Murdergram Deux
by LL Cool J (featuring Eminem)

Album: The FORCE (2024)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Murdergram Deux" is a collaboration between LL Cool J and Eminem. The song serves as a sequel to "Murdergram," the fast-rap workout that appeared as a deep cut on LL's classic 1990 album Mama Said Knock You Out.
  • The term "murdergram" was coined by LL Cool J for his 1990 song of the same name, blending the words "telegram" and "murder." A murdergram typically showcases rapid-fire delivery, intricate rhyme patterns, and emphasizes lyrical skill and verbal combat. In 1998, the hip-hop supergroup Murder Inc, consisting of Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule, released their own track titled "Murdergram" for the Streets is Watching soundtrack.
  • Here, we have two MCs in full flight trading razor-sharp verses like Olympic relay runners passing the baton, each line crackling with more intensity than the last. It's hip-hop in its most authentic form: raw, unfiltered, and gloriously intense.

    "It's pure hip-hop," said LL. "Pure hip-hop and Em is a fan of pure hip-hop, as am I. So, us working together on that record, it was dope."
  • Eminem delivers his verses with a breathless intensity that nods to LL's earlier work, even quoting from "Going Back to Cali" at the end of the track.
  • For Eminem, this collaboration was a full-circle moment; he grew up idolizing LL Cool J, and finally, on "Murdergram Deux," the two rap titans meet on record for the first time. Though not their first encounter - back in 2021, Eminem joined LL onstage at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for a rousing rendition of "Rock The Bells."
  • "Murdergram Deux" is a track from LL Cool J's 14th album, The FORCE. It marks his return to music after an 11-year break spent acting on NCIS: Los Angeles and hosting Lip Sync Battle. LL describes the album as "14 tracks of straight fire," emphasizing a return to the fundamentals: skills, bars, and beats - leaving the ego and materialism at the door. The project's vibe in the studio, he said, was all about good energy and having fun without taking himself too seriously.
  • The FORCE was executive produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, who brought his own brand of hip-hop credibility to the table. Eminem co-produced "Murdergram Deux" alongside Q-Tip, crafting a beat that jitters nervously with mid-2000s energy.
  • Rather than recording the song in Detroit in Eminem's studio, the two hip-hop heavyweights laid it down in Dr. Dre's studio in LA.

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