LL Cool J
THE FORCE
Release Date: Sep 6, 2024
Genre(s): Rap
Record label: LL Cool J
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Album Review: THE FORCE by LL Cool J
Very Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Hip-hop legend LL Cool J reaffirms his legacy on his 14th studio album, and his first in over ten years, The FORCE. For many rappers this far into their trajectory, when albums start coming once every decade or so, the returns are diminished and expectations are low. LL defies this unfortunate trend with an album of sure-footed flows, unexpectedly varying thematic material, and warm, mellow instrumentals that complement the relaxed rhyme styles.
Based on rating 3.5
The hip-hop veteran displays impressive energy on his long-awaited comeback When people think of LL COOL J they tend to associate him with loverboy raps and easygoing commercial fare, but on THE FORCE he has something to prove. Entirely produced by Q-Tip and with no concessions to the mainstream whatsoever, the rapper is perhaps more focused on raw lyricism than on any LL record since Radio. The title track loops a fuzzy electric guitar note over punchy drums and bass, Q-Tip imitates Michael Jackson on the intro of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and LL's verses range from the braggadocious to the bizarre ("Chef’s in the kitchen while we out fly fishing / water so clean you can see the fish pissing").
Based on rating 3/5
Scant months after Q-Tip publicly debated the dubiousness of an “adult-contemporary hip-hop” category on social media comes a completely Tip-produced new album by his Queens neighbor LL Cool J — the 56-year-old rapper-actor’s 14th since his 1984 debut as a teenager. In a year when both Rakim and Masta Ace released new projects, when Common teamed with producer Pete Rock for a stellar throwback album of Nineties-spirited hip-hop, LL’s new effort joins a trend. “Call it traditional hip-hop,” Q-Tip tweeted. The FORCE doesn’t nod to modern drill or trap, nor are there vintage boom-bap beats to be heard..
Opinion: Very Good
LL Cool J spent nearly three decades in pursuit of commercial success, which included a series of forgettable and ill-advised junctures where hip-hop's first superstar forced himself into stylistic niches that never quite suited him. This makes his 14th studio album, The Force, feel like a breath of fresh air, driven by a clear sense of personal and artistic vision. The album's lack of interest in courting contemporary trends is a feature, not a flaw.
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