LET'S MEET AND GREET LL COOL J
Born, James Todd Smith and professionally known as LL Cool J, on January 14, 1968 at Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, U.S - is an American businessman, rapper and actor.
What many don't know is that LL Cool J is a pioneer of the mid-80s new age hip-hop and rap movement.
LL Cool J succeeded to rank among the very few rap/hip-hop stars of his time who have sustained a lasting musical career for more than two decades.
Interestingly, his acronym LL Cool J means - Ladies Love Cool James - he picked up the name at 16 years old, and got signed on to the top rank rap record label of the time, Def Jam in 1984.
Known for his unique fastidious and indepth rap style, LL Cool J broke bound with his very first rap single - I Need a Beat - which sold more than 200,000 copies. Appearing in a 1985 movie titled - Krush Groove - which was a celebration of his label Def Jam, LL Cool J laid the lines for an acting career.
In 1987, he released an album - I Need Love - which was a bold statement that secured a topnotch position for him among his peers together with his 1988 hit single - Goin' Back to Cali - which took rap music by the storm, daringly. LL Cool J's 1990 hit single - Around the Way Girl - set him on a different pedestal, musically.
Aside from a hugely successful musical career, LL Cool J, who always had a thing for movie acting, landed a couple of TV series roles including - the Situation Comedy in the House - 1995 - 1999 and currently, the crime journal drama series - NCIS: Los Angeles - which has run from 2009 till date. LL Cool J's 21st century musical ventures has placed him in a respected position among contemporaries alongside his powerful social media presence.
Other than music and movies, LL Cool J has also stamped his mark as a resolute business man with the establishment of a clothing line, Rock the Bells. He also boasts of multiple Grammy Awards in the field of solo rap performance and in 2022, got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.