He has some amazing records. Radio, Bigger and Deffer, Mama Said Knock You Out, even Mr. Smith and Phenomenon were great.

But he has some real duds mixed in there, especially after Phenomenon.

It's odd because he's probably going to be remembered more as an actor than as a very, very important figure in the legitimization of hip hop. But he hasn't made a hit record in 20 years. It's hard to be considered great in a field if you aren't making great music.

There doesn't seem to be a comp for him. Maybe Snoop? But his early career wasn't as consistently great as LL's even though Snoop usually bubbles up with a hot single every four to five years.

Mr. Smith seemed to be the last time he worked primarily with one producer, it also was one of his better records. You'd think one hot producer would have been in his ear to convince LL to make an album with him.