10 (LL Cool J album)

10
Studio album by LL Cool J
Released	October 15, 2002
Length	62:31
Label	Def Jam Universal
Producer	Zukhan Bey Big Joe Chop DJ S&S K-1 Million Ron Lawrence the Neptunes Rich Nice Eric Nicks Poke & Tone
LL Cool J chronology
G.O.A.T. (2000) 10 (2002) The DEFinition (2004)
Singles from 10
"Luv U Better" Released: August 13, 2002 "All I Have" Released: December 14, 2002 "Paradise" Released: January 14, 2003 "Amazin'" Released: April 8, 2003

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	60/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The Source	[5]
Uncut	[6]

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." ^[6] Dan Leroy 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." ^[7] Christian Hoard, writing for Blender , noted that the album uses the "tried-and-true combo of ladybaiting pap and streetwise bravado", but added that: "Musically, though, Ten is a small step forward, as a handful of hot beat engineers beef up LLs typically breezy, jet-setting funk with some new-school bounce." ^[3]

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." ^[8] 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. ^[9] By September 2004, 10 had sold 968,000 copies in the United States. ^[10] The album also reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart, making it LL Cool J's highest-charting album there to date. ^[11]

Track listing

10 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Richard Jackson	Rich Nice	1:04
2.	"Born to Love You"	James Todd Smith Jean-Claude Olivier Samuel Barnes	Poke & Tone	3:42
3.	"Luv U Better"	Smith Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo	The Neptunes	4:47
4.	"Paradise" (featuring Amerie)	Smith Curtis Jackson [12] Olivier Barnes Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Kenneth Burke Allan Felder Norma Jean Wright	Poke & Tone	4:35
5.	"Fa Ha"	Smith Shampelle Everett Daryl Hall	DJ S&S	4:55
6.	"Niggy Nuts"	Smith Williams Hugo	The Neptunes	3:40
7.	"Amazin'" (introducing Kandice Love)	Smith Williams Hugo	The Neptunes	4:16
8.	"Clockin G's"	Smith Williams Hugo	The Neptunes	4:08
9.	"Lollipop"	Smith Zukhan Bey	Zukhan Bey Eric Nicks	4:45
10.	"After School" (featuring P. Diddy)	Smith Mark Curry Donald Woolfolk James Brown Robert Ginyard Bernard Edwards Nile Rodgers	Chop Big Joe	4:39
11.	"Throw Ya L's Up"	Smith Ron Lawrence Kwamé Holland	Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence K-1 Million	3:52
12.	"U Should"	Smith Williams Hugo	The Neptunes	4:20
13.	"10 Million Stars"	Smith Lawrence Holland Michael Gore Dean Pitchford	Lawrence K-1 Million	4:01
14.	"Mirror Mirror"	Smith Olivier Barnes	Poke & Tone	4:26
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.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"All I Have" (Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J)	Jennifer Lopez Makeba Riddick Curtis Richardson Ron G Lisa Peters William Jeffrey	Cory Rooney Ron G Dave McPherson	4:14

UK bonus track

No.	Title	Length
16.	"Paradise" (James Yarde Mix) (featuring Terri Walker)	4:14

Samples

• "Paradise" embodies portions of "Risin' to the Top", written by Kenneth Burke, Allan Felder, and Norma Jean Wright, performed by Keni Burke.
• "Fa Ha" contains a sample from "Rich Girl", written by Daryl Hall, performed by Hall & Oates.
• "After School" contains elements of:
  • "It Takes Two", written by James Brown and Robert Ginyard, performed by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock.
  • "Rappers Delight", written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, performed by the Sugarhill Gang.
• "10 Million Stars" contains elements from "I Sing the Body Electric", written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford.
• "Big Mama (Unconditional Love)" features samples of "Sadie", written by Bruce Howes, Joseph Jefferson, and Charles Simmons, performed by the Spinners.
• "All I Have" contains a sample from "Very Special", written by Lisa Peters and William Jeffrey, performed by Debra Laws.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for 10 Chart (2002) Peak position Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [13] 36 Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [14] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] 100 French Albums (SNEP) [16] 106 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] 64 Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] 57 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [19] 19 UK Albums (OCC) [11] 26 UK R&B Albums (OCC) [20] 3 US Billboard 200 [21] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [22] 1

Year-end charts 2002 year-end chart performance for 10 Chart (2002) Position Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [23] 112 Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [24] 62 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [25] 75 2003 year-end chart performance for 10 Chart (2003) Position US Billboard 200 [26] 130 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [27] 58

Certifications

Certifications for 10

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [28]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA) [29]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Ten by LL Cool J". Metacritic . Archived from the original on May 16, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
2. Bush, John. "10 - LL Cool J". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
3. Hoard, Christian (December 2002). "LL Cool J: Ten". Blender . p. 146.
4. Walters, Barry (November 14, 2002). "Review: LL Cool J – 10". Rolling Stone . No. 909. p. 86.
5. Hall, Jermaine (December 2002). "Record Report: LL Cool J – 10". The Source . No. 159. New York. p. 187.
6. "LL Cool J – 10". Uncut . January 1, 2003. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
7. Leroy, Dan (October 10, 2002). "Album Review: Ten". Launch.com . Archived from the original on September 24, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
8. Cibula, Matt (December 19, 2002). "L.L. Cool J: 10". PopMatters . Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
9. Hilburn, Robert (October 24, 2002). "No tears for Faith Hill as 'Cry' debuts in first place". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 16, 2023.
10. "McGraw Lives Large At No. 1". Billboard.com . September 8, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
11. "LL Cool J | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
12. "25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About G-Unit". July 31, 2014.
13. "Albums : Top 100". Jam! . November 3, 2002. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
14. "R&B : Top 50". Jam! . Archived from the original on November 1, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2023– via Wayback Machine.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – 10" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
16. "Lescharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 10" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
19. "Swisscharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
20. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
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. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001 [sic]". Jam! . Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
24. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam! . Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
25. "2002 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
26. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
27. "2003 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
28. "British album certifications – LL Cool J – 10". British Phonographic Industry.
29. "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – 10". Recording Industry Association of America.