LL Cool J

"James Smith (rapper)" redirects here. For other people, see James Smith.

LL Cool J
LL Cool J receiving the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors
Born
James Todd Smith

(1968-01-14) January 14, 1968 (age 56)
Bay Shore, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Years active1984–present
Spouse
Simone Johnson
​
(m. 1995)​
[1]
PartnerKidada Jones (1992–1994)[2]
Children4[1]
Musical career
OriginQueens, New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
DiscographyLL Cool J discography
Labels
Websitellcoolj.com

James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James),[3] is an American rapper and actor.[4] He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.

Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, LL Cool J's breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), was his last in his long-tenured deal with Def Jam. He later re-signed with the label and released his fourteenth album, The FORCE (2024).

LL Cool J has appeared in numerous films, including Halloween H20, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, Last Holiday, and Edison. He played NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawaiʻi. LL Cool J was also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network.[5][6]

A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for hip hop songs such as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list.[7] In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.[8] In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.[9]

  1. ^ a b Eve Crosbie (March 21, 2021). "Meet NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J's family". Hello.
  2. ^ J, LL Cool; Hunter, Karen (1998). I Make My Own Rules. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 152–154. ISBN 978-0-312-17110-0.
  3. ^ CBS (September 12, 2008). "There's No Doubt 'Ladies Love Cool James'". CBS News. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  4. ^ Farber, Jim (October 24, 2010). "Your nabe: A guide to the hip hop haven of Hollis, Queens". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  5. ^ baseballproo77 (April 2, 2015). "Lip Sync Battle (TV Series 2015–)". IMDb.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Lip Sync Battle | Paramount Network". paramountnetwork.com.
  7. ^ "VH1 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time". Stereogum. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters Among Those Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame". NPR. Retrieved May 12, 2021.