Ll Cool J To Stick With Def Jam....

Rap legend Ll Cool J is still unhappy with his record company Def Jam - but he's refusing to leave the label because it is "something he helped to build".The Phenomenon star - who has released all 12 of his albums via the Russell Simmons-founded label - has previously expressed his dissatisfaction at the way his discs have been promoted since rap mogul Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter was appointed President of Def Jam in 2005.But the 39-year-old MC - real name James Todd Smith Iii - remains positive about his relationship with the label and insists his recent mixtape track, Queens, was not an attack on Carter or Simmons.He tells Mtv.com, "I address a lot of issues I have with the record company, but I kept it business. It feels good to speak my voice."People are listening. These guys fail to realise that when you talk about Def Jam, you're talking about my legacy. Everything that ever happened at Def Jam is my legacy."Without me being a 16-year-old with my rhyme book, Def Jam (wouldn't) exist.Everything that's ever been a success up there is a product of me, and I've given birth to it. I didn't personally attack anyone (on Queens), but at the same time I have the right to speak on something I helped build."When (Def Jam co-founder) Russell (Simmons) feels something, he speaks on it as Russell Simmons; LL speaks on it through his music."

Smith is preparing for the release of his new album, Exit 13, early next year (08).