b. James Todd Smith, 14 January 1968, Bay Shore, Long Island, 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 lady-killer 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. 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 movie, 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 fellow rappers, 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. Though LL Cool J's personal involvement in all these cases was incidental, they undoubtedly tarnished his reputation. He has done much to make amends, including appearances at benefits including Farm Aid, recording with the Peace Choir, and launching his Cool School Video Program, in an attempt to encourage children to stay at school. Even Nancy Reagan invited him to headline a "Just Say No" concert at Radio City Music Hall.
Musically, LL Cool J is probably best sampled on his 1990 set, Mama Said Knock You Out, produced by the omnipresent Marley Marl, which as well as the familiar sexual braggadocio included his thoughts on the state of rap past, present and future. The album went triple platinum, though the follow-up, 14 Shots To The Dome, was a less effective attempt to recycle the formula. Some tracks stood out: "A Little Something", anchored by a sample of King Floyd's soul standard "Groove Me', being a good example. Like many of rap's senior players, he has also sustained an acting career, with notable appearances in The Hard Way (1991) and Toys (1992), playing a cop in the former and a military man in the latter. Phenomenon and 2000"s US chart-topping G.O.A.T. celebrated Cool's remarkable longevity on the rap scene, and featured guest appearances from Keith Sweat and Ralph Tresvant on the former, and Method Man and Redman on the latter. The follow-up 10 was premiered by the US Top 10 hit, "Luv U Better".
