LL COOL J's new album THE FORCE closes a 40-year loop with Def Jam Recordings, through which he released his and the label's first song "I Need A Beat" in 1984. While this isn't the end of his career, it does feel like a last hurrah of sorts. After all, hip-hop recently turned half a century old, it's LL's first album in 11 years, and the rap game definitely looks unrecognizable compared to when he first entered. But even with all this in mind, what makes this new project particularly compelling is that it still sounds fresh, hungry, grounded, and above all, passionate. With Q-Tip at the production helm and so much perspective to reflect on through his pen, Mr. "Ladies Love Cool James" successfully translates his dominance of fundamental skills into the contemporary era.
Rather than sticking to a traditionally conservative idea of boom-bap, Q-Tip mixes in many different styles and sonic moods through his instrumentals as THE FORCE's main beatsmith. The opening track "Spirit Of Cyrus" featuring Snoop Dogg is an immediate example: ambient sounds of nature at night add vivid atmosphere to LL's condemnation of police brutality, contrasted by a crisp drum pattern, warm wah guitars, eerie synthesizers, and haunting vocal samples. In addition, the modern mixes on these songs make them fully come alive more so than his typical material. The modular progression on "Black Code Suite" with Sona Jobarteh is a captivating mix of timbres, "Proclivities" with Saweetie is one of the Queens MC's most dreamy and woozy beats to date, and "30 Decembers" dazzles with a surprisingly psychedelic guitar line.
LL COOL J's Pen Is Still Sharp
As for lyricism, it's very simple: LL COOL J's still got it. He delivers single-issue odes, paralleling religion and culture, like "For the sake of equality, I'm fathering the song/ Spirit of God, bring he and her along" on "Praise Him" featuring Nas. LL sharpens his rhyme schemes and double entendres for more aggressive onslaughts, such as "This Halloween: them candy bars'll get you killed in the forest" off of "Murdergram Deux" with Eminem. James Todd Smith doesn't stray far from his typical wheelhouse, exploring generational changes, decades-long luxurious success, Black empowerment and solidarity, youthful memories, and fulfilling his family's lifelong goals. For the most part, he also frames his bars within a focused linear structure that nurtures his streams of consciousness. One example is "Saturday Night Special" with Rick Ross and Fat Joe thanks to its piece-by-piece character portrait of an insecure gangster.
On that note, LL Cool J's decades of lived experience make these topics much more nuanced than his past material. However, they are still retreads at the end of the day. One of THE FORCE's biggest flaws is its sense of repetition to varying degrees, whether it's a relatively mid-tempo journey for most of the LP or its recycled themes or flows. Even though the production is always quality and does bring some variety to the table (see the resuscitated and warped '80s drum machine worship on "Post Modern"), tracks like "Runnit Back" don't revisit the themes of wealth and competition in notably fresh ways. But all in all, these are minimal missteps across this album's runtime. The quality standard is consistent, even if the ceiling isn't the highest among "old-school" hip-hop releases this year.
How Will THE FORCE Live On?
That ceiling is lower because, well, LL COOL J is a legend. You can't hear a classically funky cut like "Basquiat Energy" or the title track and act particularly surprised; he's always made these gems. The deliciously jazzy keys and bass on "Passion" are beloved Q-Tip-style production, of which there are a hundred other stunning examples. But throughout THE FORCE, there are amazing and cathartic instrumental moments, killer features, and standout bars such as "King of the Jungle, but still humble at the Panther Party" on "Huey In The Chair" with Busta Rhymes. Finally, the closer "The Vow" is a very fitting end to this story. LL narrates his birth as the first GOAT MC with revolutionary rhetoric and then hands the mic over to younger MCs: Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D., and Don Pablito.
Furthermore, LL COOL J knows his place in the game. He has the power and knowledge to follow his own intuition and ideology regarding hip-hop and is excited about tomorrow's rap music. It's part of what comprises the "Frequencies of Real Creative Energy": you have your message, you honor your traditions, and you find a way to preserve and adapt them to a new dawn. LL doesn't come across as an old-head pining for his prime, or that of the art form. He's leading by example, joining forces with Q-Tip to present a distilled, cohesive, and refined image of classic hip-hop that appeals to and connects with current musical standards. In that way, THE FORCE is the perfect palate cleanser for rap music in 2024. If you ever get lost while exploring the culture's ecosystem, just come back to these roots and you'll feel that spark again.