LL Cool J, born James Smith also known as ‘Ladies Love Cool James’ or ‘Big L’, is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop artist. The “legend in leather” is back again, proving why he’s a legend in the game. He has broken records as the first Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist to have albums chart in 5 separate decades, showing no signs of slowing down. 40 years from when he released his first album he’s back with the album “The FORCE,” which is definitely a force to be reckoned with solidifying his position as a foundational figure in hip hop. But, as LL famously said “don’t call it a comeback”—he’s “been here for years.”
Known for making music mostly for the ladies with such songs as “Around the Way Girl,” “I Need Love,” “Hey Lover,” and “Doin It,” LL has always balanced smooth romantic tracks with his lyrical prowess as an emcee. He has proven himself a seasoned emcee over and over marking his triumphant return and solidifying his status as one of the greatest to ever do it. His new album is a must-listen that has a lot of gems for your enjoyment.
LL Cool J is a very talented multi-genre artist who also has an acting career that spans decades as well, including such movies as the classic “Any Given Sunday.” While on the set he got in an actual altercation leading to him allegedly knocking out Jaimie Foxx. He has also acted in TV shows including his long-running role on NCIS: Los Angeles as Special Agent Sam Hanna, which is an enjoyable show to watch. Even as an entrepreneur, he established the brand FUBU which he shouted out in a 1997 GAP commercial saying the brand slogan “For Us By Us” and the founder of the ever-popular annual Rock The Bells Festival, which celebrates hip-hop music.
With a chart-topping career that has spanned four decades. He started with his 1984 album titled Radio with this classic declaring “I can’t live without my radio.” He has definitely been an artist whose music has undeniably influenced the culture. Some of his previous chart-topping songs have included the all-time favorite LL song “Mama Said Knock You Out,” the club banger “Headsprung,” “Rock the Bells,” “I’m Bad,” and “Going Back to Cali” which inspired the Notorious Big’s remake. He may not be in most emcees’ top 10, but he has earned his place on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time list. LL’s name is mentioned among hip hop’s greats. He is definitely one of the foundation stones of hip-hop and is recognized by legends like Eminem as an inspiration.
With his return to chart dominance, he dropped the track with his good friend Eminem, “Murdergram Deux” as the fourth single for the album, which is blowing up the internet. The lyricism and writing on this track are deep and complex. On this track, LL and Em show that they not only are leaders in the hip-hop genre but that they are still able to elevate and push the genre forward. The beat is reminiscent of 50 Cent’s song featuring Eminem “GATman And Robbin.” “Murdergram Deux” was produced by Q-Tip and Eminem, which explains why it has the signature sound that you hear on many of the tracks produced by Eminem. He has a certain syncopation that fits his vocals well as an apt student of the rap genre.
The album lives up to its title and exudes real creative energy which is entirely produced by the Q-Tip which at times feels a little bit more like a mixtape that was turned into an album that does have some stand-out tracks. Q-Tip is the legendary producer of A Tribe Called Quest who helped shape the jazz influenced sounds of boom bap in the 1990’s leading to the rise of one of the most prolific albums of all times Jazzmatazz by the artist Guru of Gangstarr. Q-Tip’s production and use of samples match well with LL’s lyrical tapestry.
The album “The FORCE” which is an acronym that stands for “Frequencies Of Real Creative Energy” covers a wide variety of very relevant and poignant topics ranging from racism, police brutality, reparations, racial injustice, the pandemic and the effects of isolation serves as LL’s manifesto. The album features Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Saweetie, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Eminem, Mad Squablz, Sona Jobarteh, J-S.A.N.D., and Don Pablito. LL’s lyrical prowess is still as sharp as ever. The album has elements that are an homage to the past and yet still remains innovative pushing the envelope forward, coupling the lyricism and production. It’s definitely worth a listen and is heavily in rotation at the moment.
