LL COOL J

RAPPER, SINGER-SONGWRITER, ACTOR

Early Life

LL Cool J was born on January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York to
James Nunya and Ondrea Smith. Little LL has never known how it
felt to have a happy childhood for he had already been forced to
endure some hardship during his early life [AceShowBiz]. In 1972, his
father shot his mother and grandfather in a serious altercation; they
both survived the incident. His father moved to California
afterwards. As a child, James suffered physical abuse by a
boyfriend of his mother. Dealing with abuse, James would often
bully other children at school. He used music as an escape, and by
the age of 9, he was already rapping and mixing music. He
eventually moved to his grandmothers house, where he would
practice with music.

Music Career

In 1984, James released a demo tape in hopes to pursue a music

career. His demo tape gained the attention of Rick Rubin and
Russell Simmons, who at the time formed DefJam Records. He was
eventually signed to DefJam Records, with his stage name LL Cool J,
which stands for Ladies Love Cool James. and released his first
album Radio in 1985. Two songs from the album, Cant Live Without
my Radio and Rock the Bells, helped the album hit Platinum, selling
over 1 million copies. With DefJam he released 13 albums. His last
album, Exit 13, was his last album from DefJam. After his previous 2
albums didnt sell well, he decided that it was time for him to leave
the label. Majority of his albums were either certified Gold or
Platinum. He is one of few hip-hop artists to stay in the game for a
long period of time. From practicing in his grandmother's basement
to selling out venues around the world, LL Cool J has remained
relevant for more than two decades [Shekell].

Television and Film

In 1985, LL Cool J made his first movie appearance in Kush Groove as
himself, and performed his song Cant Live Without My Radio. In the
mid 1990s, he began to pursue an acting career while still maintaining
his music career. Over the span of about 20 years, he has had over 30
television shows and film roles. His most popular film roles were in Deep
Blue Sea (1999), Any Given Sunday (1999), Deliver Us From Eva
(2003), and Last Holiday (2006). He currently has a role in NCIS: Los
Angeles, which is currently on its sixth season. For the last three years,
he has the hosted the Grammy Awards.

Personal Life

LL Cool J met Simone Johnson, a friend from her hometown in 1987.

The couple has four children; Najee (the only son), born in 1989,
Italia, born in 1990, Samaria, born in 1995, and Nina Simone, born in
2000. Simone and James married on August 7, 1995.

Albums

Radio (Nov. 1985)

Bigger and Deffer (Jul. 1987)

Walking With a Panther (Jun. 1989)

Mama Said Knock You Out (Aug. 1990)

14 Shots to the Dome (Jun. 1993)

Mr. Smith (Nov. 1995)

All World: Greatest Hits (Nov. 1996)

Phenomenon (Oct. 1997)

G.O.A.T (Sep. 2000)

10 (Oct. 2002)

The DEFinition (Aug. 2004)

Todd Smith (Apr. 2006)

Exit 13 (Sep. 2008)

All World 2 (Dec. 2009)

Authentic (Apr. 2013)

Legacy

LL Cool J has been in the hip hop industry for 30 years. Throughout
his 30 year span, he has won 42 different awards, including two
Grammy Awards, and 15 Soul Train Awards. He has sold over 20
million records worldwide, and is one of few artists in the hip-hop
industry to remain relevant for over two decades.

Works Cited

Shekell, Dustin. Hip-Hop Stars: LL Cool J. 1st ed. New York, NY:
Chelsea House Pub., 2007. 1-112. Print.

AceShowBiz: The Ace in Entertainment Zone. AceShowBiz, 1 Jan.

2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/ll_cool_j/biography.html

Meet The Smiths: LL Cool J And The Kids Come Out To Support
Simone And Her Jewelry. 2011.