10 (LL Cool J album)

Critical reception

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. Uncut called the project his "best album since 1987's Bigger and Deffer" and felt that 10 "sounds as fresh as his first." 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." 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."

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." 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."

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

Track listing

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

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

References

1. "Ten by LL Cool J".
2. Bush, John. "10 - LL Cool J". [[AllMusic]].
3. Hoard, Christian. (December 2002). "LL Cool J: ''Ten''".
4. Walters, Barry. (November 14, 2002). "Review: LL Cool J – 10".
5. Hall, Jermaine. (December 2002). "Record Report: LL Cool J – 10".
6. (January 1, 2003). "LL Cool J – 10".
7. Leroy, Dan. (October 10, 2002). "Album Review: Ten".
8. Cibula, Matt. (December 19, 2002). "L.L. Cool J: 10".
9. Hilburn, Robert. (October 24, 2002). "No tears for Faith Hill as 'Cry' debuts in first place".
10. (September 8, 2004). "McGraw Lives Large At No. 1".
11. (31 July 2014). "25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About G-Unit".
12. (November 3, 2002). "Albums : Top 100".
13. "R&B : Top 50".
14. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001 ''[sic]''".
15. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada".
16. "2002 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Prometheus Global Media.
17. (2 January 2013). "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003".
18. "2003 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Prometheus Global Media.