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LL Cool J

LL Cool J ("Ladies Love Cool James"), whose real name is James Todd Smith III, was born on January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York City. He grew up in the working-class section of St. Albans, Queens, singing in the church choir, playing football, and being in the Boy Scouts.

A TROUBLED PARENT RELATIoNSHIP BRINGS EARLY PAIN

LL's parents had a troublesome, often violent, relationship. As a result, his mother left his father when LL was four, and LL and his mother moved in with her parents.

The relationship turned bloody when late one night in 1972 his father shot his mother after she returned home from work. According to LL Cool J, who recounted the event in the song "Father" from his Phenomenon album, the elder James was seeking revenge after being abandoned by his family.

LL's mother later dated a man who would also bring pain into the young rapper's life. Named Rosco in LL's autobiography, he routinely beat LL while his mother was at work. He was often stripped naked and beaten for being hungry, watching TV, or looking at Roscoe the wrong way. These beatings had a profound effect on young LL. He stated that around this time he began compulsively wearing hats.

HIP-HOP & RAPPING HELPS HIM ESCAPE PROBLEMS

LL found that hip-hop music and rapping were ways of escaping his problems. He grew up in a musical family. His grandfather played tenor sax, his mother played accordion and his grandmother sang in the choir. By age 9, LL was rhyming. By age 13 he'd made his first studio recording.

LL Cool J would buy hip hop records to get the label's address so he could send his demo tapes. He sent one of his tapes to Def Jam, signed a contract with them in 1984 and soon released, "I Need a Beat" which became an underground hit. It was the first hit record for Def Jam, and its success persuaded LL to drop out of school to record Radio (album cover shown here), which was released in 1985 to critical acclaim.

LL initially was a hard-hitting, street-wise b-boy with spare beats and ballistic rhymes. But, he quickly developed an alternate style, a romantic -- and occasionally sappy -- lover's rap epitomized by his mainstream breakthrough single, "I Need Love." LL Cool J was one of the first rappers to use conventional song structure to make pop-oriented rap.

Around the late 1980s, hip-hop began experiencing a shift in consciousness away from the music's early themes of partying and braggadocio, to more socially aware issues such as drug abuse, race and racism, and economic empowerment. As a result, LL Cool J experienced a drop in popularity due to the view that his music was behind the times, materialistic and optimistic.

LL later released Mama Said Knock You Out, generally leaning towards a tough street image. The record re-established his reputation in the hip hop community. It included themes of police misconduct, spirituality along with back-to-basics hip-hop party rocking.

EXPANDING HORIZONS:

MORE RAPPING & LAUNCHING FABU

In 1995, LL Cool J released the album, Mr. Smith, which sold over 2 million copies. Its single, "Hey Lover," featured the group, Boyz II Men, and eventually became one the first rap music videos to air on American VH1. The song also earned LL a Grammy (shown here).

In 1996, LL helped launch a clothing line named FUBU, an acronym for "For Us, By Us" which meant that the clothes were made for and marketed to black people by other black people. In fall 2006 LL launched a clothing line called "Todd Smith" aimed towards the higher end of the market. A less expensive range will be released called "T.S".

SHARING HIS LESSONS LEARNED

& RULES OF LIFE WITH YOUNG WINNERS

LL is the author with Karen Hunter of I Make My Own Rules, an engaging and candid 1998 autobiography in which he lays bare his heart and soul. With emotion, LL tells of a time in his life that he was not proud of, a time when he was young, immature, and had plenty of money to throw around. He uses his life to teach the lesson to youngsters that we all make mistakes and to view them as a learning experience.

In 2002, LL wrote and released And the Winner Is . . ., a 7"x7", paper-over-board book aimed for ages 7-10 that includes CD singles that present messages worth rappin' about. In the book a young basketball player learns the importance of both winning and losing gracefully. By exploring themes of good sportsmanship, humility, and belief in oneself, LL Cool J's story reveals the invaluable lessons that apply both on and off the court. The powerful messages of the text and the original, unforgettable songs resonate with kids in a fun, hip, and educational way.

LL Cool J's latest book was published in late 2006. Written with his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, and called, LL Cool J’s Platinum Body: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever With Hollywood's Fittest Star, it provides detailed information on how and what LL does physically in terms of his diet, workout, philosophy and ideology.