LL Cool J - G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time

His last solid release ( 3 and 1/2 stars)

Before this album, LL publicly admitted that a couple of his albums were subpar and that he promised to make a better release with this album. He deliveres...somewhat. There are some songs that should have never made it to disc. Imagine That is a joke. LL Cool J feat Kandice Love is laughable and Take It Off sounds like a cheap knockoff of Vivrant Thing. This Is Us feat Carl Thomas falls on its face and Hello feat Amil, M.I.S.S.I feat Case and The G.O.A.T. are all wack. Other than that this album has some great songs. Back Where I Belong feat Ja Rule is a harsh diss record against Canibus that makes The Ripper Strikes Back look pale in comparison. Fuhgidabowdit feat DMX, Redman and Method Man is tight and hilarious. Cant Think and Homicide are honest attempts at songs of substance that work. U Cant F*** With Me feat Snoop Dogg. Jayo Felony(who should have been left off) and Xzibit is dope. Ill Bomb is classic LL Cool J in fine form. Plus the album intro is tight also. You And Me feat Kelly Price is pretty good too. Bottom Line: G.O.A.T is the last solid release from LL Cool J. Even though it has its missteps, it is still better than the albums that come after it. Standout Tracks: INTRO, BACK WHERE I BELONG, FARMERS, CANT THINK, YOU AND ME, HOMICIDE, U CANT F*** WITH ME and ILL BOMB. September 7, 2006

Not His Greatest Of All Time, But One Of The Better Albums (3.5 Stars)

This is where I first got into LL Cool J with his CD G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time. Comming out in 2000 when Def Jam was at an all time peak for three consistant years, LL thought he should be apart of the glory.

I remember the first single "Imagine That" as LL would describe his sexual fantasies with female sexual partner in rhyme Leshawn (who's responsible for the vocals in the hit song "Doin It"), made me want to give this album a try. The album starts off strong with a powerful "Intro" as LL freestyles one dope verse. Then the song "Back Where I Belong" is where LL finishes off his rival Canibus as he says "...I hate to be responsible, for destroying your career/A one-hit wonder, huh?/No Wonder you disappeared..." I'm not too familiar with the LL and Canibus beef very well, but I believe that if this is the final dagger, LL came out on top.

LL colaborates with some of his label mates Redman, Method Man, and DMX on "Fuhgidabowdit" that comes off humorous in some ways. Also he colabs with west coast rappers Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Jayo Felony in "You Can't F*** With Me". One of my favorite tracks is when he hooks up with Prodigy from Mobb Deep on the song "Queens Is..."

There are many weak points in the album. Majority of them are in the middle between tracks 8 through 12. I'm not a fan of phone sex conversations, so "Hello" when LL and Amil trying to play those roles just didn't appeal to me. "Farmers" and the second single "You & Me" with Kelly Price are also some of the tracks that I thought were to skip over. But he picks back up his momentum in "Homicide" and keeps it until the end of the album.

Overall G.O.A.T. isn't his best album, but it also isn't his worst (see Phenomenon & Todd Smith on how bad he can go). If you want a decent LL Cool J album where he can still hold his own, and you're too young to be familiar with any of his earlier work, I recommend this album and the next album "10" to you.

Lyrics: B
Production: B
Guest Appearances: B-
Musical Vibes: C+

Favorite Tracks: Intro, Imagine That, Back Where I Belong, Fuhgidabowdit, Homicide, Queens Is, You Can't F With Me, M.I.S.S.I.

Honorable Mention Track: G.O.A.T. July 13, 2006

greatest

i think this album good but the track queens is i got that on prodigy of mobb deep h.n.i.c album which it fits with the album the crazyness of queens is known March 26, 2006

The Songs

That are Hot are Hot but the ones that are Not are Not I like this album but every know and then I have to skip a song but this album is Pretty Good. You need to get this album if you like the East Coast feel November 28, 2005

Play from first cut to last

This is one of the few cd's that I can play from the first cut to the last. If I ignore the cursing (sorry, I'm old) I'm good to listen to this all day. Unfortunate that this cd didn't get much radio play, but it doesn't matter. Well worth purchasing... I think I need a new copy! November 16, 2005

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