  LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) was
born on January 14, 1968, and raised by his
grandparents in Queens, NY. His stage name
stands for "Ladies Love Cool
James." LL became the first rap artist
to have 6 consecutive million-selling LPs.
His career image has seen him transcend from
streetwise rapper, to sitcom actor, and back
to streetwise rapper. What separates LL from
other rappers today (besides longevity) is
his ability to rap about life's highs and
lows without continuous intense and offensive
language. By doing this, LL has achieved more
admiration, and in turn, credibility, than
many of his fellow rap artists.
LL had a hit with Def Jam
Records called "I Need A Beat" at
the age of 16. The success of the 12"
track convinced LL to drop out of high school
and work on his first LP.
 LL released his debut LP, Radio. The LP was later
ranked # 69 in Rolling Stones
"100 Best LPs of the Eighties."
 # 92
Singles Artist of the Year
LL released Bigger
& Deffer which produced his first pop
hit, "I Need Love," considered to
be rap's first true ballad. The track became
the first rap song to hit #1 on Billboard's
Black Singles Chart. The LP came after a tour
with fellow rappers Run-D.M.C. and
sold over 2 million copies in the U.S.
 L L. then continued his success
by touring with Public Enemy
as part of the Def Jam Tour.
 # 133
Singles Artist of the Year
LL was nominated for 2 American Music
Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Male
Artist
and Favorite Soul/R&B
Album.
LL found more pop success with a
song from the soundtrack to Less
Than Zero, "Going Back To Cali"
which also introduced him as a video artist.
LL had achieved a lot of
"firsts" and accolades by the time
he entered his 20's, including a performance
on Saturday Night Live, a profile in
Ebony magazine (both firsts for a
black rapper), and he was asked by Nancy
Reagan to headline an anti-drug concert for
her infamous "Just Say No"
campaign.
 # 105
Singles Artist of the Year
LL was nominated for a Grammy
Award for Best Rap Performance ("Going Back To
Cali").
 LL released Walking
With The Panther. The LP contained the
hits "I'm That Type Of Guy" and
"Jinglin' Baby." The LP went
platinum but tended to loose some LL fans as
his romantic ballads and "tame"
raps were being overlooked for the emerging
hardcore rap sound.
LL hit the Top 40 with "I'm That Type Of Guy."
LL hit the Top 10 with "I'm That Type Of Guy."
 # 177
Singles Artist of the Year
 LL released what many called his
"comeback LP," Mama
Said Knock You Out. LL had returned to
his streetwise rap roots, and found that
R&B and pop audiences welcomed his sound
again. The LP spawned the hits "Around The Way Girl," "Mama Said Knock You Out," "The Boomin' System," and "6
Minutes Of Pleasure." LL also began to
get heavy play for his videos with this LP.
LL hit the Top 40 with
"The Boomin' System."
 # 31
Singles Artist of the Year
LL hit the Top 40 with "Around The Way Girl."
LL hit the Top 10 with "Around The Way Girl."
LL hit the Top 40 with "Mama Said Knock You Out."
LL won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Rap Video ("Mama Said Knock You Out") and the video
was also nominated for Best Cinematography.
LL was nominated for 2 American Music
Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Male
Artist
and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album (Mama
Said Knock You Out).
LL won his 1st Grammy
Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Mama Said Knock You Out").
LL appeared on MTV Unplugged
becoming the first black artist on the
series.
 # 106
Singles Artist of the Year
LL began the year by being
selected to perform at the Inaugural ceremony
celebration for President Clinton.
LL was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Strictly
Business").
 LL released 14
Shots To The Dome and many
critics and fans felt LL was trying to hard
to capitalize on the gangsta rap sound. The
LP did go platinum and contained the hits
"Back Seat (Of My Jeep)," "How I'm
Comin'," and "Pink Cookies In A
Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By
Buildings." LL said of the LP: "I
wanted this record to be fun, not stiff.
Right now, I like the state of rap music.
It's opened up a lot, and this is a good time
to put a record out. I think people are ready
to hear me."
14
Shots To The Dome topped the Billboard
Top R&B Albums chart for 2 weeks.
LL topped the Billboard Hot Rap
Singles chart for 2 weeks with "How I'm
Comin'."
LL hit the Top 40 with "Back Seat (Of My Jeep)."
LL then began to focus more on
his acting with a TV series, In The House
(LL's movie career has included The
Hard Way (1991) and Toys (1992)).
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Going
Back To Cali" at # 46.
LL was nominated for a Grammy
Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Stand By Your
Man")
 # 101
Singles Artist of the Year
 LL released Mr.
Smith which sold over 2 million
copies in the U.S. The LP also gave LL some
of his biggest hits, including "Hey Lover" (with help from Boyz
II Men), "Loungin'," and "Doin
It,"
and LL was once again a staple on MTV.
LL hit the Top 40 with "Hey Lover."
LL topped the Billboard Hot Rap
Singles chart for 8 weeks with "Hey Lover."
LL hit the Top 10 with "Hey Lover."
 # 14
Singles Artist of the Year
LL hit the Top 40 with "Doin
It."
