LL Cool J: Jay-Z Bad, 50 Cent Good

LL Cool J will leave Def Jam Records after his next album, claiming he doesn't like competing for attention against the label's boss, Jay-Z.

LL (real name James Todd Smith III) claims that Jigga (real name Shawn Carter) failed to properly promote his Todd Smith album because he was too busy with his own Kingdom Come LP, and he told MTV News that he doesn't want to be part of that situation any longer.

"How am I gonna re-sign with competition? I'm not an idiot. I can't depend on that man to promote my record while he's somewhere writing rhymes. I'm LL Cool J. I ain't doing that."

Def Jam has released 11 LL studio albums since 1985, and the rapper/actor has had one of the longest and most successful careers in hip-hop.

While LL has a beef with Jay-Z, he seems to be on the same page with 50 Cent, whom he's working with on his Def Jam swan song. Fiddy is an executive producer on the tentatively titled Todd Smith Pt. 2: Back To Cool. LL told MTV that he sees a lot of himself in the G-Unit leader.

"My man has great sensibility. He knows what I like. We're from Queens [New York City]. We're seven years apart in age. He knows what I'm into. We come from the same experience, so the music reflects that."

50 Cent is also working towards completing his next album, which is due in the spring, and it may offer some surprises.

"I want the music to sound like something I haven't done before, so I needed to change the guys I worked with on the last project," the man born Curtis Jackson told All Headline News. "I've been listening to a lot of Motown stuff — Smokey Robinson, a lot of older music — so I go a lot of soulful loops."