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
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 30, 1993 (1993-03-30)
Recorded199293
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length64:46
Label
Producer
LL Cool J chronology
Mama Said Knock You Out
(1990)
14 Shots to the Dome
(1993)
Mr. Smith
(1995)
Singles from 14 Shots to the Dome
  1. "How I'm Comin'"
    Released: February 15, 1993
  2. "Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings/Back Seat (of My Jeep)"
    Released: June 1, 1993
  3. "Stand By Your Man"
    Released: October 4, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA[2]
RapReviews5.5/10[3]
Robert ChristgauB[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.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."How I'm Comin'"Marley Marl5:05
2."Buckin' Em Down'"QD34:02
3."Stand by Your Man"Marley Marl4:50
4."A Little Somethin'"
Marley Marl4:26
5."Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings"
  • J.T. Smith
  • Williams
  • David Porter
Marley Marl4:17
6."Straight from Queens" (featuring Lt. Stitchie)
Marley Marl4:54
7."Funkadelic Relic"
Marley Marl3:55
8."All We Got Left Is the Beat"DJ Bobcat4:37
9."(NFA) No Frontin' Allowed" (featuring Lords of the Underground)
  • J.T. Smith
  • AlTerick Wardrick
  • Dupré Kelly
  • Williams
  • Ray Smith
  • Tyrone Armstrong
Marley Marl4:19
10."Back Seat (of My Jeep)"
  • J.T. Smith
  • Jones III
QD34:31
11."Soul Survivor"
  • Andrew Zenable
  • Chris Forte
  • QD3
4:38
12."Ain't No Stoppin' This"
  • J.T. Smith
  • Ervin
  • Tony Hester
DJ Bobcat4:43
13."Diggy Down"
  • J.T. Smith
  • Ervin
  • M. Smith
DJ Bobcat4:58
14."Crossroads"
  • J.T. Smith
  • Ervin
DJ Bobcat5:29
Total length:1:04:44
Sample credits

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
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 CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "14 Shots to the Dome - LL Cool J | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. Browne, David (April 9, 1993). "14 Shots to the Dome". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. 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.
  4. Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: L.L. Cool J". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. Neblett, Touré (May 13, 1993). "14 Shots To The Dome". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  6. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  8. "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  9. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  10. "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  11. "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  12. "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. 
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