LL COOL J - LL COOL J SUPPORTS 50 CENT IN HIP-HOP ALBUM BATTLE

Hip-hop star LL COOL J has spoken out in support of fellow rapper 50 CENT ahead of the In Da Club star's forthcoming chart battle with KANYE WEST. Both West and 50 - real name Curtis Jackson - release their new albums in the U.S. on 11 September (07), but LL Cool J - real name James Todd Smith III - insists he is going to buy 10 copies of pal Jackson's LP to ensure he succeeds against his rival West. Smith tells the New York Daily News' Fashion Week blog, "I've heard some of Fifty's music, and I'm rooting for him. "He's produced music for me and I'm going to buy ten copies of his album. He's my man and I'm gonna ride with him. Nothing against Kanye, but I'm a team player. "This is New York, everybody better be rooting for Fifty."