14 Shots to the Dome
14 Shots to the Dome is the fifth studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J. It was released on March 30, 1993 via Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Marley's House Of Hits, at Cove City Sound Studios and at Unique Recording Studios in New York, and at QDIII Soundlab in Los Angeles, at Bobcat's House in Palmdale, and at Encore Studio in Burbank. Production was handled by Marley Marl, DJ Bobcat, Quincy Jones III, Andrew Zenable and Chris Forte. It features guest appearances from Lords of the Underground and Lieutenant Stitchie.
14 Shots to the Dome | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 30, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1992–93 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 64:46 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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LL Cool J chronology | ||||
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Singles from 14 Shots to the Dome | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[2] |
RapReviews | 5.5/10[3] |
Robert Christgau | B[4] |
Rolling Stone | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On June 2, 1993, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It spawned three charted singles: "How I'm Comin'", "Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings" b/w "Back Seat (of My Jeep)" and "Stand By Your Man".
It is his first album following his hugely successful previous album 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out. Unlike that release, which saw him have success on his own terms, 14 Shots sees LL adopting the sound of his West Coast gangsta rap contemporaries, especially that of Ice Cube and Cypress Hill. Many fans saw this as a jarring departure, and the album met mixed critical and commercial response. The album's second single "Back Seat" would later be sampled by R&B artist Monica for her debut single "Don't Take It Personal" which became a major hit two years later.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "How I'm Comin'" | Marley Marl | 5:05 | |
2. | "Buckin' Em Down'" |
| QD3 | 4:02 |
3. | "Stand by Your Man" |
| Marley Marl | 4:50 |
4. | "A Little Somethin'" |
| Marley Marl | 4:26 |
5. | "Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings" |
| Marley Marl | 4:17 |
6. | "Straight from Queens" (featuring Lt. Stitchie) |
| Marley Marl | 4:54 |
7. | "Funkadelic Relic" |
| Marley Marl | 3:55 |
8. | "All We Got Left Is the Beat" |
| DJ Bobcat | 4:37 |
9. | "(NFA) No Frontin' Allowed" (featuring Lords of the Underground) |
| Marley Marl | 4:19 |
10. | "Back Seat (of My Jeep)" |
| QD3 | 4:31 |
11. | "Soul Survivor" |
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| 4:38 |
12. | "Ain't No Stoppin' This" |
| DJ Bobcat | 4:43 |
13. | "Diggy Down" |
| DJ Bobcat | 4:58 |
14. | "Crossroads" |
| DJ Bobcat | 5:29 |
Total length: | 1:04:44 |
- Sample credits
- Track 1 contains elements from "Hot Pants (I'm Coming, I'm Coming)" written by James Brown and performed by Bobby Byrd
- Track 3 contains samples from "Fool's Paradise" written by Lesette Wilson and Joyce Melissa Morgan and performed by Meli'sa Morgan and "La Di Da Di" written and performed by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh
- Track 4 contains elements from "Groove Me" written and performed by King Floyd
- Track 5 contains a sample from "Blind Alley" written and performed by David Porter
- Track 6 contains elements from "The Payback" written by James Brown, Fred Wesley and John Starks and performed by James Brown
- Track 7 embodies portions of the composition "Wonderland by Night" written by Klaus Günter Neumann and Lincoln Chase
- Track 8 contains samples from "Hollywood Squares" written by William Collins, Frank Waddy and George Clinton and performed by Bootsy's Rubber Band, and "One Nation Under a Groove" written by George Clinton, Garry Shider and Walter "Junie" Morrison and performed by Funkadelic
- Track 9 contains samples from "Get Up & Dance" courtesy of Malaco Records and "Horn Hits for DJs" under license from Tuff City Records
- Track 11 contains elements from "Mother's Son" written and performed by Curtis Mayfield
- Track 12 contains a sample from "Get Up Get Down" written by Tony Hester and performed by The Dramatics
Personnel
- James Todd Smith – main artist
- Dawn Green – backing vocals (tracks: 1, 3)
- Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (track 14)
- Marsha McClurkin – backing vocals (track 14)
- Mary Brown – backing vocals (track 14)
- Nicki Richards – backing vocals (track 14)
- Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (track 14)
- Stan "The Guitar Man" Jones – bass & guitar (tracks: 8, 12, 13)
- Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams – producer (tracks: 1, 3-7, 9)
- Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin – producer (tracks: 8, 12-14), arranger (tracks: 8, 13), mixing (track 8)
- Quincy Delight Jones III – producer (tracks: 2, 10, 11), recording (tracks: 2, 10)
- Andrew Zenable – producer (track 11)
- Christopher Joseph Forte – producer (track 11)
- George Karras – engineering (tracks: 1-7, 9-11), mixing (tracks: 8, 12, 13), arranger (track 14)
- Frank Heller – engineering (tracks: 1, 3-7, 9)
- Dan Hetzel – recording (tracks: 8, 14)
- Steve Fredrickson – recording (tracks: 12, 13)
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Jeff Trotter – A&R executive
- Glen E. Friedman – photography
- Albert Watson – photography
Charts
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
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German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 74 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[8] | 36 |
UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 74 |
US Billboard 200[10] | 5 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] | 1 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "14 Shots to the Dome - LL Cool J | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Browne, David (April 9, 1993). "14 Shots to the Dome". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Juon, Steve 'Flash' (April 11, 2017). "LL Cool J :: 14 Shots to the Dome :: Def Jam/Columbia Records". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: L.L. Cool J". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Neblett, Touré (May 13, 1993). "14 Shots To The Dome". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
External links
- 14 Shots To The Dome at Discogs (list of releases)