It’s been a long time since “Ladies Love Cool James” has performed on this side of the pond and he rightly chose an intimate yet famous venue for this one off gig. With a constant crop of new rappers emerging from every edge of the earth, LL Cool J has a career many would kill for. He’s lasted over 20 years, had 12 albums, a film career, a clothing line and his own record label. Later this year he will release ‘Todd Smith Pt. 2’, his final album with Def Jam, the only company he’s ever been with.
Despite the press stating that tickets remained it really didn’t feel like it as from 7.30 the audience were packed in the Academy like sardines. After enduring the below par support acts and the numerous DJ’s asking if we were ready for LL yet, after a two hour wait we definitely were. A short video montage of his enviable career followed and finally with the first deafening beats of ‘Phenomenon’, the show had begun.
Clad in his own clothing line, LL continuously ran from both sides of the stage and got close enough for us to see the whites of his eyes. With such an impressive back catalogue of hits he focused on all the tracks we know and love including the sickly sweet “I Need Love” and old school classics such as ‘Rock The Bells’, ‘I Can’t Live Without My Radio’ and ‘I’m Going Back To Cali’.
Thanks to his honed physique and constant lip-licking, LL played up to his sex symbol status by picking out girls to join him on stage and throwing out roses which were caught by only the luckiest ladies – including yours truly. ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’, ‘Around The Way Girl’, “All I Have” and ‘Luv U Better’ went down a storm but the crowd got really hyped (and really loud) during ‘Control Myself’, ‘Hey Lover’, ‘Loungin’ and of course ‘Doin’ It’.
If there was a downside to this brilliant show is that our £30 ticket only bought an hour with him. Yes, he played all the songs the crowd wanted to hear but they were all mixed into another like a greatest hits collection. On top of that his in between banter was restricted to “Say Yeah”, “Scream”, “Brixton” and a very heart felt - yet short - speech about how he loves London and apparently all of us.
But to be honest as the crowd filtered down the High Street, moans of the short show ended because we all had such a brilliant time. Expect his upcoming tour to be a sell out after the strength of this performance, short but very sweet.
Rating: 4/ 5
Words By Limara Salt
Photograph by Alicia Young
