Personnel: LL Cool J (rap); Stan "Tha Guitar Man" Jones (guitar, bass); Dawn Greene, Paulette McWilliams, Nicki Richards, Cindy Mizelle, Marsha McClurkin, Mary Brown (background vocals); Bobcat (scratches).

Orchestra on "Crossroads": Jesse Levy (conductor); Gayle Dixon, Winterton Garvey, Elena Barere, Regis Indiorio, Karen Karlsrud, Carmel Malin, David Nadien, Anthony Posk, Matthew Raimonda, Elliot Rosoff (violin); Olivia Koppell, Julien Barber (viola); Fred Sherry, Eugene Moye (cello); Gloria Agostini (harp); John Clark, Peter Gordon, Robert Carlisle (French horn).

Producers: Marley Marl, Q.D. III, Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, Andrew Zenable, Christopher Joseph Forte.

Engineers include: George Karras, Frank Heller, Steve "Fred Never Go To Bed" Frederickson.

Recorded at Another "House of Hits" Joint, Q.D. III Soundlab, Los Angeles, California; Cove City Sound Studios, Long Island, New York; Unique Recording, New York, New York; Bobcat's House, Palmdale, California; Encore Studio, Burbank, California.

Entertainment Weekly (4/9/93, pp.50-52) - "...treats [rap basics] with the same pride and dignity an elder bluesman would give four-bar chord changes and done-me-wrong lyrics....the music never stays still....packed tighter than a pound of headcheese..." - Rating: A

Entertainment Weekly (12/31/93, p.116) - Ranked #9 in Entertainment Weekly's list of `The Best & Worst Records Of 1993' - "...New jacks on the block could still learn a thing or two from that smooth charismatic mouth of his...."

Q (6/93, p.100) - 3 Stars - Good - "...while old attitudes are revisited, [the album] is no nostalgia trip....The fashionably jazzy samples utilise a refreshing amount of '60s Pacific Cool, the production is clean New York style...a performer that can make just about anything sound interesting..."

NME (Magazine) (4/10/93, p.32) - 8.5 Stars - Excellent Plus - "...shows rap's first bona fide superstar extending his lyrical and musical ranges to often mesmerizing effect....at times it seems like LL's using other rappers' styles, until the realization dawns that he invented most of them years ago..."

NME (Magazine) (12/25/93, p.67) - Ranked #33 in New Musical Express' list of `The 50 Top LPs Of 1993' - "...lean, mean and groundbreaking to boot..."