LL Cool J Performs “Headsprung,” “Doin’ It” and More at the 2024 VMAs

LL Cool J performed a career-spanning medley at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, moving from “Headsprung” and Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise” to newer songs from The FORCE before closing with “Doin’ It.” The set tied the rapper’s catalog to Def Jam’s 40th anniversary, but current access to an official full-performance video has not been established.

What LL Cool J performed at the 2024 VMAs

At UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024, LL Cool J delivered a medley spanning his career and the label that helped launch it. Uproxx’s contemporary account describes this sequence:

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1		All World: Greatest Hits[2 LP]	$35.96	Buy on Amazon
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3		Phenomenon[2 LP]	$33.22	Buy on Amazon
4		THE FORCE[LP]	$19.50	Buy on Amazon
5		Bigger And Deffer[LP]		Buy on Amazon

1. “Headsprung,” reworked with the Mohawks’ “The Champ” sample instead of the original Timbaland-produced beat
2. Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise,” featuring Chuck D
3. “Rock The Bells”
4. “Passion”
5. “Proclivities”
6. “Doin’ It,” the reported closer

Uproxx reported that sequence on the night of the show and said its embedded video showed the full performance at the time. TIME’s recap also identifies “Doin’ It” as the closer, while highlighting “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Bring The Noise” in its summary. Those accounts differ in emphasis, so the sequence above is best treated as the songs documented by Uproxx—not a verified, definitive setlist. Read Uproxx’s performance report.

How the medley connected LL Cool J’s catalog to Def Jam

The performance marked the 40th anniversary of Def Jam, the label associated with LL Cool J’s early career. The VMAs themselves also celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2024. Pairing established songs such as “Rock The Bells” with a Public Enemy collaboration made the set a nod to the label’s history, while the newer material showed that the performance was not limited to a nostalgia medley. TIME’s event recap places the set in the anniversary context and notes that LL Cool J had performed “Doin’ It” at the VMAs in 1996 as well.

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Why The FORCE was part of the set

MTV’s official performer announcement billed LL Cool J to bring new music from The FORCE to the 2024 VMAs. The album title expands to “Frequencies of Real Creative Energy.” Released through Def Jam Recordings and Virgin Music Group on September 6, 2024, it was reported as his fourteenth studio album and contains 14 tracks, including “Passion” and “Proclivities”—the newer songs Uproxx reported in the medley. Uproxx’s album report lists the release timing and tracklist.

A CBS Mornings listing from September 12 says LL Cool J discussed performing classics and debuting “Passion” from The FORCE after the VMAs. The listing does not include a verbatim quote from him, so it confirms the interview topic rather than providing his own detailed account of the set. See the CBS listing.

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Where to watch the full performance

Uproxx’s article included an embedded performance video when it was published on September 11, 2024, but that does not establish whether the video still works or whether an official full-set upload is currently available. Check the video destination itself before relying on it; a past embed is not a guarantee of present access. MTV’s announcement confirms the booking and the plan to include new music from The FORCE, but it is not evidence of a currently available full-performance recording. View MTV’s performer announcement.

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Hip-hop legend LL COOL J returns with THE FORCE, his first new album in more than a decade

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