{"id":856,"date":"2018-07-18T11:03:56","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T17:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/?p=856"},"modified":"2019-01-16T16:01:57","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T23:01:57","slug":"ll-cool-j-crossroads-1993-1995","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/ll-cool-j-crossroads-1993-1995\/","title":{"rendered":"LL Cool J: Crossroads 1993-1995"},"content":{"rendered":"

After releasing four projects in a row that all sold at least a million copies, James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J in 1993 found his career at a crossroads. It was the era where harder edged \u201cgangster rap\u201d was moving units. Even artists like Hammer looked at the marketplace and realized that they would have to change their image and sound to coincide with the times with his project The Funky Headhunter<\/strong><\/em>. That project was recorded in 1993 but was not released until 1994 due to switching record labels from Capitol Records to Giant Records. It managed to eventually go platinum despite a severe backlash. Personally, I thought it was the perfect balance of still danceable funky tracks but with a harder edge.<\/p>\n

What was more perplexing in my opinion though was the backlash that LL received from his project 14 Shots to The Dome<\/strong><\/em>. The production was spearheaded by legendary hip hop producers Marley Marl, DJ Bobcat, and Quincy Jones III also known as QDIII. The songs were mostly aggressive sprinkled with some r&b tracks such as \u201cStand By Your Man\u201d and \u201cBackseat Of My Jeep\u201d.
\nA formula he had used on his previous project Mama Said Knock You Out<\/strong><\/em> released in 1990. The project\u2019s tone was in response to the reception of 1989\u2019s Walking With a<\/strong> Panther<\/strong><\/em> where he was criticized for having too much of a soft r&b type of vibe. 14 Shots To The Dome<\/strong> <\/em>was said to be faux west coast gangster rap. That LL had no business giving off this persona. The criticism was unwarranted.
\nLL in all previous projects had an aggressive boom bap braggadocios side to him. In addition, there were several tracks on the project which had deep social messages. These included \u201cAll We Got Left Is The Beat\u201d, \u201cDiggy Down\u201d, and \u201cCrossroads\u201d. In my eyes this was a more well-rounded project than what it received credit for.<\/p>\n

LL Cool J – All We Got Left Is The Beat<\/strong><\/h3>\n