LL Cool J , 1968-
, African-American rapper and actor, b. Queens, N.Y., as James Todd Smith.
Smith had a tragic upbringing, with his father shooting both his mother and
grandfather when he was just four years old; both nearly died from their
injuries. He began rapping when he was 10 years old, influenced by the
success of Grandmaster Flash. Taking the name of LL Cool J (“Ladies
Love Cool James”), Smith signed with Def Jam records, scoring success
with his first release, “I Need A Beat” (1984). His album
Radio (1985) is considered among his best work,
noteworthy for its innovative production and his powerful rapping. His
follow-up, Bigger and Deffer (1987), featured his first #1
R&B hit, “I Need Love.” With his commercial success, Cool
J started to feel pushback from more hardcore fans who accused him of
selling out. However, he returned to his more hard-edged roots with the
album Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), with its title track
winning a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1992. His albums continued
to sell well through the next decades, with his last major release,
Authentic, appearing in 2013; since then, he has
announced several albums as forthcoming but also hinted that he might retire
from music. Along with his musical career, Cool J began acting, starring in
the television sitcom In the House (1995-99) and in a
series of movies and guest TV appearances. In 2009, he began his
long-running role on NCIS-Los Angeles. LL Cool J was the
first rapper to be honored at the Kennedy Center (2017) and he was inducted
for Musical Excellence into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2021).
See his I Make My Own Rules (1997, with K. Hunter).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Music: Popular and Jazz: Biographies
