LL Cool J's hilariously aggressive N97 ad: "don't call it a comeback"

There are really too many choice rhymes here to pick just one as a representative sample of all the "dope" and "ill" on display in Nokia's new N97 ad featuring the lyrical stylings of LL Cool J. We recommend you check it out before he begins to attempt to threaten you with physical violence. Video is embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Jorge]

[Muhammad-Oli @ Jun 15th 2009 9:41AM]

Uh... What was that?

[dave @ Jun 15th 2009 9:43AM]

Probaby the best thing I've seen all day, that's what that was.

[Muhammad-Oli @ Jun 15th 2009 9:44AM]

Your day only just started right?

[Rick @ Jun 15th 2009 9:47AM]

"Uh... What was that?"

x2

[Sea Urchin @ Jun 15th 2009 10:07AM]

Mama said stop spending money on useless phones.

[Mic2000 @ Jun 15th 2009 10:08AM]

An iPhone on 0:42 :S

[OneLove @ Jun 15th 2009 10:14AM]

HTC Touch Pro FTW!

[Barbaric @ Jun 15th 2009 11:22AM]

Better than the HTC add with the Fresh Prince-
"Take it from me, iPhones just don't understand"

god I do these all day...

wouldn't "doin it" have sent a better essage about there products than "a comeback"??

Wait till Cool J decides to flip for Apple..."Goin Back To Cali" with a pic of Cupertino

And Since, Nie inch Nails are Apple fanboys....please sombody make an iPhone vid with a buch of photos of the device towering over the rest, and "closer" can be the soundtrack. Apple wants to fuck you like an animal.

Now that this door has been open... lets abuse the hell out of it!

[Barbaric @ Jun 15th 2009 11:22AM]

Better than the HTC add with the Fresh Prince-
"Take it from me, iPhones just don't understand"

god I do these all day...

wouldn't "doin it" have sent a better message about there products than "a comeback"??

Wait till Cool J decides to flip for Apple..."Goin Back To Cali" with a pic of Cupertino

And Since, Nie inch Nails are Apple fanboys....please sombody make an iPhone vid with a buch of photos of the device towering over the rest, and "closer" can be the soundtrack. Apple wants to fuck you like an animal.

Now that this door has been open... lets abuse the hell out of it!

[ghex88 @ Jun 15th 2009 11:59AM]

The end of this ad when it shows the black N97 for a few flash seconds, it resembled the iPhone. Believe it or not, it gave the impression that Nokia is knocked out by iPhone.

The ad came subconsciously as if the real winner at the end: the black one that knocks out the white N97 is the iPhone.

Please don't take this wrongly, I am not a fanboy, all my phones has been Nokia.

But nowadays the name Nokia came to my subconscious like a Buick, expensive old school kinda outdated thing with copycat, me too, non-innovative features and resemblance that are favorites amongst senior citizen.

Time for me to change brands. :)

[slamEVIL @ Jun 15th 2009 12:13PM]

THAT...was awesome. probably the best mobile phone advert i have ever seen. wasn't lame and too "euro" like sony ericsson's; wasn't a bunch of hyped-up rubbish marketing like apple's. this was in your face, fast paced, froward momentum, showing you what the phone can do. i hope to see this on american television because this is the EXACT commercial that can compete with the iphone.

[adrian @ Jun 15th 2009 2:20PM]

I wonder if those Facebook members in the ad are Nokia employees.

[tony valentine @ Jun 15th 2009 9:41AM]

Nice video

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 10:01AM]

I didn't say anything about the iPhone. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that Nokia needs to do that ghost code which allows the Pre to get on iTunes and then they'll have a chance at this "comeback."

Comeback is an odd choice of words for them because it implies they were big in the smartphone space to begin with.

[Argot @ Jun 15th 2009 11:13AM]

Yeah, it's kind of sad (and funny - like a burning clown) that a lot of people don't get it? This commercial dosen't try to be hip och Apple smug, it is trying to be funny and ironic. And it does a good job of it. This kind of humor seems to go over some (Apple fanbois) heads it seems?

[Renegade Fanboy @ Jun 15th 2009 2:42PM]

I like when a company has irony and is willing to play on it:

"The song chosen is from LL Cool J (given name: James T. Smith), an iconic 24+ year veteran and legend of Hip Hop music, and the song is a 1991 release in response to media and competitors claiming he was too old, washed up, and irrelevant."

http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/009/06/n97_comeback_promotional__video.htm

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 9:42AM]

Seriously lame. They better get on the iTunes train like everyone else.

[Barri @ Jun 15th 2009 9:52AM]

Dude, every time i see a post from you on any article you always mention Apple or i-phone even when they dont even have anything about Apple or i-phone writen in them. You must be infected with i-rabies. Grow up you SFI

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 10:02AM]

I didn't say anything about the iPhone. Anyway, what I was trying to say is that Nokia needs to do that ghost code which allows the Pre to get on iTunes and then they'll have a chance at this "comeback."

Comeback is an odd choice of words for them because it implies they were big in the smartphone space to begin with.

[Aaron @ Jun 15th 2009 10:06AM]

@Paul a. Chapel

You do realize Nokia already provides a plug-in for iTunes sync on Mac OS, right? They have done for years.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 10:08AM]

Yes, I'm aware of that. They need to do it for the N97 or they're going to be toast.

