Photo: The White House / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)

LL Cool J

LL・クール・J　/　LL・くーる・J

American rapper

January 14, 1968 (age 58)　・　Queens, New York, United States

New York
rapper
songwriter
actor

My Take

LL Cool J might be the most underrated pioneer in popular culture, which is a strange thing to say about someone with Grammys, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and Kennedy Center Honors. But consider what he actually proved: that a rapper could sustain a four-decade career, that hip-hop could write love songs, and that an MC could become a beloved network television star without losing credibility. Every rapper-turned-actor since walks a road he paved. What I admire most is the discipline: no spectacular flameouts, no panicked reinventions, just steady professional excellence ever since he was a teenager from Queens.

Overview

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.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): LL Cool J
Name (Japanese): LL・クール・J
Reading: LL・くーる・J
Born: January 14, 1968 (age 58)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Capricorn / Monkey
Origin: Queens, New York, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: rapper / songwriter / actor / record producer / stage actor

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Andrew Jackson High School
University: Private

Awards & achievements

Kennedy Center Honors
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
2017 W. E. B. Du Bois Medal
2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1992 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
1991 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video
1997 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

5. Works & records

Category	Title	Role	Year
Notable work	NCIS: Los Angeles	—
Notable work	In the House	—

6. Links

Official sitehttp://llcoolj.com/
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/llcoolj/
Xhttps://x.com/llcoolj
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/LL%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BBJ

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