August 1969, St. Albans, Queens, New York, USA. Long-running star of the rap scene, LL Cool J found fame at the age of 16, his pseudonym standing for 'Ladies Love Cool James'. As might be inferred by this, LL is a self-professed ladykiller in the vein of Luther Vandross or Barry White, yet he retains a superior rapping agility. Smith started rapping at the age of nine, after his grandfather bought him his first DJ equipment. From the age of 13 he was processing his first demos. The first to respond to his mail-outs was Rick Rubin of Def Jam Records, then a senior at New York University, who signed him to his fledgling label
Full name: James Todd Smith
Date of Birth: January 14, 1968
Place of Birth: St. Albans, New York, USA
Current residence(s): Homes in New York and Los Angeles.
Education: Dropped out of high school at age 16, later earned his GED.
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Weight: N/A
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Interests/Hobbies: Mr. Cool J runs his Camp Cool J Foundations across the country, works out and takes care of his kids.
Big break: Def Jam Records picked the multi-talented 16 year old to be their first rap artist. His breakout first single,"I Need A Beat", sold millions.
Defining role: He chose a non-gangster persona and clean, positive lyrics at a time when only a handful of rappers were questioning the impact of the predominantly violent rap message. His string of hits proved that rap doesn't have to be negative to rack up huge sales.
The first sighting of LL Cool J came in 1984 on a 12-inch, 'I Need A Beat', which was the label's first such release. However, it was 'I Just Can't Live Without My Radio', which established his gold-chained, bare-chested B-boy persona. The song was featured in the Krush Groove film, on which the rapper also performed. In its wake he embarked on a 50-city US tour alongside the Fat Boys, Whodini, Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC. The latter were crucial to LL Cool J's development: his modus operandi was to combine their beatbox cruise control with streetwise B-boy raps, instantly making him a hero to a new generation of black youth. As well as continuing to tour with the trio, he would also contribute a song, 'Can You Rock It Like This', to Run DMC's King Of Rock. His debut album too, would see Rubin dose the grooves with heavy metal guitar breaks first introduced by Run DMC. LL Cool J's other early singles included 'I'm Bad', 'Go Cut Creator Go', 'Jack The Ripper' and 'I Need Love' (the first ballad rap, recorded with the Los Angeles Posse), which brought him a UK Top 10 score. Subsequent releases offered a fine array of machismo funk-rap, textured with personable charm and humour. Like many of his bretheren, LL Cool J's career has not been without incident. Live appearances in particular have been beset by many problems. Three people were shot at a date in Baltimore in December 1985, followed by an accusation of 'public lewdness' after a 1987 show in Columbus, Ohio. While playing rap's first concert in Cote d'Ivoire, Africa, fights broke out and the stage was stormed. Most serious, however, was an incident in 1989 when singer David Parker, bodyguard Christopher Tsipouras and technician Gary Saunders were accused of raping a 15-year-old girl who attended a backstage party after winning a radio competition in Minneapolis