Table of Biography
LL Cool J is a popular American rapper, singer, actor, and record producer. LL Cool J is known as a leading exponent of mid-1980s new-school rap and one of the few hip-hop stars of his era to sustain a successful recording career for more than a decade.
Early Life
On the 14th of January 1968, in Bay Shore, Islip, New York, the United States of America, LL Cool J was born. His birth name is James Todd Smith and he holds American nationality. As of 2024, he is 55 years old and believes in the Christian religion.
Similarly, he belongs to the African-American ethnicity and has a birth sign of Capricorn. He is the son of James Smith (father) and Ondrea (mother). He often shared that, he had very disturbed childhood days and at the age of four, he witnessed his mother and grandfather getting shot at by his father which led to his parent’s separation.
Moreover, his mother had a relationship with a physical therapist named ‘Roscoe.’ In his autobiography, he accused Roscoe of abusing him physically and psychologically. But, Roscoe has denied all the allegations.
Education
Coming toward his educational career, he completed his early education at Hillcrest High School (Queens). Later, he enrolled at Northeastern University but dropped out of his education to pursue a music career.
Professional Career
From the age of 10 years, LL Cool J became a rapper. His mother and his grandfather were also very supportive of his musical passion. In 1984, when he was age 16 years old, he met Rick Rubin, a student at New York University.
LL Cool J’s music impressed Rubin and both of them created a single, ‘I Need a Beat.’ The duo sent the single to an artist manager Russell Simmons who also liked it. Rubin and Simmons established a record company– ‘Def Jam Recordings.’
Their record company launched LL Cool J’s first song, ‘I Need a Beat’, which sold more than 100,000 copies. Due to its success, he released his next album ‘Radio’ in the year 1985 which earned positive feedback for its powerful lyrics and sold more than 1.5 million copies.
In 1987, he released his next album ‘Bigger and Deffer’ and was a massive hit. It includes songs like ‘I’m Bad,’ ‘I Need Love,’ and ‘Bristol Hotel.’ This album also reached the number 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B charts, spending 11 weeks on it and selling more than 3 million copies in the process.
In addition, his third album, ‘Walking with a Panther’ was released in 1989. Although the album was a commercial success, fans did not like the presence of so many ‘soft’ songs in the album.
In response to the fans’ criticism, he released his fourth studio album ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ in 1990. This album had hard-hitting tracks, was high on energy, and is one of his biggest successes to date, and sold over 2.7 million copies.
Other albums and songs
Acting
Awards
LL Cool J – Net Worth 2024
Relationship Status
Talking about his relationship status, LL Cool J married his wife Simone Smith in 1995. The couple met in 1987 and has four kids whose names are Najee Laurent Todd Eugene, Samaria Leah Wisdom, Nina Simone, and Italia Anita Maria Smith.
He has his charitable foundation named ‘Jump & Ball’ which is based in his hometown of Queens, New York, and offers an athletic and team-building program for young people. In addition, he is involved in many charitable causes for literacy, music, and arts programs for kids and schools.
LL Cool J – Body Measurements
Coming towards his body stats, LL Cool J stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 96 kg. Moreover, he has black eyes with black hair color, and his body measurement measures 42-16-32 inches. Similarly, he wears a shoe size of 11 US.
Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@llcoolj’ there are 3 million followers. Likewise, there are over 7.2 million followers on his Facebook page and over 5 million followers on his Twitter page ‘@llcoolj.’ Similarly, there are over 628k subscribers on his self-titled YouTube channel.