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. The 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. The album was produced 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)
Recorded1992–1993
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

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.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Calgary HeraldC+[2]
Robert ChristgauB[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA[4]
RapReviews5.5/10[5]
Rolling Stone     [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [7]
The Source     [8]

Robert Christgau stated: "Proof we didn't need that his talent is as phat as an elefant's phart and his brain is the size of a pea. Only it isn't his brain--it's his ability to comprehend contradiction. Like Michael Ivey, of all people, he flunked his follow-up because he can't figure out how to put success and rap together. Where Ivey (or the Basehead 'character,' ha ha) takes his dorky confusion out on women, L.L.'s sexism is love-man suave--his 'It's so relaxin' after a piece of pussy gets off in the back of his Jeep is a rare moment of grace. Instead he slings the gangsta metaphors and handgun memories in the vain hope that the guys hanging out by the check-cashing place will think he's hard. But from the look of the crotch he's grabbing in several photos, as of now he just ain't."[3]

Track listing

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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

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  • 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

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Chart (1993) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 74
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] 36
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 74
US Billboard 200[12] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 1

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "14 Shots to the Dome - LL Cool J | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-12-07. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Bell, Mike (April 4, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: L.L. Cool J". www.robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 2004-11-11. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Browne, David (April 9, 1993). "14 Shots to the Dome". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (April 11, 2017). "LL Cool J :: 14 Shots to the Dome :: Def Jam/Columbia Records". RapReviews. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Neblett, Touré (May 13, 1993). "14 Shots To The Dome". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ Oh, Minya "Shortie" (June 1993). "Record Report: LL Cool J – 14 Shots to the Dome". The Source. No. 45. New York. p. 74, 76.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "American album certifications – L.L. Cool J – 14 Shots To The Dome". Recording Industry Association of America.
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