JAMES TODD SMITH
LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith; January 14, 1968) is an American rapper, actor, author and entrepreneur from Queens, New York. He is known for such hip hop hits as “Going Back to Cali”, “I’m Bad”, “The Boomin’ System”, “Rock the Bells”, and “Mama Said Knock You Out”, as well as romantic ballads such as “Doin’ It”, “I Need Love”, “Around the Way Girl”, and “Hey Lover”. LL Cool J has released 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. LL Cool J has also appeared in numerous films, including In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, and Edison. He currently stars in an action role as NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna, on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles. (More from Wikipedia)
LL Cool J – the initials stand for “Ladies Love Cool James” (his real name is James Todd Smith) – is one of the forefathers of pop rap according to Wikipedia. To date, he has released 13 albums and 2 greatest-hits collections.
About his first album, Radio (1985), Wikipedia says: “Reflecting the new school and ghettoblaster subculture in the U.S. during the mid-1980s, Radio belongs to a pivotal moment in the history and culture of hip hop. Its success contributed to the displacement of the old school with the new school form and to the genre’s mainstream success during the period. Its success also served as a career breakthrough for LL Cool J and [producer] Rick Rubin. Radio has been recognized by music writers as one of the first cohesive and commercially successful hip hop albums.”
(September 2016)
