Though LL Cool J has shed 35 pounds to be more physically fit and look a little more appealing on the silver screen, his diet and subsequent weight loss have nothing to do with his appetite. LL is ready to feast off of a full plate of new hits.

"You sound angry," Onyx's Fredro Starr told Cool J Friday night in New York's Dimension Studios about L's recent freestyles on mixtapes.

"Nah, actually I'm happy, brother," LL retorted with a smile. "I know what you mean, though — I'm hungry."

Cool J, who stopped by Onyx's session to hear tracks by producer Self (DMX, Ja Rule), who's working on Onyx's project, is in the homestretch of recording his tenth LP, aptly titled Ten, and already has a first single lined up.

Uncle L is hoping that Usher will sing the hook on his potential club banger "Love You Better," which was produced by the Neptunes, according to Eric Knicks, the A&R rep on the album (see "LL Cool J 'Sick With It' On Next LP, Neptunes Say"). Look for that track to hit the airwaves sometime next month, giving just enough set-up time for Ten's scheduled May release date.

Keeping with the whole Ten theme, it's looking like the album will have 10 songs, five produced by the Neptunes, three by Trackmasters and two by Ron "Amen Ra" Lawrence. "It's just me [on the album]," Cool J said about featuring other MCs. Missy Elliott and Timbaland protégé Tweet does sing a hook on one of the songs.

"My direction was to keep him where his core fans were — women and hip-hop," said Knicks, who also disclosed that like the smash Mama Said Knock You Out, there will be no curse words on Ten. "You don't want to take LL back to rhyming on the street corner. It's vintage LL, what everybody wants to hear LL rapping about. He talks a lot to the ladies but he also talks to the fellas, like on this song called 'Niggy, Niggy, Nuts.' "