Press Release

LL COOL J BRINGS AUTHENTIC MUSIC BACK
ON APRIL 30, 2013
   
LL STEPS BACK TO THE MIC WITH HIS 14th NEW STUDIO ALBUM

FRESH FROM HOSTING AND PERFORMING HIS NEW SINGLE “WHADDUP” ON THE GRAMMYS;
LIVE PERFORMANCE OF SONG FROM AUTHENTIC NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES

New York, NY (February 13, 2013) – Two-time Grammy®-winning recording artist, LL COOL J, will release his 14th new studio album, Authentic, on April 30, 2013 on 429 Records/The Savoy Label Group.  The multi-platinum artist returned to the studio and kicked the volume up to create a powerful album that came from his true passion for music and would speak to his fans.

LL just hosted the 55th Annual GRAMMY® Awards on CBS on February 10th to acclaim and performed his blazing new song “Whaddup” from Authentic with Travis Barker (Blink-182), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Chuck D, and DJ Z-Trip. The exciting and thrilling performance closed the Awards and is now available on iTunes.

“With Authentic, I wanted to work on a project that showed my genuine love for music and was truly made for the fans,” LL says. “I’m not trying to compete with 17-year-olds on the radio, but I am talking directly to the folks who came up with me and those who love real music. We may not be teenagers anymore, but we do still like to have fun.”

Celebrating his 30th year in music, Authentic features the iconic rapper in his element. The Album is anchored by LL’s expressive attitude where his sensitive side is as present as his slicing lyrical switchblades.  Authentic comes to life with crazy club jams, tender tracks, personal tributes, and hard-hitting commentary addressing the current hip-hop climate. 

“Whaddup” gives fans another early taste  of Authentic., LL had previously made available the album’s buzz track,“Ratchet” and “Take It.”   Entertainment Weekly says of song, “[LL] returns to the game on this bouncy, prowness-boasting single…It turns out the ladies still love him…,” and USA Today says, “The ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ star returns…with this club banger…” (Oct 16, 2012). Following “Ratchet,” the first official song released from the album, “Take It” featuring Joe, is a true classic LL jam. See the video for “Take It” here.

First introduced to the world in 1984 as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass ten consecutive platinum-plus selling albums.  The multi-platinum artist and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is currently tied for third place for most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper. For three decades, LL has continued to influence hip-hop with rap ballads that captivate generations of audiences. Since then, the veteran rapper has evolved his scope of work across entertainment appearing in numerous television and film roles, among many other projects. 

Authentic is Executive Produced by LL COOL J and will be released as a joint venture LL COOL J, Inc. and 429 Records. For more information, details and updates, visit ­­­­www.LLCOOLJ.com, Facebook.com/LLCOOLJ, Twitter.com/LLCOOLJ and Twitter.com/TeamLLGoat.  “Whaddup” is available on iTunes at: smarturl.it/whaddup.

ABOUT LL COOL J
LL COOL J is an entertainment icon who has found great success crossing into multiple mediums.  A two-time Grammy® Award winner, recording artist, talented actor, New York Times best-selling author, NAACP Image Award winner, entrepreneur and philanthropist, LL continues to display his wide range of talents with every project.  LL currently stars on one of the consistently highest rated shows on television, the CBS hit primetime drama series, “NCIS: LOS ANGELES.” His performance on the show has garnered him a NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series” three years in a row (2011 – 2013) for his role as ‘Special Agent Sam Hanna,’ which can now be seen in more than 200 countries.

ABOUT 429 RECORDS
429 Records is a unit of The Savoy Label Group (SLG).  SLG is the North American based division of Nippon Columbia the oldest music company in Japan.  The Savoy Label Group has evolved into a Grammy Award winning and chart topping independent music company consistently outperforming competitors in key music categories as monitored by Billboard Magazine. The Savoy Label Group is led by Steve Vining and is based in Los Angeles, CA. For more information visit: www.429records.com