Todd Smith
Studio album by
LL Cool J
ReleasedApril 11, 2006
Length51:47
LabelDef Jam
Producer
LL Cool J chronology
The DEFinition
(2004)		 Todd Smith
(2006)		 Exit 13
(2008)
Singles from Todd Smith
  1. "It's LL and Santana"/"What You Want"
    Released: November 10, 2005
  2. "Control Myself"
    Released: February 1, 2006
  3. "Freeze"
    Released: April 5, 2006

Todd Smith is the eleventh studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was released on April 11, 2006 by Def Jam Recordings. It includes collaborations with Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell, Juelz Santana, Teairra Mari, Jamie Foxx, Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige, 112, Mary Mary, Ryan Toby (from City High) and Freeway. Producers on the project include Pharrell, Scott Storch, Bink!, Shea Taylor, Keezo Kane and Trackmasters.

Music and lyrics

Todd Smith is composed of radio-friendly hip hop, with LL Cool J foregoing street material in favor of straightforward, commercial pop-rap.[1] Much of the album is built on minimalist, distilled synthesized rap, featuring thick drum swirls and bright record production.[2] The lyrics demonstrate LL Cool J comfortably rapping slow songs exclusively aimed at the opposite sex.[3][2]

Promotion

Jermaine Dupri-produced dance track "Control Myself" served as the album's lead single. Another song with singer Jennifer Lopez after their collaboration on "All I Have" on Lopez's 2002 album This Is Me... Then, it was originally to feature Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas; however difference in terms of payment resulted in her being replaced by Lopez. LL Cool J and Lopez shot a music video for "Control Myself," directed by Hype Williams, on January 2, 2006 at Sony Studios, New York. "Freeze" featuring Lyfe Jennings was released as the album's second single.

Music and lyrics

Todd Smith is composed of radio-friendly hip hop, with LL Cool J foregoing street material in favor of straightforward, commercial pop-rap.[1] Much of the album is built on minimalist, distilled synthesized rap, featuring thick drum swirls and bright record production.[2] The lyrics demonstrate LL Cool J comfortably rapping slow songs exclusively aimed at the opposite sex.[3][2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic51/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[5]
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[6]
PopMatters[7]
RapReviews7.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[3]
Stylus MagazineC−[2]
Vibe[10]
XXL[11]

Todd Smith was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 51 based on 17 reviews.[4] AllMusic found that "the album proves that Cool James always has and always will have wit and style to spare" and while he "makes few pretenses to being street, Todd Smith is straight commercial pop-rap," resuling into "solid radio-friendly hip-hop from a veteran of the genre."[1] Michael Frauenhofer from PopMatters described the album as "adequate [...] glossy, safe, front-loaded, and slick. My mom likes it, enough said. And the young-girl LL Cool J fans will love it too, regardless of what we say here. As for the rest of us? We can go home, we can play "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "Rock the Bells" on our stereos, and we can wait for his next inevitable metamorphosis."[7]

Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair criticized the album for its "big-name-guest-star-choked affairs" and wrote: "Too bad LL Cool J feels he needs the extra wattage, because Todd Smith's best moments come when he raps alone, letting his inimitably confident flow shine. Some of these jams will no doubt click with the club crowd, but we wish our man would jettison the human baggage, team up with his old producer Rick Rubin, and knock us out again."[6] Similarly, Rolling Stone critic Peter Relic remarked: "Eight of thirteen tracks on Todd Smith qualify as slow-jam duets, and none of them has a sweat droplet of the appeal of 1987's LL-as-Lothario classic "I Need Love" [...] leaving one wondering whatever happened to the immortal MC who could carry an album by himself without needing a breath."[9]

Chart performance

Todd Smith debuted and peaked at six on the US Billboard 200, selling 116,000 units in first week of release.[12] This marked LL Cool J's 11th and his eighth top ten title on the Billboard 200.[12] The set also opened at number two on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and the Top Rap Albums charts.[12] Todd Smith was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 18, 2006 .[13] By May 2008, it had sold 335,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[14]

Track listing

Todd Smith track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."It's LL and Santana" (featuring Juelz Santana)
Taylor3:00
2."Control Myself" (featuring Jennifer Lopez)
3:53
3."Favorite Flavor" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
Poke and Tone3:26
4."Freeze" (featuring Lyfe)
  • LL Cool J
  • Jennings
4:52
5."Best Dress" (featuring Jamie Foxx)
The Neptunes3:57
6."Preserve the Sexy" (featuring Teairra Mari)
Keezo Kane3:39
7."What You Want" (featuring Freeway)
  • The Narcotics
4:24
8."I've Changed" (featuring Ryan Toby)
  • J. Smith
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Toby
Poke and Tone3:50
9."Ooh Wee" (featuring Ginuwine)
Storch4:02
10."#1 Fan"
  • J. Smith
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Toby
Poke and Tone3:17
11."Down the Aisle" (featuring 112)
Poke and Tone4:01
12."We're Gonna Make It" (featuring Mary Mary)
4:55
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."So Sick" (Remix featuring Ne-Yo)
4:23
UK bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Control Myself" (Nevins Funktek remix featuring Jennifer Lopez)
  • J. Smith
  • Dupri
  • Phillips
  • Toby
  • Miller
  • Bambaataa
  • Baker
  • Robie
3:46
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Control Myself" (Joe Bermudez radio edit featuring Jennifer Lopez)
  • J. Smith
  • Dupri
  • Phillips
  • Toby
  • Miller
  • Bambaataa
  • Baker
  • Robie
3:49

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Todd Smith
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Todd Smith - LL Cool J". AllMusic. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 McGarvey, Evan (April 20, 2006). "LL Cool J - Todd Smith - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 23, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Cinquemani, Sal (April 12, 2006). "LL Cool J Todd Smith". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Reviews for Todd Smith by LL Cool J". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ Rizoh. "LL Cool J - Todd Smith (Def Jam)". About.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Sinclair, Tom (April 17, 2006). "Todd Smith". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Frauenhofer, Michael (April 20, 2006). "LL Cool J: Todd Smith". PopMatters. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  8. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (April 11, 2006). "LL Cool J :: Todd Smith :: Def Jam". RapReviews. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Relic, Peter (April 18, 2006). "Todd Smith : LL Cool J : Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  10. ↑ Gonzales, Michael A. (May 2006). "LL Cool J Todd Smith". Vibe. Vibe Media. 14 (5): 135–36. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  11. ↑ Golianopoulous, Thomas (April 21, 2006). "LL Cool J Todd Smith". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 "Rascal Flatts Wins Billboard 200 Country Battle". Billboard.com. February 16, 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – Todd Smith". Recording Industry Association of America.
  14. ↑ "LL Cool J Heads Toward Def Jam 'Exit'". Billboard.com. May 22, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – LL Cool J – Todd Smith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – Todd Smith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – LL Cool J – Todd Smith". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  18. ↑ "LL Cool J | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  21. ↑ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
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