Another Hip Hop Story: The F.O.R.C.E Tour

In the spirit of celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop, I come to you again with another Hip Hop concert. This time it’s the F.O.R.C.E (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) Tour with LL Cool J, the Roots, Bone Thugs and Harmony, and many more!

I attended this concert at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. with my sister. She is a huge fan of LL Cool J, like almost to obsession (LoL) so I got the tickets for her and went along for the ride.

Imagine if you will walking up to the location of a concert and traveling back in time to the beginning of an era. An era of track suits, adidas sneakers, Kangol hats, thick gold rope chains, and bamboo earrings (at least two pair). You see people donned in attire they probably pulled from the back of their closets, dusted off and haven’t worn since the eighties.

Walking through the halls of the Capital One Arena, the only things missing were large boom boxes and people break dancing on a flattened cardboard box. It was truly a sight to see. As people were finding their seats, old-school hip-hop videos are being streamed on two projector screens on either side of the main stage. From A Tribe Called Quest to Mos Def (now known as Yasin Bey) to Arrested Development and more, everyone is bobbing their heads and belting out the lyrics to their favorite songs as if their lives depended on it. DJ Short Cut hypes up the crowd as he spins a wide arrangement of tunes just 15 minutes before the show starts. Whatcha know about that Big Daddy Kane’s Smooth Operator?

As the crowd is still hyped from the DJ playing Sardines from the Junkyard Band and EU’s Da Butt, Black Thought from the Roots steps on stage and starts their set with Here I Come.

Bone Thugs n Harmony jumps on stage with Thuggish Ruggish Bone, then hits us with It’s the First of the Month. This song made people jump out of their seats like someone lit a fire under their butts. Bone also hit us with Foe Tha Love of Money, Let’s Ride (featuring the late Biggie Smalls), and you already know the infamous Crossroads. This song had the whole auditorium bright with cellphone flashlights illuminating in memory of those who have crossed over into the afterlife.

After a somber moment, the crowd roars and anticipation builds as Black Thought introduces the main attraction, James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J! With the likes of DJ Z Trip, the Magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Roots backing him, Uncle L came out from the shadows in a mist of smoke and smacked us with the 1987 hit I’m Bad. This hit was followed by fan favorites Doin it, The Force, Around the Way Girl, Head Sprung and many more! One of the most memorable moments was the trumpet player gracing us with a solo like his life depended on it then the music drops for Goin Back to Cali! I’m pretty sure my voice was hoarse by this time.

The Roots came back on stage to give LL a break and ripped the stage with Act too (Love of my Life) before the Queen, Queen Latifah that is, came out on stage. The Jersey born native came out rapping Just Another Day before going into It’s Alright followed by her verse on Brandy’s I Wanna Be Down. Queen Latifah was having a wardroom malfunction with her left earring falling out, but she didn’t miss a beat. She just took the other earring out while singing the lyrics to the 90’s tv sitcom Living Single.

The party stayed jumping as Queen Latifah hit us with Ladies First and Monie Love slid on stage showing no mercy as she rapped her verses. Monie Love continued with the heat as she showed the crowd, she still got it with Monie In The Middle. Queen Latifah continued with the surprises as she brought out on stage Naughty By Nature who rocked fan favorites O.P.P. and Hip Hop Hooray. Queen Latifah finished her set with U.N.I.T.Y.

DJ Z Trip came out on stage and brought the fire spinning songs from the likes of Missy Elliott, OutKast, Black Sheep, and DJ Kool. He did a small tribute to Jam Master J before LL Cool J came back on stage to give the grand finale.

In true LL fashion, he sang I Need Love to all the ladies before sliding into Hey Lover and J Lo’s All I Have with her on screen singing her verses. Not to end on sappy note, LL hypes the crowd back up with I Shot Ya and Jack the Ripper. The grand finale was his 1980’s hit Rock The Bells as he goes out in a puff of smoke and laser lights.

If you were unable to attend this concert in person, you sure did miss a treat! Until next time! Make travel your love language!

Disclaimer: I, Artilya Key, also known as A. Key (A Key To Adventure), am not affiliated with any of the links, places, people or sites mentioned in this blog nor did I receive any compensation for this post. Should you need more information, please refer to the linked information or contact the company or entities. Any copywritten information belongs to that entity and is not associated with A Key To Adventure.