JumpinJack AJ

The look and tone of the music video kind of fit what I envisioned for it. It suites the song well. I actually like interview and live performance aspects of the video. If you want the song, buy it. This is the music video. It's fitting to give it a little something extra. The comments (from what I see) are ALL positive, which is great. We all are BUYING the single, right?

I was curious if he was going to partner with a big label or do it independently, but partner with someone for a distribution deal. I have an album by The Underachievers when they did an independent crowd-funded album a few years back. Hopefully this is the partnership he needs.

Yes, I'm all for a classic remix. Don't involve the new talent. Legends only.

"Light Em Up" from the Bad Boys: Ride Or Die soundtrack and "You Can Make It" are available. "Work of Art" hasn't been released. We've only heard it from his live performance the other day.

https://apnews.com/article/ll-cool-j-qtip-phife-dawg-eminem-85d1ccddf93d76c36653a11b5b8408ea LL Cool J relearned ‘how to rap’ on his first album in 11 years, ‘The FORCE.’ Here’s how FILE - LL Cool J performs during the MTV Video Music Awards in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 12, 2023. The rapper-actor will release “The F.O.R.C.E.,” his first album in 11 years. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) 2 of 2 | This cover image shows “The F.O.R.C.E.” by LL Cool J. (Def Jam Recordings/Virgin Music Group via AP) BY MARIA SHERMAN Updated 12:12 AM EDT, July 12, 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — The Grammy award winning rapper-actor- author LL COOL J will release his first new album in 11 years, “The FORCE” in September — 40 years into his hip-hop career. Not that he hasn’t been making music in that time. “I’ve always tinkered around in the studio here and there,” he told The Associated Press over Zoom. But over the last two or so years, inspiration really struck. He started working with a producer and pursuing music-making more seriously. Then he hit a roadblock. “I just felt like the tracks that this producer was giving me were better than the songs that I was writing,” he said. Then the late Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest came to him in a dream. “He told me, ‘Yo, man, that new music you’re working on is great, man.’ But he had a look on his face like a Cheshire cat, like he was lying to me,” he says. It was a wakeup call — and something told him to call A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip to work together. The move worked: Q-Tip produced every track and made all the beats on “The FORCE,” which will be released Sept. 6. LL COOL J describes the process of making his 14th studio album as “going back to the drawing board and learning how to rap again ... making sure I was really inspired by the things I was saying. That’s why there isn’t a lot of fluff on this album.” “The LeBrons, the Stephs, the Jordans and the Kobes, they all go back to the drawing board, they always try to make themselves better” he continued. “I wasn’t trying to do trendy, and I wasn’t trying to recapture anything I did before.” “The FORCE” is an inventive rap record, informed by LL COOL J’s lengthy career, touching on various themes, like the power of self-motivation (“Passion”), full-force swag (“Murdergram Deux,” a long-awaited collab with Eminem ), not-safe-for-work sensuality (“Proclivities” featuring Saweetie) and cautionary tales, as evidenced in the lead single, “Saturday Night Special” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe. Particularly effective is the one-two punch of “Huey in the Chair,” — a reference to a famous photo of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton — what the rapper describes as “taking a stand for what you believe in,” into the funky downtown beats of “Basquiat Energy,” a celebration of the namesake artist’s innovative spirit. The rapper says the American icons share an ability to “express their personal truths,” something he aimed to do on this album. In that way, “The FORCE,” which stands for “frequencies of real creative energy,” became an unofficial mantra for the release. “That’s what we wanted to present to the world,” he said. “It’s about wanting to vibrate at a high level.” And following the 50th anniversary of hip-hop last year, LL COOL J says he “wanted to show people that artists that have had long storied careers, so to speak, can make modern contributions to hip-hop that have a major impact. I hadn’t seen that done before. It was another challenge: Can I create something that sounds new and fresh?” He’s not leaning into fads here — expect to hear rappers actually rapping — but no one should consider this a play at nostalgia. The album is stacked with features, even beyond Ross, Fat Joe, Saweetie and Eminem: Snoop Dogg, Sona Jobareth, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D. and Don Pablito are among them. “The one thing I wanted to do is, I wanted to meet people where I’m at now. I wasn’t trying to be preachy,” he said. “I’m not trying to tell people necessarily how to live. I did want to express with people where I’m at artistically at this point in my life and give them that. And then they can take that and do whatever they want with it.” “The FORCE” Track List: 1. “Spirit of Cyrus” (feat. Snoop Dogg) 2. “The FORCE” 3. “Saturday Night Special” (feat. Rick Ross and Fat Joe) 4. “Black Code Suite” (feat. Sona Jobarteh) 5. “Passion” 6. “Proclivities” (feat. Saweetie) 7. “Post Modern” 8. “30 Decembers” 9. “Runnit Back” 10. “Huey In Da Chair” (feat. Busta Rhymes) 11. “Basquiat Energy” 12. “Praise Him” (feat. Nas) 13. “Murdergram Deux” (feat. Eminem) 14. “The Vow” (feat. Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D., and Don Pablito)

