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| Birth Name(s) : James Todd Smith |
Date of Birth: January 14, 1968 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Symone Smith |
| Profession:
Actor/Musician |
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Full LL Cool J Biography
Born James Todd Smith, Ladies Love Cool James (LL Cool J) began his career in Queens, N.Y. when he was 16 years old, though he had been rapping since the age of nine. His grandfather bought him a mixing table and LL began to record tapes in his home. Inevitably, he sent his tapes to various record labels and finally interested Def Jam Productions. In 1984 they signed him and released his first single, "I Need A Beat." The single sold more than 100,000 copies and established LL Cool J in the rap industry.
His debut album, I Can't Live Without My Radio, (which went platinum) was recorded in 1985 after LL left high school to pursue a career in music. 1987 marked the release of his second album Bigger and Deffer, which soared to the No. 3 spot on the pop charts with the help of the hit single, "I Need Love."
LL's ability to intuitively combine rap and pop is his strong point, but at the same time it has cost him the respect of many rap fans who claimed he has a sold out. The successful single, "Goin' Back to Cali," appeared on the Less Than Zero soundtrack in 1988, further boosting his crossover popularity.
In 1990 LL struck again with Mama Said Knock You Out, which marked him as a rap super-guru and pop deity. After this ascension, he starred in two movies and appeared and performed at the MTV Inaugural Ball in honor of President Clinton. He released 14 Shots to the Dome in 1993.
LL also starred on NBC's In the House and returned to the studio to record the double platinum album Mr. Smith, which was released in the latter part of 1995.
Throughout the mid-90s, LL continued to branch out into acting, taking roles in films such as Woo, Halloween: H20, and the Oliver Stone football opus Any Given Sunday. During this time, he released All World: Greatest Hits (1996) and Phenomenon (1997), an album that did not do well commercially or critically as it appeared LL was more interested in Hollywood than the hip-hop scene.
LL confirmed his attraction to acting over the next few years, taking a small part in 2000's Charlie's Angels and then scoring a starring role in the 2002 remake of Rollerball. In between, he found time to release G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), a self-assured collection that highlighted LL's classic lyrical flow and gave him some much-needed cred in the ever-changing rap landscape.
With his 2002 release, 10, LL reaffirms the strength of his position in the popular culture of music. “I consider this disc to be a milestone in my life,” says LL Cool J. “A tenth album for anybody is truly an amazing moment.” While the world of hip-hop has not, historically, provided much stability or staying power for the artists that shaped it, LL Cool J has managed to take a stand within it, combining rap and pop influences that appeal to both realms. |
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Additional LL Cool J Biography
LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith III on January 14, 1968 in New York, New York) is a legendary American hip hop artist and actor. He is known for romantic ballads such as "I Need Love" and "Hey Lover" as well as pioneering hip-hop like "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm Bad", "Boomin' System", "Mama Said Knock You Out", and "4, 3, 2, 1". He has also appeared in several films. LL Cool J is one of a few hip-hop stars of his era to sustain a successful recording career for more than two decades. He has released 12 albums and a greatest hits compilation so far, with his next album, Exit 13, set to be released early 2008. The album will be the last for LL's record deal with Def Jam Recordings, a deal which has lasted for over twenty two years, making it the longest single hip hop deal to date. LL Cool J stands for "Ladies Love Cool James." He now resides in Manhasset, NY with his wife and four children.
LL Cool J, an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James, bought hip hop records to get the label's address so he could send his demo tapes when he was young. He was the first artist signed to Def Jam in 1984 and released the underground hit "I Need a Beat" (see 1984 in music). The song was the first hit record for Def Jam, and its success persuaded him to drop out of school to record Radio (1985). The album was released to critical acclaim, as LL Cool J was one of the first rappers to use conventional song structure to make pop oriented rap. "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells" were successful and helped the album go platinum. "Rock the Bells" and another track, "Dear Yvette", both spawned 'answer records' to which L.L. never responded. In 1987, he released Bigger and Deffer. The ballad "I Need Love" was one of the first hit pop-rap songs.
After acting in The Hard Way and Toys, he released 14 Shots To The Dome (1993) to muted sales and mixed reviews, despite producing the small hit "Back Seat of My Jeep." He starred in In the House, an NBC sitcom, before releasing Mr. Smith (1995), which went on to sell over two million copies. Its singles, "Doin' It" and "Loungin", were two of the biggest songs in 1996 and both songs' music videos were hugely successful on MTV. Another of the album's singles, "Hey Lover", featured Boyz II Men sampling Michael Jackson's "Lady of My Life," which eventually became one of the first hip hop music videos to air on American VH1. The song also earned LL a Grammy Award.
The second single from Phenomenon was "4, 3, 2, 1" which featured Method Man, Redman and introducing DMX and Canibus. In the original version of the song, Canibus rapped "Yo L, is that a mic on your arm? Lemme borrow that", referring to LL's tattoo of a microphone on his arm. LL heard the verse, interpreted it as a diss, and responded to it with his own verse. This essentially created a battle between two MCs in the same song. In an attempt to calm tension, LL later called Canibus to say he saw the line as disrespect, and asked him to change it, to which Canibus complied. LL did not remove his verse, believing that with Canibus' verse gone no one would know who he was referring to in his verse. However, the original version of the song was leaked to the public. This would set up a rivalry. Canibus released his single "Second Round K.O.", containing lyrics dissing LL, who later responded with "Ripper Strikes Back." In this song he not only dissed Wyclef, Canibus' producer, but went on to berate ex-friend Mike Tyson for appearing on "Second Round K.O." LL did another diss, with "Back Where I Belong" featuring Ja Rule. Canibus replied to both tracks with his "Rip the Jacker" using LL's "I'm Bad" backing track.
LL has appeared in many TV series, with one of his earliest guest appearance as the teacher Mr. Throneberry on the cult Nickelodeon children's series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, to more recent as a death row convict on the show House. His most notable role on television was the role he played as Marion Hill in the NBC and UPN sitcom In the House for five seasons before the show was cancelled. They originally centered around the interaction between Marion and Jackie Warren (Debbie Allen), but with the introduction of new characters the show turned to the story behind his sport clinic. The show received rave reviews for its depiction of African-American males (Marion was a vegetarian, meditated, and rarely swore). During the filming of Any Given Sunday. LL also co-starred in the 2003 featured film remake of 1975 T.V series S.W.A.T. Playing "Deacon 'Deke' Kay". LL has also expanded his career with providing voice-over for animations where he was originally in the film Rugrats Go Wild! as the voice of a Piki doll, but his character was removed from the final cut
LL performed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the song "I Make My Own Rules" for the Private Parts soundtrack, but his name was not credited due to Def Jam threatening legal action if Warner Bros. had placed his name in the credits. LL said, "It was something that I wanted to do because I think that as an artist I should explore all different avenues of music, and I think that was afraid that me doing a rock record might tamper with from some of the other music like 'Hey Lover' and 'Doin' It'."
On the song Queens from LL's forthcoming album Exit 13 he delivers a series of shots to Def Jam. There has not been any response from Def Jam or LL regarding this matter. |
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