Maps of Music

The FORCE (2024)

Where the lyrics of The FORCE take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first set for development in 2014 under the title GOAT 2, then scrapped and rebuilt, and it finally came out more than eleven years after its predecessor.

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Album story

Overview

• The FORCE: fourteenth studio album by American rapper and actor LL Cool J
• Released 6 September 2024 by LL Cool J, Inc., Def Jam Recordings, and Virgin Music Group
• Acronym for Frequencies of Real Creative Energy
• First official studio album in over eleven years, after 2013's Authentic
• First Def Jam album since 2008's Exit 13
• Guests include Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Sona Jobarteh, Saweetie, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Eminem, Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D., and Don Pablito

Background

• Development began in summer 2014 under the working title GOAT 2, a sequel to the 2000 number-one album G.O.A.T.
• In 2015 LL Cool J stepped away from music to focus on acting (NCIS: Los Angeles) and hosting (Lip Sync Battle)
• March 2016: announced retirement from recording; after fan criticism he retracted it and scrapped the original album
• 2019: LL Cool J and DMX re-signed with Def Jam for upcoming albums
• March 2022: confirmed on Instagram that Q-Tip was producing most of the album
• February 2023: said the album had been scrapped because it was too hot, and was not yet ready for release that year
• 12 July 2024: announced the title The FORCE, marking the fortieth anniversary of Def Jam, saying he had to learn how to rap again

Recording

• Almost entirely produced by Q-Tip, who also provides additional vocals on most tracks and had worked on the project since late 2020
• Additional production by guest stars Eminem and Sona Jobarteh
• J-S.A.N.D. produced the final track alongside Kizzo
• Samples include Michael Jackson's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough on the title track and Herbie Hancock's Sun Touch on Passion

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• James Todd Smith, known as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor.
• He was among the earliest rappers to achieve crossover commercial success alongside new-school acts like Run-DMC.
• Signed by Def Jam Recordings in 1984; his breakthrough single "I Need a Beat" (1984) was followed by debut album Radio (1985).
• Later albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997) brought continued success.
• Released The FORCE (2024), his fourteenth studio album, after re-signing with Def Jam.
• Acting work includes Toys, Halloween H20, Any Given Sunday, and NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023) as Sam Hanna.
• Two-time Grammy winner; in 2017 became the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 (Musical Excellence).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Mojo: critic Andy Cowan declared the album "a comeback" and found LL Cool J "at his sharpest" lyrically
• musicOMH: critic Ben Devlin wrote that the rapper is perhaps more focused on raw lyricism than on any LL record since Radio
• The Arts Desk: critic Joe Muggs wrote that "LL is in fine voice and furious flow" and called Q-Tip's production a reminder that old-school, sample-based hip-hop can be as heavyweight as anything post-trap youngsters can come up with
• Rolling Stone: critic Miles Marshall Lewis wrote that the album is hardly LL's grown-up 4:44 album and that it is better for keeping his old persona
• Slant Magazine: critic Paul Attard was more critical, saying LL can still spit circles around nearly anyone but the music has a surprisingly low ceiling beyond that
• Metacritic: average score of 76 out of 100, based on eight reviews

Reappraisal

• Reviews from critics were generally favorable

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut: number 50
• Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: number 11
• Independent Albums: number 9
• First week: 16,000 album-equivalent units sold in the US

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Q-Tip had been involved in the project since late 2020, and LL Cool J confirmed his production role on Instagram in March 2022.
• LL Cool J said the scrapped album's single "Saturday Night Special" was originally meant for a joint album with 50 Cent, which was cancelled because it "didn't fit [his] style".
• "Proclivities" interpolates the remix of "Flava in Ya Ear" and also samples Gary Numan's "M.E.".
• The album's title track samples Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".
• The album was announced on 12 July 2024, the same day the second single "Passion" was released.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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