Authentic (LL Cool J album)

Authentic is a studio album. It is the thirteenth one by American hip hop artist LL Cool J. It was released on April 30, 2013 by S-BRO Music Group and 429 Records. It is his first album since 2008's "Exit 13". It is his first not to be released on Def Jam. 
Guests.
The album features guest appearances by Fitz and The Tantrums, Eddie Van Halen, Snoop Dogg, Fatman Scoop, Seal, Charlie Wilson, Melody Thornton, Earth, Wind &amp; Fire, Bootsy Collins, Travis Barker, Chuck D, Tom Morello, Z-Trip, Mickey Shiloh, Monica and Brad Paisley.
Background.
By June 2012, LL Cool J had begun work on his thirteenth studio album. He said, "I'm going to be doing a little bit of the album on the [My Connect Studio], make sure that it is official." On January 20, 2013, he announced on his Twitter account that the album had been pushed back from its original released date of 12 February 2013, saying: "The release date for #"AuthenticHipHop" has been changed. I want to put more work in.. It's coming." 
On February 8, 2013, it was announced that the album's title would be changed from "Authentic Hip-Hop" to "Authentic" with a new release date of May 7, 2013, and a new cover. On February 14, 2013, the album's release date was delayed to April 30, 2013. On March 14, 2013, Eddie Van Halen posted a photo of himself with LL Cool J in front of a mixing desk. The photo was captioned with "Authentic 4.30.13", suggesting that Eddie would be involved in some way with the album's release.