Greatness cannot be rushed, and when it comes to celebrating hip hop, LL Cool J is making sure it is done the right way. Case in point, the entertainer has pushed back the start of his upcoming arena trek, “The F.O.R.C.E. Live Tour.”
As previously reported by REVOLT in April, the emcee first announced that he was teaming up with The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Z-Trip for 24 shows. The feat would mark his first arena tour in 30 years and coincide with the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The cross-country trek was originally slated to kick off on June 25 in Boston and wrap up on Sept. 3 in Los Angeles. But those plans have since changed.
On Saturday (June 17), LL Cool J confirmed reports that tour dates had been postponed. In a video, he said, “As you may have heard, I rescheduled the first leg of my tour, you know what I’m saying. Production has to be right… I gotta be 100 percent ready. I love my fans. It’s got to be right… We gon’ do this. It’s gon’ be a show like you never seen before.” In the caption, he further explained, “I have to give my fans an experience that is unforgettable. I want to make sure everything is done right, and in order to do that, I had to change some things up. The updated tour dates are now live… I’ll see you there. More to come.”
At this time, 18 shows are listed with the first taking place in Baltimore on Aug. 11. The last show is currently scheduled for Nov. 19 in Boston. Some of the hip hop legends scheduled to make appearances include Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Common, MC Lyte, Method Man and Redman, Big Boi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ice T, and Doug E. Fresh, to name a few. LL Cool J previously promised fans that the experience would be unlike anything they had seen before, including the recent Grammy tribute to the genre. “I haven’t done an arena tour in many years, you know what I’m sayin’? And I put all my energy into making this thing right. This is like everything we’ve ever done on super [steroids]. So it’s going to be way more than you can imagine,” he said in an April 29 Instagram Live with fans.
While his most recent message was reassuring, he did not disclose details about the postponement. To view the full list of shows, visit the Rock the Bells website. LL’s message to fans can also be viewed below.