[10]The DEFinition was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 5, 2004.[11] By February 2006, it had sold 747,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[12]

Track listing[edit]

Credits adapted from the album’s liner notes.[13]

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Certifications[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b “Reviews for The DEFinition by LL Cool J”. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Jeffries, David. “The DEFinition – LL Cool J”. AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  3. ^ Browne, David (September 10, 2004). “The DEFinition”. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Collins, Hattie (August 27, 2004). “LL Cool J, The DEFinition”. The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on August 27, 2004. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Tindal, K.B. (September 7, 2004). “LL Cool J – The DEFinition”. HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Juon, Steve ‘Flash’ (August 31, 2004). “Feature for August 31, 2004 – LL Cool J’s “The DEFinition”“. RapReviews. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Edwards, Gavin (September 30, 2004). “LL Cool J The DEFinition Album Review”. Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  8. ^ Sajjad, Usman. “LL Cool J – The Definition”. The Situation. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Southall, Nick (September 14, 2004). “LL Cool J – The DEFinition”. Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  10. ^ a b “McGraw Lives Large At No. 1”. Billboard.com. September 8, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  11. ^ a b “American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – The Definition”. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  12. ^ “LL Cool J Reveals ‘Todd Smith’ On New Album”. Billboard.com. February 14, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  13. ^ The DEFinition (booklet). Def Jam, Universal. 2004.
  14. ^ “Ultratop.be – LL Cool J – The DEFinition” (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  15. ^ “R&B : Top 50”. Jam!. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  16. ^ “Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – The DEFinition” (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  17. ^ “Lescharts.com – LL Cool J – The DEFinition”. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  18. ^ “Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – The DEFinition” (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  19. ^ “Swisscharts.com – LL Cool J – The DEFinition”. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  20. ^ “LL Cool J | Artist | Official Charts”. UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  21. ^ “LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)”. Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  22. ^ “LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)”. Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  23. ^ “2004 Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums”. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  24. ^ “2004 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums”. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.