''Phenomenon'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

, released on October 14, 1997, through

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. After the success of his previous release '' Mr. Smith'' (1995), the same basic principles are followed here, with several R&B-influenced tracks, and a couple of more hardcore rap tracks. The album is executively produced by

Sean "Puffy" Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

and therefore features production from his in-house roster of producers the Hitmen, alongside the

Trackmasters The Trackmasters, also known as Poke & Tone, is an American hip hop production outfit composed of Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier born January 21, 1970; Brooklyn, New York ) and Tone (Samuel Barnes born January 20, 1969; Brooklyn, New York). Active fro ...

, Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool, L.E.S. and

Erick Sermon Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper and producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work. Early life Erick Sermon was born on November ...

. The album received mixed reviews from critics. ''Phenomenon'' debuted and peaked at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Platinum, unlike ''Mr. Smith'', which was certified 2× Platinum. It spawned five singles: the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

, " 4, 3, 2, 1", "

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

", " Hot, Hot, Hot" and "

Candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

Critical reception

Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', ''NCIS: Los Angeles'', ''Southland (TV series), Southland'' and ''Ray Donovan ...

, writing for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', called it "LL's best record" since ''

Mama Said Knock You Out ''Mama Said Knock You Out'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was produced mostly by Marley Marl and recorded at his "House of Hits" home studio in Chestnut Ridge and at Chung King House of Metal in New York City. Aft ...

'', praising "Father" for showing him on "rap's cutting edge" and being more personal. Jim Farber of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' wrote that: "Musically, the album takes far fewer risks than his innovative early work. With its happy beats, easy funk bass, and eager R&B melodies, ''Phenomenon'' best recalls the early rap LL grew up on. Think Sugar Hill for the '90s, but with a wholly new kind of role for LL: the rapper who never had a real father here aims to father us all." Natasha Stovall of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' praised LL for delivering quality loverman ballads and battle rap tracks while also being an insightful storyteller on "Father", but critiqued that the album's "competent grooves" don't match with his words.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

called it "a retread of '' Mr. Smith''," highlighting "a couple of killer singles, a few dogs, and a lot of filler", concluding that: "Still, ''Phenomenon'' sounds good when it's playing, and even if it doesn't leave a lasting impression, it's a solid, professional effort that illustrates why LL is still in the game, 12 years after his first record."

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1997 albums LL Cool J albums Def Jam Recordings albums Albums produced by D-Dot Albums produced by Erick Sermon Albums produced by L.E.S. (record producer) Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums produced by Stevie J Albums produced by Trackmasters