Search - Ll Cool J :: 14 Shots to the Dome

Let's swing an episode

a fan | amazon.com | 07/30/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"LL Cool J was at the top of his game in 1990 with the classic "Mama Said Knock You Out". "14 Shots" I guess is supposed to be the follow-up but it disappoints. I expected the usual LL when I popped in this disc, but I just couldn't find it. Instead he's trying a little too hard to impress the new hip hop "gangsta" generation, instead of just sticking to his stuff. Obviously, his greatest strength is his soulful songs for the ladies, but only one ("Stand By Your Man") appears here. The album falls flat with songs like "Straight from Queens" and "Diggy Down". The heavy bassed "Back Seat" is the only classic on the album, but songs like "All We Got Left is the Beat" and "Funkadelic Relic", where he makes early claims that he's the greatest rapper of all time, give "14 Shots" its moments. Clearly, it's not one of LL's best but at least he came back strong with "Mr. Smith"."

14 Shots to this album

Nuisance | Miami | 02/12/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"You have to remember that this album came out at a time when Hardcore rap was on and poppin. You also have to remember that his archrivals as well as his critics CLOWNED him for making chick records all the time. So LL went the hardcore with mixed results. How I'm Comin(1st single) sounds like Mama Said Knock You Out on steroids and lines like "slap, slap slap slap, slap, slap, SLAP/ Click click boom stopped dead in your tracks" make this song all the more sad. Stand By Your Man is pretty lifeless and A Little Somethin is very painful to listen too. This album does have its gems. Straight From Queens is LL spitting rapidly very well over a dope beat. Lords Of The Underground bless this album with a hot appearance on (NFA) No Frontin Allowed. Funkadelic Relic, Back Seat remind you of the LL that once was. But every dope song like Crossroads and Buckin Em Down is countered by suspect tracks like Diggy Down, Pink Cookies In A Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By Buildings, How Im Comin etc. LL's heart was in the right place when he attempted to talk about something of substance but All We Got Left Is The Beat and Diggy Down fall flat plus LL trying to sound G'd up doesnt help matters much either. In closing this album is far from terrible but it's not as groundbreaking as his previous works. The production was tight and LL's flow was on point sometimes but LL's hardcore posing is a little too hard to swallow especially after hearing I Need Love, 2 Different Worlds, 6 Minutes Of Love etc. LL has made worser albums than this(10, The DEFinition and Todd Smith anyone) so this suspect album is a classic in comparison to his later works. Only cop it to complete your LL collection. Standouts: BUCKIN EM DOWN, STRAIGHT FROM QUEENS, FUNKADELIC RELIC, NO FRONTIN ALLOWED, BACK SEAT and CROSSROADS."

Fell between classic albums of the mid-1990's!

Big Willy | Austin, TX | 02/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"BOTTOM LINE:



There is nothing wrong with this album except that it came out around the same time that BIGGER releases dropped (namely, everything from the West Coast haha ). Too bad, cuz this album has ALL of the rapidfire funk that was in East Coast hiphop. 'Back Seat' is the all-time jeep classic!



Pink Cookies definitely got crushed by buildings; Snoop stepped on them. LOL



"