Great performance. He seems so happy to be performing and the crowd is showing crazy love. In the past, he tended to push his vocals too much when performing live, but he seems to let his voice fall in a normal place for himself here, which I really like. "Work of Art"... I need to hear a studio version pumping through the speakers. The lyrics are something to unpack and spend more time with. The production is fitting for the times. I'll personally always favor a more traditional sound. I think I'd like a studio version better than hearing a live recording. I just hope it's the only song on the album with that kind of sound and feel.

https://ew.com/will-smith-set-for-andrea-bocelli-30th-anniversary-concert-8677471?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_entertainmentweekly&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwY2xjawD-0aFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTbXG11zCdbLmn-cRJCqbVUv59OIa9J2dkLj78q2cznuqiAhsyYmrmbNRg_aem_nmNtf1RbEY6js8VO10kxYg Will Smith will appear with Andrea Bocelli at singer’s 30th anniversary concert Let’s hope they perform “Wild Wild West” together. By Wesley Stenzel Published on July 12, 2024 04:22PM EDT Andrea Bocelli will soon get jiggy wit it. Will Smith has joined the lineup of Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration in Tuscany. The three-day event will take place July 15, 17, and 19 at Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Bocelli’s hometown. There’s no word yet on what capacity the Fresh Prince will participate in — Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Smith’s representatives for clarification, and a rep for the concert had no further details to offer. Will Smith and Andrea Bocelli. DAVID LIVINGSTON/GETTY IMAGES; ROBERTO RICCIUTI/REDFERNS/GETTY If you haven’t booked a flight to Tuscany to see Big Willie back-to-back with the Italian tenor, fear not — the concert is being filmed by director Sam Wrench, the filmmaker behind Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour documentary. His doc capturing the performances is set to hit theaters in the fall through Fathom Events. The star-studded event will also see appearances by Shania Twain, Ed Sheeran, Russell Crowe, Jon Batiste, Sofía Vergara, Christian Nodal, Katharine McPhee, Queen’s Brian May, and Johnny Depp. Bocelli also announced a new collaborative album, Duets, on Friday. The project will feature a mix of old and new duets with other prominent artists, with Twain, Karol G, Marc Anthony, Gwen Stefani, and Chris Stapleton recording new songs with Bocelli. Older tracks with Stevie Wonder, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, McPhee, and Sheeran will also be included on the album, which will release Oct. 25. After almost exclusively focusing on acting for the last two decades, Smith has reignited his musical career with a new song, “You Can Make It,” which he performed at the BET Awards last month. The “Summertime” rapper also released “Light Em Up” with Sean Paul from the Bad Boys: Ride or Die soundtrack last month, and made a surprise appearance during J Balvin’s Coachella set, performing “Men in Black” in full Agent J garb. Smith’s musical ventures have been few and far between since his movie stardom solidified in the early 2000s. He did have two songs on the 2019 Aladdin soundtrack, and he’s occasionally recorded features for other artists like Jaden Smith, Logic, Nicky Jam, and Joyner Lucas. His last proper solo singles, though, came 19 years ago with “Switch” and “Party Starter” from his 2005 album Lost and Found. Now, Smith is hinting that a new album may be on the horizon, with “You Can Make It” as the lead single.

Yeah, this got me hype. In the past, he'd say something vague about music when dropping a video. With the success of the new song, the live performances over recent months (plus Jeff is out touring with Paula Abdul and New Kids), he seems ready and focused since he has an album well in the works. He better come through.

It's late in the game to say that, but I hope everyone on this board BUYS the single instead of just streaming it. Keep the momentum going. Let FP know we really want and appreciate the new music.

The album is out digitally! CD and vinyl available next month.

New single / music video!

The article talks about how the song is doing well on Gospel/Christian charts (which is awesome), but it only states that he's working on the album. It doesn't say that it's a Gospel/Christian album.

Yes, after hearing all that modern music in the film, it was great hearing a Run DMC song during a climatic moment. It perfectly set the tone for the moment.