LL Cool J

LL Cool J married Simone Smith in 1995 and fathered four children with her. Simone was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2004, but eventually recovered.

In 2012, LL Cool J broke a burglar’s nose and jaw after he caught him in his house. He later handed over the burglar to the police.

LL Cool J was born to James and Ondrea Smith in Long Island, New York, and was christened as James Todd Smith.

Todd, as he was often addressed, had a very turbulent childhood and at the young age of four, he witnessed his mother and grandfather getting shot at by his own father which led to his parents’ separation.

His mother entered into a relationship with a physical therapist named ‘Roscoe’. LL Cool J, in his autobiography and also in interviews, has accused Roscoe of abusing him physically and psychologically. However, Roscoe has denied these allegations.

Todd’s interest in hip-hop music began when he was just nine. Two years later, he was already composing songs on a DJ system his grandfather had gifted him.

Todd and his friend came up with the pseudonym LL Cool J, which stood for ‘Ladies Love Cool James’.

In 1984, at the age of 16, Todd met Rick Rubin, a student of New York University. Rubin was impressed by Todd’s music and both of them created a single, ‘I Need a Beat’.

They sent the single to an artist manager Russell Simmons, who liked it too. Later that year, Simmons and Rubin founded their record company– ‘Def Jam Recordings’ and launched LL Cool J’s first song, ‘I Need a Beat’, which sold more than 100,000 copies.

This success gave Todd confidence as he dropped out of school and started working on an album, ‘Radio’, which got released in 1985. ‘Radio’ received a lot of positive feedback for its powerful lyrics and sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Todd also kick-started his acting career in 1985, appearing as himself in the film ‘Krush Groove’, which was about the beginning of ‘Def Jam Recordings’.

Todd’s next album, ‘Bigger and Deffer’, was released in 1987 and was a massive success. It featured the tracks, ‘I’m Bad’, ‘I Need Love’ and ‘Bristol Hotel’. The album also spent 11 weeks at the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B charts, selling more than 3 million copies in the process.

LL Cool J’s revolutionary 1987 album ‘Bigger and Deffer’ is his most successful album till date. The album includes a commercially successful ‘rap ballad’, ‘I Need Love’, the first of its kind. The album sold more than 3 million copies in the United States itself, and is the biggest selling album of LL Cool J’s career.

LL Cool J’s 1990 album ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ is his masterpiece and is considered a classic. LL Cool J overcame the disappointment of his previous album, and was back with a bang. Four singles from the album became big hits, including the Grammy-winning title track.