10 (LL Cool J album)

10 is the ninth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on October 15, 2002 by Def Jam Recordings. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. 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. It reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart, making it LL Cool J's highest charting album there to date.

10
Studio album by LL Cool J
Released	October 15, 2002
Recorded	2001–02
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	62:31
Label	Def Jam, Universal
Producer	The Neptunes, Poke & Tone, Ron Lawrence
LL Cool J chronology
G.O.A.T. (2000) 10 (2002) The DEFinition (2004)
Singles from 10
"Luv U Better" Released: August 13, 2002 "Paradise" Released: January 14, 2003 "Amazin'" Released: April 8, 2003

Professional ratings

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

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

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	Tone & Poke	3:42
3.	"Luv U Better"	Smith Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo	The Neptunes	4:47
4.	"Paradise" (featuring Amerie)	Smith Olivier Barnes Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Kenneth Burke Allan Felder Norma Jean Wright	Tone & Poke	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	Tone & Poke	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[5]

• "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 Chart (2002) Peak position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] 100 French Albums (SNEP)[7] 106 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 64 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 19 UK Albums (OCC)[10] 26 US Billboard 200[11] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 75 Chart (2003) Position US Billboard 200[14] 130 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 58

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[17]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. 10 LL Cool J Allmusic.com John Bush
2. "10 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. 2002-10-15. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
3. Cibula, Matt. "L.L. Cool J: 10 < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
4. "Music: 10 [Bonus Track] (CD) by LL Cool J (Artist)". Tower.com. 2003-02-04. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
5. 10 (booklet). Def Jam, Universal. 2002.
6. "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – 10" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
7. "Lescharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 10" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
9. "Swisscharts.com – LL Cool J – 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
10. "LL Cool J | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
11. "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
12. "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
13. "2002 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
14. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
15. "2003 Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
16. "British album certifications – LL Cool J – 10". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type 10 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
17. "American album certifications – LL Cool J – 10". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.