LL Cool J’s ‘The FORCE’ Review: A Definitive Return to Form

Is there a precedent for 55-year-old rappers making good albums?

No?

Well, of course, count on LL Cool J to break the mold. It’s something he’s been doing for four decades. He was the first solo rapper to have a Gold album. The first solo rapper to have a Platinum album. The first solo rapper to have multiple Platinum albums. The list goes on. Before Uncle L became best known as a television action hero, he was hip-hop’s original sex symbol, the first king of rap beef, a man capable of alternating pure lyricism with pop appeal, joints for the guys and jams for the ladies…

…and an artist whose albums have historically been frighteningly inconsistent. To put a positive spin on it, LL’s versatility has resulted in some jarring sonic moments. To put the opposite spin on it, LL’s desire to be at the head of the table of whatever trend is commercial in hip-hop has led to some questionable artistic choices. “Accidental Racist,” anyone?

After a 13 album run as Def Jam’s flagship artist, LL made one indie album, 2013’s Authentic. At that point, it appeared that he’d lost the plot–no hip hop fan was checking for his collaborations with Eddie Van Halen, or another (less misguided, thank God) team up with Brad Paisley. After that album was met with public indifference, the former James Todd Smith wisely hung up his mic and focused on acting, using his TV hiatuses to tour and remind audiences that he was still one of rap music’s most electrifying live performers. 

Eleven years later, The Force arrived on (IRL and virtual) record shelves and while LL may not want us to call it a comeback, that’s exactly what it is. He sounds energized, more engaged with the music than at any point since maybe the early Nineties. It’s a stunning return to form with no real precedent. Some of that sharpness might have been due to the long layoff. Some of it might’ve been energy from LL’s (overdue) Rock Hall induction. Some of it might’ve been a feeling of “iron sharpens iron” following the summer 2024 trek to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Ultimately, who cares where it came from as long as it’s there?

A fair amount of the credit for The Force’s success has to go to it’s sole producer, Q-Tip. The Tribe frontperson handles all of the boardwork, and the LL/Tip teamup makes for a solid fit next to all of the recent rapper/producer collabs that have been pretty much the only hip-hop I’ve been able to tolerate lately (see: Common & Pete Rock, Nas & Preemo). Already a legendary producer, Tip’s stepped his game up in recent years. His work on The Force is a logical step forward from 2016’s Tribe album We Got It From Here…Thank U 4 Your Service. It’s rooted in classic hip-hop, but also experimental. 

And I’m sure Tip helped LL stay true to his essence-there’s no trend-chasing, no lazy bars, and refreshingly few attempts to glom on to cultural relevance by virtue of contemporary collaborators. The Force is nothing more than LL Cool J doing what he does best–riding dope beats, expounding on his legacy as one of the best to ever do it (remember–he coined the term “GOAT”), dropping witty braggadocio (with the added import of now being accomplished enough to back all the bragging up) and throwing in a couple of jams for the ladies, who very likely Still Love Cool James. The guests on the album all play their roles well. Nas delivers an A-game performance on "Praise Him," Saweetie gamely steps up to the LeShaun role on the sex jam "Proclivities" and even Rick Ross and Fat Joe (two emcees I generally have trouble tolerating) go toe-to-toe capably with L on "Saturday Night Special."

If you’d have told me back in 1990 that LL Cool J would still be making good records in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you’d have told me in 2014 that LL Cool J would be making good records in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed you. But leave it to the guy who loves nothing more than silencing naysayers. He’s done it for four decades, and I won’t count him out from doing it again.