LL Cool J
Rapper • Actor
Birth Name: James Todd Smith
Birth Date: January 14, 1968
Age: 57 years old
Birth Place: Bay Shore, New York
Partners: Kidada Jones
A true hip-hop original, LL Cool J did as much as anybody to bring rap to the mainstream in the '80s. He was born James Todd Smith in the Bay Shore section of Long Island in New York on January 14, 1968. His early life was horrific - his father shot both LL's mother and grandfather, and the young LL was the victim of child abuse.
He found solace in rapping while still an adolescent, and by the time he was 16 he had gotten himself a record deal with Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons' then-new Def Jam label. Rechristened LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James), he released his debut single, "I Need a Beat," in 1984. The record's sales figures helped to put both LL and the label on the map.
As successful as the song was, it hadn't charted, but LL's next two singles, "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells" became bona fide hits, and his 1985 debut LP, Radio, crossed over to the pop charts and went Platinum, making him one of hip hop's first real stars. His next album, 1987's Bigger and Deffer blew up even bigger, hitting No. 1 R&B and No. 3 Pop and including the hit "I Need Love," a gentle love song that expanded people's conception of rap's possibilities.
The 1989 album Walking With a Panther was similarly successful, but it was 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out that really carved LL's face into hip hop's Mt. Rushmore, becoming the biggest album of his career and birthing the Gold singles "Around the Way Girl" and the title track. In the early '90s, LL inaugurated his acting sideline, which would prove as long lasting as his musical career. During this period he appeared in such films as Barry Levinson's "Toys" (1993) and "The Hard Way," and in 1995 he began a five-season run as the star of the TV sitcom "In the House" (WB 1995-2000).
Later, he starred in the procedural drama "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS 2009- ). Throughout his life, LL would continue to rack up hip-hop "firsts," from being the first hip-hop artist to appear on American Bandstand to becoming the first rapper honored at the Kennedy Center, the latter distinction arriving in 2017.
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News aboutLL Cool J
‘NCIS’: LL Cool J to Reprise Role as Sam Hanna — Get Details
iHeartRadio Music Awards Red Carpet: See the Arrivals (PHOTOS)
Remembering ‘In the House,’ the LL Cool J–Debbie Allen Sitcom That Ended 25 Years Ago
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‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Series Finale Ends on Major Cliffhanger for Jane Tennant
Exclusive
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: Swift Reveals Major Threat in Series Finale Part 1 Sneak Peek (VIDEO)
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How ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Just Set Up Two-Part Season 3 Finale
‘NCIS’ by the Numbers as Franchise Hits Landmark 1000th Episode
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‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Reveals Sam’s Secret — How Long Is He Staying on the Island?
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‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ Reveals New Clue About Why Sam’s Really on the Island
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‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: Why Is Sam on the Island? How Are Kensi & Deeks Involved?
Exclusive
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ First Look: Henry Ian Cusick Returns — But Swift’s Not Here for Reason Jane Thinks (VIDEO)
Spoiler Alert
Is Sam Hiding Something on ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’? LL COOL J & Vanessa Lachey Weigh In
With LL COOL J on ‘NCIS: Hawai’i,’ Will We Get Update on Hetty & Other ‘LA’ Characters?
Q&A
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: Vanessa Lachey & LL COOL J Reveal Sam Brings Out Jane’s Vulnerable Side
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: See LL Cool J Reprise ‘LA’ Role Alongside Vanessa Lachey (PHOTOS)
CBS to Air ‘A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop’ Concert Special — Who’s Performing?
