LL COOL J's F.O.R.C.E. tour, which kicked off on Hip-Hop's birthday (August 11th), is officially underway.
The tour is one of the dopest live concert experiences Hip-Hop has witnessed, and that isn't an exaggeration — think a concert styled like a live mixtape, with legendary artists weaving their way through their biggest hits, all backed by The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Z-Trip. Already, it's been an experience to behold — Common freestyled, Rakim ripped through his classics, Queen Latifah delivered a dazzling performance, and more, as the show made stops in Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati last weekend. Next up? Detroit.
Detroit obviously has a rich Hip-Hop legacy, and rap fans will be treated to performances from Common, Bone Thugs N Harmony (who just had a street named after them in Cleveland), rap legend Ice-T, and Hip-Hop trendsetter MC Lyte. Questlove waxed poetic about the rarity of the tour in a recent post on Instagram, urging folks to catch it while they can because it's seriously a once in a lifetime kind of event.
"The exciting thing about this tour is EVERY NIGHT is a new show," he wrote. "Every night I learn something new. Last night in Chicago I remember expressing regret that I wasn’t MORE supportive of Bone Thugs (I was small minded in my 20s)——these cats are so awesome —- it wasn’t until rehearsal that I realized THIS is where the legacy of The Cold Crush went ——a jazzy harmony blend w a gritty narrative. Not to be outdone: being onstage w Doug & Rick doing La Di Da Di turned me into a 14 year old in the summer of 85 all over again. A lot of hours and hard work and sacrifice went into the production of this tour. I hope you get to see it cause —-I’m not the “never again” type but because of the strike and the timing of the 50th anniversary the stars are aligning but… Similar to me telling the European press in 2008 “this is our last run before we start this new TV show” they kinda scoff like “pssssh yeah right, y’all come here 4 times a year” Welp. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."
