LL Cool J Shares Details Of First New Album In 11 Years, ‘The FORCE’

LL Cool J’s long-awaited 14th studio album, The FORCE (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), is coming out on September 6th via Def Jam Recordings/Virgin Music Group. The 14-track collection will be LL’s first new studio album in 11 years, and was produced by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. “We’re talking 14 tracks of straight fire, all crafted by myself and the one and only Q-Tip,” said LL in a press statement. “When you listen to this album, you’re not just hearing music, you’re experiencing a whole new vibe, a whole new level of artistic passion.” LL told the Associated Press: “[I was] going back to the drawing board and learning how to rap again. The LeBrons, the Stephs, the Jordans, and the Kobes, they all go back to the drawing board, they always try to make themselves better. I wasn’t trying to do trendy, and I wasn’t trying to recapture anything I did before.” A music video for the album’s lead single, “Passion,” is out now. (Rolling Stone)