James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor better known as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James). Together with other new school hip-hop bands Beastie Boys and Run-DMC, he was one of the first rappers to gain commercial success.
LL Cool J’s breakthrough came with his single “I Need a Beat” and his monumental debut album, Radio, which he signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984. (1985). Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1996) were all commercial and critical successes for him (1997). Exit 13 (2008), his thirteenth album, marked the end of his long-term contract with Def Jam.
LL Cool J has appeared in films such as Halloween H20, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, Last Holiday, and Edison. In the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles, he presently plays NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna. LL Cool J also hosted Lip Sync Battle on the Paramount Network.
LL Cool J is a two-time Grammy Award winner known for hip hop songs including “Going Back to Cali”, “I’m Bad”, “The Boomin’ System”, “Rock the Bells”, and “Mother Said Knock You Out”, as well as R&B successes like “Doin’ It”, “I Need Love”, “Around the Way Girl”, and “Hello Lover”. VH1 named him one of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2010. LL Cool J was the first rapper to win the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, receiving an award for Musical Excellence.