LL hit the Top 40 with "Loungin."
LL topped the Billboard Rap
Singles chart for 4 weeks with "Loungin."
LL hit the Top 10 with "Loungin."
The video for "Doin
It"
was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Rap Video.
 A greatest hits compilation, All
World - Greatest Hits, was released.
 # 77
Singles Artist of the Year
LL hit the Top 40 with "Ain't Nobody" from the
soundtrack for Beavis
& Butthead Do America.
Rock
'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500
Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Mama Said Knock You Out."
LL won another Grammy
Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Hey Lover") and was
nominated for Best Rap Album (Mr.
Smith).
LL was awarded the Video
Vanguard Award for career achievement at the MTV Video Music
Awards.
 LL has also been involved with
charities including founding Camp Cool J, a
summer camp for youth which stresses cultural
awareness through educational guidance and
sports.
LL had his autobiography out in
book stores entitled, I
Make My Own Rules. Two versions of the
book were available: a clean version, and the
"dirty truth" version. LL told MTV
"...the reason I wanted to be so
truthful and so frank in my book is because I
feel you can't really help the young people
and help the kids, unless you show them where
you made mistakes and then corrected
them," LL said. "If you just talk
about all the good things happening in your
life, the bridge becomes invisible, because
they don't know how to obtain those things
without going through the troubled times. So
for me this book is a real thing, and my
album complements it, because my album is
actually a soundtrack to the book."
 LL's next LP, Phenomenon, was released as a new
season of his UPN In The House
series began. LL told MTV: "On this
album, it's interesting because I have some
songs that apply to certain time periods,
Like, I said I'm gonna write a song, 'Another
Dollar,' about how I was feeling when I made
'Panther,' or 'Father Figure,' how I felt
when I was born, handicapped and how it felt
to be abused."
LL hit the Top 40 with "Phenomenon."
 # 160
Singles Artist of the Year
LL topped the Billboard Rap
Singles chart with "Father" for 3 weeks.
 LL was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Ain't Nobody") and 3 NAACP
Image Awards for Outstanding Rap Artist,
Outstanding Male Artist, and Outstanding
Actor in a Comedy Series.
LL hit the Top 40 with "Father."
LL co-stared in the film Halloween:
H20 (the 7th installment of the
thriller film series).
LL talked with MTV about
possible retirement: "Sometimes I think
about it. Do I want to do it? Do I not want
to do it? Maybe I'll do one more album now,
you know, and that's it. The album I make
next may be my last album as an artist, maybe
not, I don't know. I mean, I have other
things I want to do."
 While on location in Florida for
Any
Given Sunday, LL reportedly became too
physical with co-star Jamie Foxx and the
police were called, no charges were filed,
but minor injuries resulted.
LL could be seen in the films Deep
Blue Sea and In
Too Deep.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made includes
"includes "Mama Said Knock You Out" at # 27 and "Going Back
To Cali" at # 92.
 LL released his next LP, The
G.O.A.T. and announced he will be
co-starring in the remake of Rollerball. At the end of the
month, The
G.O.A.T. debuted at #1 on the Billboard
200 chart
(his
1st #1 LP) and the Billboard R&B /
Hip-Hop chart (where it spent 2 weeks).
Rolling Stone
& MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "I Need
Love" at # 80.
LL won a NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Hip-Hop/Rap Artist.
The
G.O.A.T. was certified gold.
 # 92
Singles Artist of the Year
 Rival gangs began fighting at a
Los Angeles concert featuring LL and resulted
in the concert being cancelled and 30
arrests. LL said of the incident: "I
think that it's just a prime example of how
much, how we as black men really need ...
someone around us who can guide us in the
right direction and how we are so in
desperate need of attention that we would
ruin an event just to feel important."
LL released the childrens book, And
The Winner Is.
LL ranked #
32 on VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists.
 LL released his next LP, 10.
LL topped the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
for 4 weeks with "Luv U Better."
LL topped the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 10.
LL topped the the
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for 4 weeks
with "Luv U Better."
LL hit the Top 40 with "Luv U Better."
 LL hit the Top 40 helping out Jennifer Lopez with "All I Have."
LL could be heard with Amerie
on the soundtrack for Deliver
Us From Eva with "Paradise."
 # 77
Singles Artist of the Year
 LL hit the Top 10 with "All I Have" with Jennifer Lopez and was #1 for 4 weeks by the end
of the month.
LL topped the Billboard Hot 100
Singles chart for 4 weeks and the Hot 100
Airplay chart for 4 weeks with Jennifer Lopez on "All I Have."
LL was
nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for
Album of the Year (10).
LL could be seen in the film Deliver
Us From Eva - his first starring role.
At the Soul
Train Music Awards, LL was honored with the
Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career.
VH1: 50
Greatest Hip Hop Artists includes LL at # 5.
VH1: 100 Best
Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Mama Said Knock You Out" at # 72.
LL could be seen in the film S.W.A.T.
At the Source
Awards, LL was honored with a Source
Foundation Image Award for his community
work.
 Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 478:
Radio.
 # 74
Singles Artist of the Year
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