LL Cool J

James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper 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, LL Cool J's 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. He later re-signed with the label and released his fourteenth album, ''The FORCE'' (2024).

LL Cool J has appeared in numerous films, including ''Halloween H20'', ''In Too Deep'', ''Any Given Sunday'', ''Deep Blue Sea'', ''S.W.A.T.'', ''Mindhunters'', ''Last Holiday'', and ''Edison''. He played NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' and ''NCIS: Hawaiʻi''. LL Cool J was also the host of ''Lip Sync Battle'' on Paramount Network.

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 in the Musical Excellence category. Provided by Wikipedia