14 Shots to the Dome

14 Shots to the Dome
Studio album by LL Cool J
Released	March 30, 1993
Recorded	March 1992 - January 1993
Studio	Marley Marl's House of Hits (New York City) Q. D. III Soundlab (Los Angeles, CA) Cove City Sound Studios (Long Island, NY) Unique Recording (New York City) Bobcat's House (Palmdale, CA) Encore Studio (Burbank, CA)
Genre	Hardcore hip hop, East Coast hip hop, Hip hop
Length	64:44
Label	Def Jam Recordings / Columbia
Producer	Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, Christopher Joseph Forte, Marley Marl, Q. D. III, Andrew Zenable

LL Cool J chronology
Previous	Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)
Next	Mr. Smith (1995)

14 Shots to the Dome is the fifth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released in March 30, 1993 on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place at Marley's House of Hits, Cove City Studios and Unique Recording Studios in New York City, QDIII Soundlab in Los Angeles, Bobcat's House in Palmdale and at Encore Studios in Burbank from March 1992 to January 1993. Production was handled by QD3, Marley Marl, Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, Andrew Zenable and Chris Forte. It includes guest apperances by Lords of the Underground and Lieutenant Stitchie.

The album peaked at #5 on the US Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. 14 Shots to the Dome spawned the singles: "How I'm Comin'", "Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings", "Stand By Your Man" and "Back Seat (of My Jeep)". In June 2, 1993, the album was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

It is his first album following his hugely successful previous album Mama Said Knock You Out. Unlike that release, which saw him have success on his own terms, 14 Shots to the Dome sees LL adopting the sound of West Coast hip hop / Gangsta Rap contemporaries, especially that of Ice Cube and Cypress Hill. Many fans saw this as a jarring departure, the album met with mixed critical and commercial response.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Time
1.	"How I'm Comin'"	LL Cool J	Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	5:06
2.	"Buckin' Em Down"	LL Cool J	Jones, Smith	Q. D. III	4:03
3.	"Stand By Your Man"	LL Cool J	Ervin, Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	4:50
4.	"A Little Somethin'"	LL Cool J	Floyd, Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	4:26
5.	"Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings"	LL Cool J	Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	4:18
6.	"Straight from Queens"	LL Cool J, Lt. Stitchie	Laing, Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	4:55
7.	"Funkadelic Relic"	LL Cool J	Smith, Williams	Marley Marl	3:56
8.	"All We Got Left Is the Beat"	LL Cool J	Ervin, Smith	Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin	4:38
9.	"(NFA) No Frontin' Allowed"	LL Cool J, Lords of the Underground	Armstrong, Kelly, Smith, Smith, Wardick, Williams	Marley Marl	4:20
10.	"Back Seat"	LL Cool J	Jones, Smith	Q. D. III	4:32
11.	"Soul Survivor"	LL Cool J	Forte, Jones, Smith, Zenable	Q. D. III, Andrew Zenable, Christopher Joseph Forte	4:38
12.	"Ain't No Stoppin' This"	LL Cool J	Ervin, Smith	Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin	4:44
13.	"Diggy Down"	LL Cool J	Ervin, Smith, Smith	Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin	4:58
14.	"Crossroads"	LL Cool J	Ervin, Smith	Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin	5:29

Notes

• Track 1 features background vocals performed by Dawn Greene.
• Track 3 features background vocals performed by Dawn Greene.
• Track 8 features bass and guitar performed by Stan "Tha Guitar Man" Jones.
• Track 12 features bass and guitar performed by Stan "Tha Guitar Man" Jones, and scratches performed by Bobcat.
• Track 13 features bass and guitar performed by Stan "Tha Guitar Man" Jones, and scratches performed by Bobcat.
• Track 14 features background vocals performed by Paulette McWilliams, Nicki Richards and Cindy Mizelle, violins performed by Gayle Dixon, Winterton Garvey, Elena Barere, Regis Indiorio, Karen Karlsrud, Carmel Malin, David Nadien, Anthony Posk, Matthew Raimonda and Elliot Rosoff, violas performed by Olivia Koppell and Julien Barber, cellos performed by Fred Sherry and Eugene Moye, harp performed by Gloria Agostini, and French horns performed by John Clark, Peter Gordon and Robert Carlisle.

Samples

How I'm Comin'

• "Operator's Choice" by Mikey Dread
• "Hot Pants - I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming" by Bobby Byrd
• "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground
• "Don't Change Your Love" by The Five Stairsteps

Buckin' 'Em Down

• "Gotcha (Theme from "Starsky & Hutch")" by Tom Scott
• "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
• "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Born to Be Blue" by Jack Bruce

Stand By Your Man

• "Spinning Wheel" by Lonnie Smith
• "Fool's Paradise" by Meli'sa Morgan

A Little Somethin'

• "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush Groove 1)" by Run-D.M.C.
• "Groove Me" by King Floyd

Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings

• "Blind Alley" by The Emotions

Straight from Queens

• "Get Outta My Life Woman" by The New Apocalypse
• "The Payback" by James Brown
• "To da Break of Dawn" by LL Cool J

Funkadelic Relic

• "It's a New Day" by Skull Snaps
• "Wonderland by Night" by Bert Kaempfert
• "Rip a Rhyme" by Da Youngsta's

All We Got Left Is the Beat

• "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground
• "Bad Seed" by The Propositions
• "Hollywood Squares" by Bootsy's Rubber Band

(NFA) No Frontin' Allowed

• "Just Rhymin' With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane feat. Biz Markie
• "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Letha" by Charles Earland

Back Seat (of My Jeep)

• "You're Getting a Little Too Smart" by Detroit Emeralds
• "Big Water Bed" by Monk Higgins feat. The Specialties

Soul Survivor

• "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
• "Mother's Son" by Curtis Mayfield
• "Triple Threat" by Z-3 MC's
• "Cold Crush Brothers at the Dixie" by The Cold Crush Brothers

Ain't No Stoppin' This

• "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown
• "Get Up and Get Down" by The Dramatics

Diggy Down

• "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones feat. Valerie Simpson

Cross Roads

• "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss

Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings (Remix)

• "That's All Right With Me" by Esther Phillips