By Daniel Paiz

LL Cool J’s “The F.O.R.C.E Live” Tour lands in Denver, showcasing two different eras that have defined the past half century of Hip-Hop. “F.O.R.C.E” stands for “Frequencies of Real Creative Energy”, and there was an abundance of that in the Mile High City. The legendary Roots crew were the backing band (a job they know well) as a variety of emcees stepped to the mic. Rakim started the night off, and was followed by Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, and then a surprise first half LL performance.

Rick Ross, Big Boi, DJ Z-Trip all followed before the second half of LL’s set. The 1980s were well represented, as were the 2000s and 2010s. There were a number of highlights from tonight, but there was one special constant throughout.

Hip-Hop is getting its flowers

Hip-Hop is getting all the recognition it deserves. The culture and music were both seen as fads when they started, and it took some time for things to get going. So much has stood in the way of this community, and yet it kept going. The Cross-Bronx Expressway. Tipper stickers. Artists being paid nothing for their streams. The list could go on and on, but the point is everything thrown at Hip-Hop hasn’t stopped 50 years of music and culture.

What better way to have the soundtrack of celebration led by Questlove and The Roots? Cool J pointed out that Quest had put together this tour and lineups. Every single artist who came out was backed by The Roots, and there aren’t a lot of shows where you’ll see that. Rakim and The Roots. Big Boi, Sleepy Brown and The Roots. LL Cool J rapping with Black Thought while Questlove and The Roots keep things going. Each set was a one-of-a-kind experience.

It’s astounding to witness because big shows and big tours like this are a thing of the past, and understandably so: tours are very expensive, especially when adding a band. Ticket sales are tough to predict too, as tonight’s Denver show had the entire upper level closed due to sales. Despite that, those who showed up sang and rapped all night.

Top performances of the night

Initially The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Z-Trip would finish in a three-way tie for this, but that’s because they set the scene of each set. To narrow it down to the special guests, the most energetic and skillful performances were set off by Rakim, and Big Boi with special guest Sleepy Brown. LL Cool J was a close third to these two, but it felt like he was holding back for the second portion of his set. Black Thought rapping with each special guest was something fans aren’t going to see very often, so that aspect definitely made the night even better.

Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick were on this listener’s bucket list, but their sets were pretty short (they do have smaller discographies after all). That’s not to say the two legends didn’t do their thing, because they did a great job of complimenting each other’s sets. Hearing Rick support Fresh on “The Show” was a lot of fun. “Children’s Story” from Slick Rick felt a bit rushed, but it honestly might have been due to the altitude impacting the ruler more than he expected.

Rick Ross fit the theme of 2000s and 2010 acts along with Big Boi and Sleepy Brown, but stylistically it felt a bit like a reach. It wasn’t a bad set; Ross definitely did his thing and kept the energy up. The best way to look at it is there were some really special, high-level sets, and then there were some pretty good sets. Seeing Thought and Ross rhyme together was also something I never expected to see, but it worked out pretty well.

Final verdict

The Roots were the backing band for the night, but it would’ve been nice to have gotten some tracks from their discography. They largely played a Hip-Hop medley of tracks from the past 50 years, which was necessary and well-done, but I still needed their tunes. DJ Z-Trip should’ve had a longer set, and DJ Jazzy Jeff appeared relegated to Roots crew duty (which was still solid, but he didn’t get much of a solo set). DJ Shortkut also started the night out with a set between 7pm and 8pm and did a fantastic job. Overall, it was a historic night full of memorable collabs and joyful energy.

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