Grant JonesIt’s a shame LL told us not to call this a come back because his new album with Q-Tip certainly feels like one. A successful one too, possibly even one of the greatest comebacks in Hip-Hop.
Black Moon, Little Brother and Tha Dogg Pound have all pulled it off themselves in recent years following hiatuses, but as far as individual emcees (self-proclaimed GOATs at that), this simply hasn’t been seen before. Rakim’s latest project was cool, but this is different. This is an artist rapping for fourteen tracks, who debuted forty years ago. It’s like Kurtis Blow, or, more accurately, Ice-T, suddenly re-appearing with a dope album. “The Force” is the first LL Cool J album for eleven years, following 2013’s “The Authentic”, which was a failed comeback itself after “Exit 13” was supposed to be his retirement record. After that hodgepodge of sickly collaborations and rusty rhyming, he’s done this properly and got one superproducer in on the production.
Q-Tip is widely respected, usually for his time in A Tribe Called Quest thirty years ago, but his work behind the boards (as well as his own solo career) are underappreciated by the masses. As wonderful as Common’s record with Pete Rock is, it still possessed the air of an emcee rhyming to dope beats. It worked, and it’s probably my favourite album of 2024, but Q-Tip frequently surprises the listener with where he takes them.
Many cite Rakim’s arrival in 1986 as transformative, and it was, but when LL came through with “Radio” a year earlier and the smash single “Rock the Bells”, it took the foundations Run-DMC laid down for New School rappers and ran with it. It’s difficult to believe that the same man is in these videos, with his top off (of course) looking like he has travelled through time.
We all know LL Cool J for his pioneering work in the 80s, introducing emotional vulnerabilities and love songs into a genre quickly dominated by male posturing, but his attempts to recreate those hits from the past have often led him to hollow, if polished, songs that focused on sex. “Proclivities” isn’t too dissimilar, but Q-Tip gives LL a beat that warrants seduction, and California’s Saweetie manages to give the song a catchy hook and a dirty verse. It’s possibly the best example of LL’s willingness to prove listeners he’s still got it, while sticking to a theme he knows better than most.
“I wasn’t a fan of the track with Eminem” may as well be predictive text for album reviews in 2024, but considering its public knowledge how much Eminem admires LL, the song “Murdergram Deux” is still a fun moment that benefits greatly from the nostalgic video which runs through iconic moments in the Queens emcee’s career.
More misjudged is the continued use of Fat Joe. I like him in small doses, but his brand of flagrant ignorance can be frustrating to listen to when it’s devoid of any of the lyrical dexterity that could be heard in his earlier output. It’s the antithesis of what LL’s going for here, as he reverts to type, rapping about his gauge and his “crack”. Rick Ross talking over LL’s hook is mildly irritating but feels disrespectful, more so than any “microphone borrowing”. What’s noticeable about LL here – is he still has an arrogant streak to his rapping, but despite that I found this to be one of his more likeable performances. And that Q-Tip beat is some of his best work in a while.
When Q-Tip crafts a banger, and LL gives his all, they threaten to create greatness. The best song is undoubtedly “Black Code Suite”, a crisp piano-driven bop that morphs into this gorgeous African choral chant, courtesy of Gambian vocalist Sona Jobarteh. It’s majestic, and a welcome break from a largely conventional rap album. And there’s a lot of rapping going on, making the 43 minutes feel longer than usual. Unlike Nas, who steals the show on “Praise Him” with his liquid flow, LL is energetic and on the attack with his performances, meaning he suits shorter bursts of rhymes. The collaborations are carefully chosen, with the one track that does include younger talent, “The Vow”, seeing LL dominate proceedings. It’s a shame we didn’t get some better (as well as younger) emcees on here.
“The Force” is a successful return for the 56-year-old, and possibly the most impressive example of a rapper approaching sixty, demonstrating why he’s one of the greats. Q-Tip frontloads the record with some stellar sounds, and it’s an album open to repeated listens, but it gets a bit bogged down in proving LL can still rap his ass off. A strong return, but doesn’t quite match those classics from yesteryear.