-BORN JAMES TODD SMITH JANUARY 14, 1968 IN BAY SHORE, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
-LL COOL J (Ladies Love Cool James)
-KNOWN FOR HIS HIP HOP HITS: “I can’t Live Without My Radio, I’m Bad, the Boomin System, Rock The Bells, Mama Said Knock You Out and Doin It, I Need Love, Around the Way Girl and Hey Lover.”
-Appeared in numerous movies: In Too Deep, Any Given Day, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters and Edison
-He began rapping at age 9 and was influenced by hip-hop group the Treacherous Three
-In March 1984 NYU student Rick Rubin and promoter-manager Russell Simmons signed LL Cool J to Def Jam
-Smith’s first official record, the 12 inch single, “I Need A Beat”
-In 1985, L. L. Cool J’s debut album, Radio was released to critical acclaim and went platinum with more than 1.5 million sales.
-Other albums followed; Bigger and Deffer (1987), Mr. Smith (1995), G.O.A.T. (2000), and Exit 13 (2008)
– L.L. Cool J won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991 for Mama Said Knock You Out and in 1996 for Hey Lover.
-Smith was among the first hip-hop acts to achieve mainstream success
-Smith released Mr. Smith in 1995, the album single “Hey lover” featured Boyz II Men sampling Michael Jackson’s “The Lady in My Life” became one of the first hip-hop music videos to air on VH1.
-Smith first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove
-His first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie named Wildcats.
-Smith continued to pursuing acting and landed his own television sitcom, In The House.
– In 1998, he had a prominent role in the film Halloween H20. Other films include Any Given Sunday (1998), S.W.A.T. (2003), and Last Holiday (2006).
-He has also published four books, including his autobiography “I Make My Own Rules” (1998).
Smith is currently starring in a series on CBS as a Special Agent, Sam Hanna, NCIS-Los Angeles.
