By June 2012, LL Cool J had begun work on his thirteenth studio album. He stated, "I'm going to be doing a little bit of the album on the My Connect Studio, make sure that it is official."[1] On January 20, 2013, he announced on his Twitter account that the album had been pushed back from its original February 12, 2013 release date.[2] On February 8, 2013, it was announced the album title would be changed from Authentic Hip-Hop to Authentic with a new release date of May 7, 2013, and a new cover.[3] On February 14, 2013, the album's release date was pushed up to April 30, 2013.[4] On March 14, 2013, Eddie Van Halen posted a photo of himself with LL Cool J in front of a mix board. The photo was captioned with "Authentic 4.30.13", suggesting that Eddie would be involved in some way with the album release.[5]
Authentic received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 46, based on 9 reviews.[9] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "LL sounds rusty and a bit under-rehearsed as he belts out his iffy punch lines and motivational anthems, but he pours his heart into the pop numbers and sounds at home during the nostalgic throwbacks."[10] Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times said, "LL Cool J has completely lost touch with what launched him into superstardom: rapping. That startling disconnection is what bogs down his 13th album, Authentic.[14]
Ted Scheinman of Slant Magazine said, "Older listeners will find a wistful pleasure in hearing what may be the most heartfelt effort of LL's career."[17]Robert Christgau said, "Cooler as Captain Lifer than Mr. Goodbar, but surprisingly likable either way"[12] Steve Jones of USA Today said, "He has an eclectic bunch of guests and while he's obviously not aiming at the teen market, there seems to be a conscious effort to expand the fan base. The result is a mixed bag of party anthems and the rap ballads he pioneered years ago."[18] Christina Jaleru of The San Diego Union-Tribune praised the album, saying, "LL Cool J knows how to play well with others. On his 13th studio album, Authentic, he delivers an eclectic mix of songs with a variety of guest singers that elevate the material to a worthy listening experience. This is not a rap album, but more of a hip-pop/hip-rock one, hitting all the right notes from romantic to raucous to punk."[19]
Jay Balfour of HipHopDX said, "Unfortunately, Authentic suffers the same fate as LL's other late-career missteps: too many features and a superficial brand of R&B bog down another release from one of rap's earliest superstars."[13] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone said, "On Authentic, LL's first LP not released by Def Jam, the guest list is a testament to open-mindedness and crossover ambitions. The beats are unfussy and direct; the choruses are built for radio."[16] Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe said, "Metal hip-hop is more compromise than authentic, but much of this disc sounds genuine."[11]
Commercial performance
In its first week of release the album debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and sold 14,000 copies in the United States.[20] In its second week the album sold 5,500 more copies.[21] In its third week the album sold 3,400 more copies.[22] In its fourth week the album sold 2,700 more copies bringing its total sales to 26,000.[23]
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