LL COOL J: THE END OF AN ERA?

This summer, LL Cool J will be releasing his Exit 13 album. It's going to be his final album for Def Jam Records. Somehow this is making me feel a bit old: he was the first artist signed to the label, and he's spent his entire career there. Of course, today's Def Jam doesn't really resemble the pioneering label of the '80s that really brought hip-hop to the, as they say, "next level."

I remember hearing that this album was going to be executive produced by 50 Cent. I wonder if that's still the case. Whatever. You've got to give it to L: no one in hip-hop has had an enduring career the way he has. Say what you want about his recent stuff, or his movies, or anything else he's done, no one in hip-hop has had his longevity.