LL Cool J is all about balance. He juggles rapping with acting and then has to make sure that no matter what he does in the entertainment field, he keeps a steadiness at home. That's why when he was in New Orleans on July 3 performing at the Essence Music Festival, he made sure he had a jet waiting for him after a post-show press conference — he had to be home to celebrate the Fourth of July with his wife and kids.

"Life is about priorities," he explained at the press conference. "If [my wife] cooks something at home, I'mma try to get home to eat it."

Taking professional precedence in L's life is his upcoming LP, DEFinition, which drops on August 30. The first video from the set, "Headsprung," has already debuted.

"What I wanted to do is something real new, something different," he said of his 11th LP. "I didn't want to do the same thing over and over again. I kinda liken it to an actor that does a lot of dramas then jumps into an action movie. I did most of the record with Timbaland and I wanted to have some fun and do music that would be playing in the club like 1, 1:30 in the morning. I've done a lot of romantically inclined songs on the last few records; I wanted to venture off and do something different. That's why the first single, 'Headsprung,' is such a curve from what I've been doing, and I feel great about it."

Cool J already dove into movie mode earlier this year, filming "Slow Burn" with Ray Liotta, and he just completed work on "Edison" with Justin Timberlake, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey.

"It's my most dramatic role," he said of "Edison," in which he plays a police officer who has to make some serious choices in his life and career. "It was the most challenging role I've ever had. Working with Morgan and Kevin and just being around people like that was a blessing for me. It's kinda like being in the NBA and being in two or three years and getting to play in the all-star game with the best people in the league. It was amazing.

"Justin is incredible, we had a lot of fun," he added. "We talked about a lot of things on the set, hung out."

In "Slow Burn," LL plays a gang leader. According to Cool J's spokesperson, there is no confirmed release date for either "Slow Burn" or "Edison." Another LL movie, "Mindhunters," has made the rounds on the black market but never officially hit theaters. The legendary MC said he has no idea what the movie company plans to do with that film.