James Smith
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to realize crossover commercial success, alongside fellow new-school hip-hop acts like Run-DMC.
Signed by Def Jam Recordings in 1984, LL Cool J's breakthrough came with his 1984 single "I Need a Beat", followed by his debut studio album, Radio (1985). He achieved continued commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), concluded his contract with Def Jam; he later signed with the label once more to release his fourteenth album, The FORCE (2024).
LL Cool J has appeared in several films, including Toys, Halloween H20, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, Last Holiday, and Edison. From 2009 to 2023, he played NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles and reprised his role in NCIS: Hawaiʻi (2023–2024) and NCIS (2025), and NCIS: New York (2026–present). LL Cool J was also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network.
A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for hip-hop songs such as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "I Need Love", "Doin' It", "Loungin", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
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