2023 MTV Video Music Awards: See Shakira, Lil Wayne & More Perform (VIDEO)
Q&A
‘Hip Hop Treasures’: Yolanda ‘Yo-Yo’ Whittaker on Hunting for Memorabilia & Hanging With Coolio
Exclusive
‘Superfan’ Sneak Peek: LL Cool J Reveals Why He Second Guessed Hit ‘Going Back to Cali’ (VIDEO)
‘Hip Hop Treasures’: LL Cool J & Ice T Track Down Memorabilia in New A&E Series (VIDEO)
Spoiler Alert
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’: LL Cool J to Reprise ‘LA’ Role & Recur in Season 3
Q&A
A Farewell to ‘NCIS: LA’: LL Cool J Looks Back on Sam’s Journey
Preview
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Cast Teases Last Case, Callen’s Wedding & More in Series Finale
‘Superfan’: CBS Sets Premiere Date for Fan Competition Series
Preview
‘NCIS: LA’: Prepare for a ‘Satisfying’ Series Finale With Big Returns & Surprises
‘NCIS: LA’: See the Cast in Their First & Last Seasons (PHOTOS)
‘NCIS’: First-Ever 3-Way Crossover Event Pushed Back, New Airdate Announced
Preview
‘NCIS: LA’ Boss Teases ‘Top Gun’-Style Nail-Biter in Aiden-Focused Episode
‘NCIS: LA’ Team Investigates Drones in Season 14 Premiere (PHOTOS)
2022 VMAs: LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj & Jack Harlow to Emcee
‘House’ Ended a Decade Ago: 10 Stars Who Had Guest Turns
‘NCIS: LA’ Brings Back Katya to Put Callen & Team in Danger (VIDEO)
‘NCIS: LA’ Season 13 Finale: A Special Beach Barbecue (PHOTOS)
Preview
‘NCIS: LA’ Episode 300 Will See Major Changes in the Agents’ Personal Lives
‘NCIS: LA’ Episode 300: Richard Gant Guest Stars as Sam’s Father (PHOTOS)
‘Superfan’: LL Cool J, Gloria Estefan & More Join CBS’ New Musical Game Show
‘Come Dance With Me’ EP Chris O’Donnell Dishes on Family Competition Series
Chris O’Donnell & LL Cool J’s ‘Come Dance With Me’ Sets Premiere Date on CBS
LL Cool J to Host and Perform at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Where the ‘NCIS: LA’ Finale Left Everyone & What Could Be Next
‘NCIS: LA’ Preview: Domestic Densi and the Search for Dangerous Technology (PHOTOS)
‘NCIS: LA’ Sets Out to Rescue Joelle — What Will It Take? (PHOTOS)
Go ‘Behind the Music’ With Jennifer Lopez, LL Cool J, Ricky Martin and Huey Lewis on Paramount+ (VIDEO)
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Brings Callen Face-to-Face With a Missing Anna (PHOTOS)
Who Kidnapped Sam’s Daughter on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’? (PHOTOS)
Deeks’ Training to Become an Agent Doesn’t Go So Well on ‘NCIS: LA’ (PHOTOS)
Opinion
Why ‘NCIS: LA’ Has Procedural Dramas’ Best Christmas Episodes
5 Moments That Led to ‘NCIS: LA’s Deeks Becoming an Agent
Spoiler Alert
‘NCIS: LA’: Kensi & Deeks Get a Christmas Miracle as They Plan Their Future (RECAP)
Will ‘NCIS: LA’s Christmas Bring Good News for Kensi & Deeks? (PHOTOS)
Spoiler Alert
‘NCIS: LA’ Teases Nell & Kensi’s Futures in the Season 12 Premiere (RECAP)
Nell Returns to Work in the ‘NCIS: LA’ Season 12 Premiere (PHOTOS)
‘NCIS: LA’ Recasts Sam’s Daughter for Season 12
Fall Preview
How TV’s Top Cop Shows Are Changing Their Approach to Law & Order
Fall Preview
‘NCIS: LA’ Boss Teases What’s Ahead for the Couples in Season 12
Preview
9 ‘NCIS: LA’ Season 11 Qs Answered — Plus, Catherine Bell’s Return as Mac! (PHOTOS)
Can Offset Help the ‘NCIS: LA’ Team Get Fatima Back? (PHOTOS)
LL Cool J Hosts the 42nd Kennedy Center Honors Celebrating 5 New Honorees
Spoiler Alert
Should ‘NCIS: LA’ Explore a Sam-Katherine Romance? (POLL)
‘NCIS: LA’ Stars Celebrate 250 Episodes: ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work’ (VIDEO)
Spoiler Alert
Can Harm, Mac & the Team Stop a War in the ‘NCIS: LA’ Season 11 Premiere? (RECAP)
Bill Goldberg Returns to ‘NCIS: LA’ as DOJ Agent Lance Hamilton (PHOTOS)
9 Things We Need to Know After the ‘NCIS: LA’ Season 10 Finale (PHOTOS)
Finale
See Harm & Mac’s ‘JAG’ Reunion in the ‘NCIS: LA’ Finale Trailer (VIDEO)
Can ‘JAG’s’ Harm & Mac Help the ‘NCIS: LA’ Team in the Season 10 Finale? (PHOTOS)