The song “Murdergram Deux” opens with the lyrics “Do you remember the first time you heard the legend in leather.” Reminiscing on the first time listening to LL Cool J, while enjoying his song “I can’t live without my radio” among others. His focus on writing songs for the ladies led some hip hop heads to prefer the more gritty sounds of the likes of Boogie Down Productions / KRS One, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and NWA. Full of high lyricism, double entendres, intricate wordplay, and a headbanging beat provided by Q-Tip. This is by far the song that is heavy rotation right now. It’s definitely a club banger. The video features a recreation of LL’s album cover ‘Bigger And Deffer’ as well as an homage to foundations of hip hop that included a remake of Big Daddy Kane’s album Cover to his album “Long Live The Kane” by Eminem, which he claims as one of his inspirations in getting into rap music.
The first single off the album was “Saturday Night Special” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe. This song is a laid-back chill cut and a good song to feature Rick Ross as it fits his lyrical sensibilities pretty well. The hook goes “Always keep your word, always pay them back.” This track has the jazz vibe that Q-Tip uses on the entire album. Always known to make music for the ladies, this is not album is no exception. The next single was “Proclivities” which features Saweetie, making the point why Ladies Love Cool James, as he continues to make music to please the ladies. The beat and samples used on the track “Post Modern” were enjoyable.
“Passion” is probably the second favorite song off of the album. It’s a nostalgic throwback to 90’s boom bap nostalgia which is reminiscent of Eminem’s song Stan. The video is a throwback to the classic art of being an emcee. The single “The FORCE” has a rock sample that is a little overpowering; it drowns out the vocals, at times the production on this album can be a bit repetitive and doesn’t seem to bring anything new sonically. Lyrically LL brings it with plenty of punchlines and metaphors. The beat on “The Vow”; it’s dark, and moody, with some snap to it. The features on this cypher are pretty dope, with a very dark moody rap that is enjoyable. On “The Vow” he shows he’s still the rapper’s rapper. There are definitely some standout tracks on this album.
Nas and Busta Rhymes’ verses were definitely standouts. The songs “Huey In Da Chair” with Busta Rhymes and “Praise Him” with Nas feature conscious lyrics that illustrate LL’s Muslim faith much like his album “Walking with a Panther” which was influenced by artists like Public Enemy. One of the lyrics on “Praise Him” goes “Roll a Zig-Zag zig ’cause the God came home.” Zig-Zag-Zig, according to RZA, means Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. Many of the early Hip Hop pioneers were influenced by the Nation of Islam offshoot the 5% Nation of Gods and Earths, you can hear it in the music of Busta Rhymes, WuTang Clan, and KRS One.
At times this album feels more like a mixtape turned album, but it does have outstanding tracks that are worth a listen. There are a couple of songs on this album that are skippable and won’t find their way into rotation on Spotify playlists. It feels that this album could be called elevator music though, it’s very chill and laid back. Q-Tip’s production is among the greatest classic amongst hip hop royalty. One song that was produced by Q-Tip that is a stand out is “Vivrant Thang.” As a big fan of jazz-influenced boom bap, however, some of the tracks on this album seem to suffer from a lack of sonic diversity and don’t stand out. Overall it is a good album with some high production quality.
For an artist who released his first albums on records and tapes, who has experienced the transformation of how music is distributed, as it went to CD, and then digital as Napster and MP3.com changed how music is delivered, to how most people get their music through apps like Spotify, LL has remained a relevant and financially viable artist. He has proven himself a seasoned emcee and a force to be reckoned with. His album is worth a listen and quite a few songs have made it into many personal Spotify lists. Giving the album a ranking of 3.5 out of 5 stars. This isn’t a classic album but it is a top-notch album that not only pays homage to the past it also elevates the rap game and pushes the genre forward. This is why ladies love cool James, because not only is he rap’s version of Barry White, but he’s a thoroughbred emcee who can rap circles around some of these younger artists.
