Queens, New York emcee, songwriter, actor, pioneer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer LL Cool J or Ladies Love Cool James returns to Def Jam Recordings a decade after an independent release Authentic to have Q-Tip from one of my all time favorite groups, A Tribe Called Quest produce their 14th full length studio album. Signed to Def Jam since Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons started it, his hard-hitting middle school debut Radio Full production from Rick & the sophomore effort BAD (Bigger And Deffer) Both established him as a top artist for the label. Walking with a Panther it was also a good follow up as “Jingling Baby” is one of my favorite songs of LL's & Mom said to knock you out Produced by Juice Crew co-founder Marley Marl is the best in his discography. 14 Shots at the Dome, Mr. Smith, Phenomenon, GOAT (Greatest of All Time) who helped create the title's acronym, 10 & The definition produced mostly by Timbaland had all their distinct points except I didn't enjoy them as much as the first 2 albums & Mom said to knock you out in combination. Said standouts include “Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings”, “Loungin””, “4, 3, 2, 1” which due to the line “L is that a mic on your hand? Let Me Borrow It' ignited his beef with Canibus which lasted the last 3 years of the 20th century, 'Zoom', 'Imagine That', 'Luv U Better' & 'Headsprung'. Todd Smith was a retreat from The definition & even fulfilled the Def Jam contract with the release Exit 13 to mixed responses. Some people think Authentic as his weakest & I instead always found myself enjoying the Trackmasters produced half & “Remember Me”. Along with the late DMX, they both returned to Def Jam in 2019 and collaborated with Dr. Dre who produced “Zoom” for what eventually became Journey THE POWER (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) in an exclusive joint deal between Def Jam and Virgin Music.
“Spirit of Cyrus” featuring Snoop Dogg is a synth-driven opener and talks about sewing up the fuckers and leaving the kill seamless, while the title track works on an intense boom bam orchestrating that he's part of the realest crew chilling out in a yacht listening to Pop Smoke & they got all the plugs. Lead single “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe & Rick Ross samples Caravan's “Bobbing Wide” talking about always keeping your word and paying back while “Black Code Suite” serves as this elegant pro-black anthem .
The way Tip flips Herbie Hancock's “Sun Touch” on the 2nd single “Passion” was very enjoyable talking about these muhfuckas needing a new group and “Proclivities” with Saweetie is actually the only love song throughout the LP connecting the synths. asking their partners what they will do with it. “Post Modern” soulfully expresses LL's desire to raise the bar, but then “30 Decembers” jumps over a sick beat to tell us about his experiences living in New York during the COVID pandemic -19.
“Runnit Back” brings a more awesome bang to the table talking about making moves here if you really want it, just before “Huey in the Chair” featuring Busta Rhymes continues the themes of Afrocentrism likening themselves to the iconic image of Black Panthers founder Huey P. Newton has been posted. “Basquiat Energy” draws inspiration from funk music once again talking about keeping Jean-Michel Basquiat's aura in the air leading into the groovy “Praise Him” with Nas finding 2 giving grace to the highest power.
Eminem who actually became a God like James Todd teams up with Uncle L for the 4th and final single “Murdergram 2” which is the follow up to the highlight off Mom said to knock you out living up to its predecessor's hype boasting of their raw unapologetic style and credibility in the rap game, be it LL's nostalgic sass or Eminem's signature fast flow and subtle wordplay. “The Vow” featuring Don Pablito, JS.AND and Mad Squablz completes the exploration THE POWER (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) featuring 3 up and coming artists paying it forward.
I can't call it a comeback because it's been here for years, but as I expected based on the singles, THE POWER (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) serves as a testament to Def Jam's dominance of the music landscape for 4 decades and holds a place in my personal top 3 LL albums with Radio & Mom said to knock you out. He's relearning how to rap again without doing anything modern or trying to recapture anything he's done in the past and he beautifully deals with issues of racial injustice, law enforcement abuses, isolation mixed with pandemic-induced remarks, his overall legacy and thoughts on his place in the rule. I can't forget to mention that Q-Tip's production here is on par with Pete Rock's on Common's new album The Amphitheater and so much The FORCE (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) further proves that the veterans of hip hop culture are still thriving as the music industry evolves with the times adapting to further cement their legacy and longevity.
Rating: 9/10