[Jay @ Jun 15th 2009 10:24AM]

@Paul a. Chapel
Do you really think that if N97 doesn't support iTunes someone will kill every nokia employee, cook them, rip the flesh from their bones and finally put their meat between two pieces of bread and eat them?
I think there's something wrong with you.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 10:28AM]

@Jay, who said: "Do you really think that if N97 doesn't support iTunes someone will kill every nokia employee, cook them, rip the flesh from their bones and finally put their meat between two pieces of bread and eat them?"

Yes, that's exactly what I was saying. LOL. You should be around for all my translations.

[Argot @ Jun 15th 2009 10:29AM]

People still use the crap that is iTunes?

[Kaitou KID @ Jun 15th 2009 10:32AM]

why the hell would anyone use itunes that charges freakin 1.29 for the same songs amazon has for .99??

[TRS @ Jun 15th 2009 10:50AM]

@ Kaitu KID
why would anyone pay for their music anyways, if 30 cents matters that much to you?
And itunes is still a pretty solid music app. Its what i grew up with, so i'm down with it

[duh @ Jun 15th 2009 11:46AM]

@ Kaitou

You know that the 30 cent price disparity is set by the labels because they hate the stranglehold iTunes has so they're trying to help Amazon out...right? Read wired.

[Barbaric @ Jun 15th 2009 12:48PM]

@duh
thats a pretty big move for an industry. Do you have a link to the article? I would love to check it out.

[superhobo @ Jun 15th 2009 3:15PM]

I can't believe I'm agreeing with Paul a. Chapel ;_;

[m3tric @ Jun 15th 2009 8:11PM]

Only 12-18 year olds use iBloat software.

[superhobo @ Jun 16th 2009 7:47AM]

I meant about it being lame. iTunes sucks.

[nick @ Jun 15th 2009 9:43AM]

Nokia to Youth: "We Don't Get It"

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 9:50AM]

Seriously, they could have had an ad of an old man dancing in Hammer pants and it would of had the same effect.

[Aaron @ Jun 15th 2009 9:55AM]

Nick to World: "I have no sense of humour"

[Pookiewood @ Jun 15th 2009 9:56AM]

I know Duh! Where was Soulier Boy?

Nokia Got a New Phone
N97 on T-Mo
Watch me Crank that Cellphone Dance then call 1'my hoes
Now Watch Me
Youuuu Crank that Cellphone Dance
Youuuu Crank that Cellphone dance
Youuuu Crank that Cellphone dance
Youuuu Crank that Cellphone dance
Youuuu Crank that Cellphone dance

(Rinse, repeat)

[nick @ Jun 15th 2009 10:00AM]

Aaron, I actually think I have a pretty decent sense of humor, but I don't think, "what smartphone commercial do I find the funniest, I'm interested in that one." That's the way idiots think. Are you an idiot?

[Shyam D @ Jun 15th 2009 10:00AM]

Youth to Paul A. Chapel:

You're a horrible Chapelle Knock-off.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jun 15th 2009 10:03AM]

Actually, now that I think about it, the old man dancing in Hammer pants, wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

[Barri @ Jun 15th 2009 9:44AM]

Cool

[Muhammad-Oli @ Jun 15th 2009 9:45AM]

Haha I get it!

[pman @ Jun 15th 2009 1:16PM]

Snappy... nice

[Bbcversus @ Jun 15th 2009 9:46AM]

Liek LOL! And that should make me buy one? o.O Its weird/childish and dont even show what the phone can do - lol at the wall of text in the ad!

[dbw @ Jun 15th 2009 9:46AM]

Today has sucked so far, that was the highlight.

[grull27 @ Jun 15th 2009 9:46AM]

So where exactly do we find the hilarious aggressiveness?

[Pookiewood @ Jun 15th 2009 10:01AM]

Yeah Tweety Bird could've easily fit in to this video.

[Brandon @ Jun 15th 2009 11:47AM]

Poor Engadget, classifying LL as one of those rappers who would ever threaten physical violence.

That beat was hot though.

[NickNick @ Jun 15th 2009 9:46AM]

That was quite nice!

in my opinion better than the odd zen meditation pre ad.

[JrA 2I9 pSu @ Jun 15th 2009 9:47AM]

hey nokia...until you actually put a decent phone (like this one) on a carrier and offer some sort of price cut for getting a plan, NO ONE F$%#ING CARES!!!!!

[Dax @ Jun 15th 2009 9:54AM]

Agreed. The reviews on the N97 are pretty bad. Even though the phone has some great features, they were just sandwiched together. I love Nokia's build quality, but Symbian, as supposidly powerful as it is, needs a major overhaul.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jun 15th 2009 12:20PM]

EXACTLY! How do you (Nokia) expect to compete with subsidized Demigod phones from Palm, Apple, RIM (and others) that are selling for roughly $199.00? NO ONE (at least not west of the pond) is willing to pay $700+ for a phone especially since you still need a cell phone plan anyways. WE HERE ARE SUBSIDY JUNKIES (have been since the start)! If you (and SE///) are attempting to use a native EU model here, IT ANT GONNA WORK! We like uber high tech phones for cheep even if it means that we will be a contract "slave to the rhythm" for the next 2 years.