1968-01-14 ( 57 years old ) in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA
James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J (acronym for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. 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, his 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.
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. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence.
While he first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He continued to work in movies from then until 1995 when he landed his own television sitcom, In the House (1995-2000).
He has appeared in numerous films, including Last Holiday, Edison, Mindhunters, S.W.A.T., Deliver Us from Eva, Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, Halloween H20, B.A.P.S., Toys, and The Hard Way.
In 2005, he returned to television in a guest starring role on the FOX medical drama House. He also guest starred on 30 Rock in 2007, and on Sesame Street 's 39th season where he introduced the word of the day, "Unanimous” and performed "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (Sept. 30, 2008).
As of 2011, he stars as Special Agent Sam Hanna on CBS's police procedural NCIS: L.A., a spin-off of NCIS. He was also the host of MTV's Lip Sync Battle.
Movies
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025-01-27
Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
2024-12-04
A Hip Hop Minute
2024-05-04
NCISverse: The First 1,000
2024-04-08
Comin' Up Short
2024-01-10
A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
2023-12-10
You're Watching Video Music Box
2021-12-03
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
2021-03-01
Ricky Powell: The Individualist
2020-05-30
One World: Together at Home
2020-04-18
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
2019-03-05
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018-12-09
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
2018-01-25
Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert
2015-12-06
Grudge Match
2013-12-25
Mayweather
2013-04-27
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
2012-07-01
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
2012-06-07
We Are the World 25 For Haiti
2010-02-12
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
2009-05-17
The Deal
2008-11-20
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
2007-04-19
Last Holiday
2006-01-13
Slow Burn
2005-09-12
Edison
2005-07-29
Mindhunters
2004-05-07
S.W.A.T.
2003-08-08
Beef
2003-08-03
Deliver Us from Eva
2003-02-07
Rollerball
2002-02-08
It's Black Entertainment
2002-02-08
Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
2002-01-01
Kingdom Come
2001-04-11
Charlie's Angels
2000-11-02
Any Given Sunday
1999-12-22
Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
1999-10-31
In Too Deep
1999-08-25
Deep Blue Sea
1999-07-28
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
1998-08-05
Woo
1998-05-08
Caught Up
1998-02-27
B.A.P.S
1997-03-28
Touch
1997-02-14
The Right to Remain Silent
1996-01-07
The Show
1995-08-25
Out-of-Sync
1995-06-04
Toys
1992-12-18
Simply Mad About the Mouse
1991-07-15
The Hard Way
1991-03-08
Future Of The Funk
1991-01-01
Big Fun in the Big Town
1986-06-06
Wildcats
1986-02-14
Krush Groove
1985-10-25
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