Customer Reviews

14 Shots to the Dome

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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".

Looking how far the art of rap has come to change into hip hop. The artist Uncle L...For those how slept on the album miss L.L.Cool J at a great moment. This is a classic Album. It shows some of L.L's better talent and skill side. I feel it got it's bad Rap in which I think was due to the title "14 shots to the dome" it didn't get the praise it deserved.
Maybe if called "The Coming" or "A little somethin'" it might been able to catch more eyes. Now remember at this this time in 93' the west coast was starting to evolve into Gangsta Rap craze which then later overwhelm everyone.
Fortunately it was able to shoot off a couple of great singles. Again only in a brief moment in time. Pink Cookies with it's great duel meaning
shows the skills of this Artist. Which was a love song with it it's strong crossover dedication to the world of Hip Hop and Rap.
Also Stand by your man a clever piece of art using Slick Rick "For al of Ya'll" looped to a nice jingle he is know to have done so well.
Again shows to magic of rhyme and rhythm which make a complete piece.

This is by far the most underrated album by James Todd Smith (not far behind "Mr. Smith - also heavily underrated). It took LL three years to make this album after the smashing success of "Mama Said Knock You Out" and I guess the fans moved onto some other artists that were hot back in the "golden era" of hip hop (the early 1990's) - particularly that Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Death Row, West Coast gangsta sound - so presumably they "forgot about J".

But this album is hot from the opening track "This Is How I'm Comin" to the closing "Crossroads". Uncle L writes dope rhymes and manages to straight up wreck tha mic. He maintains his subtle sense of humour on tracks like "Funkadelic Relic" and "Pink Cookies". "Back Seat" features production by Naughty By Nature and was the only real hit from this album. By far the best tracks - apart from the aforementioned "Back Seat" are "All We Got Left Is The Beat", "Ain't No Stoppin This", "Crossroads", "Stand By Your Man" and "This Is How I'm Comin". The others are fine too.

LL Cool J continues to make quality hip hop for heads in the know - if you slept on this in '93 go out and get it now.

L always displays great mic skills, however this album was a lot better produced. This is LL how he should be. There a maybe 3 or 4 cuts he could have done with out.

Very underrated CD, probably the most underrated of all LL's CDs. "Funkadelic Relic" and "Pink Cookies" are LL classics.

Not one of LL's better-known recordings, 14 SHOTS TO THE DOME initially sold well, hitting the Top Five on the Hot 200 when it was originally released. However, the disc became his first album to fail to reach Platinum status in sales, and it is largely remembered as being a disappointment. This is a shame because 14 SHOTS actually sits among LL's best work, with 60 minutes worth of strong hooks and impassioned raps. The entire album has a much harder sound than most of his previous recordings, with "Buckin' Em," "Straight From Queens," and "Ain't No Stoppin' This" emerging as three of Uncle L's most rapid-fire rhymes yet.

LL also sounds incredibly spirited on "A Little Something," as well as the sexy hits "Back Seat" (#42 Pop, #24 R&B, #2 Rap) and "How I'm Comin'" (#57 Pop, #28 R&B, #1 Rap). Even the lighter numbers ("Stand By Your Man," "Diggy Down") aren't too sappy, and prove to be highlights rather than liabilities more often than not. As a matter of fact, the clever love song "Pink Cookies In A Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By Buildings" is the album's standout track. Even though it may not have as many standout moments as incredible as those on RADIO or MAMA, 14 SHOTS TO THE DOME is a solid, consistent work that easily stands as LL's most underrated album.

I don't know why this album got all of the crap it got. I remember in 6th grade hearing Pink Cookies, title's too long, I was amazed. Beat was great, he puts a little battle twist in the beginning, then goes telling a story about him macking some chick. While macking, he puts different hiphop group names in the rhymes. The whole ablum is great, it's LL verbally murdering wack MC's. See, these were the days before Hollywood got to Mr. Smith. This was when he could spit fire, minus I need Love about 7 years prior. Great production by Marley Marl, but then again, when did he not produce fire? LL was great, from Buck Em Down to Back Seat. This was grimey, soulfull, and lyrically unstoppable. Please, LL, come back. This is what made us hip hop fans excited. Please, no more cameo's with J-Lo. No more movies. Just come back and give us quality hip hop.

This is probably LL's most under-rated albums in his vast collection. With production duties again lying with Marley Marl with abit of help from QD3 and Bobcat the beats are at a very high standard. Although there are afew weak tracks such as "Stand By Your Man", "A Little Somethin'" and "Soul Suvivor" the majority of it is barn storming. As with all the LL albums the subject matter is pretty much rap ballads and battle raps galore over exceptional beats. Although lyrics-wise LL at times is abit mediocre in comparisin to his other albums, its still a great listen. The best tracks here out of the remaining 11 tracks in my opinion were "How I'm Comin'", "Buckin' Em Down", "Pink Cookies In A....", "Funkadelic Relic", "No Frontin' Allowed", "Diggy Down" and the finale "Crossroads", an anthem with a full orchestra, rainstorm sound effects and thunder. You've got to hear it to appreciate it. This is a brilliant addition to any LL collection, especially at such low prices for his past works. Cop it!!