James Todd Smith, popularly called L.L. Cool J is a singer and actor born on January 14, 1968, as the son of Ondrea and James Smith, New York, Queens, in the St. Albans area. Most people don’t know that L.L. Cool J is of Caribbean descent. His maternal grandparents were originally from Barbados before migrating to the U.S. Some of his musical works show his Caribbean roots and Barbadian heritage. For example, his track “Doin It” from the Mr. Smith album has reggae sounds that show him paying homage to his roots.

Early in James’s life, the relationship between his mother and father became violent, and they divorced when he was four. Around his 10th birthday, he found a creative outlet for his violent upbringing, creating a new hip-hop style.

James began writing and producing his songs after his grandfather gave him a mixing board for his 11th birthday. At 15, he came up with his stage name: Ladies Love Cool James (which he later coined into the much simpler “L.L. Cool J”). In 1984, Uncle L met Rick Rubin. Rubin was a New York University student and co-founder of Def Jam Records, the first hip-hop label. Impressed by what he heard, Rubin immediately began producing L.L. Cool J’s songs, and in 1985 Def Jam released the 17-year-old’s first album, Radio.

Ladies Love Cool James called himself “the coolest guy in the room.” And it wasn’t just the women who liked him, but the guys wanted to be just like him too. Today’s generation may know him better as an entertainer or actor. However, there was a time when LL was the most feared rapper on the planet. His flaw was fearsome, just like his bars. Plus, he had the confidence and charisma to match!

Uncle L Introduced the Funk Sound.

After the success of “I Want Love,” L.L. tried to succeed against all odds in 1989’s “Walking with a Panther,” but it didn’t go well. There are solid ballads in this album. One was “I need love.” This displayed L.L. Cool J’s romantic and vulnerable side. The second was “Two Different Worlds,” which he used to channel the difficulty of balancing his personal and professional lives. Last but not least, the title track, “Walking with a Panther,” is a melodic and soft ballad that gave Uncle J an avenue to talk about his life experiences in the rap and music industry. This track also had a catchy hook and punchy bass line, and L.L. was “wicked” on the flow throughout the album’s records. On a 1991 MTV Unplugged performance, L.L. Cool J put up a memorable performance of his ‘Mama Sayd Knock You Out’ to show a new vocal style with a relentless rock sound and blues melody. Mama Sayd Knock You Out peaked at position 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This achievement earned him his first Grammy. Inspired by Michael Jackson’s ‘The Lady in My Life,’ L.L. released Mr. Smith, a successful 1996 album that had more than 2 million units in sales.

Uncle L Has Also Faced His Fair Share of Criticism.

One of L.L.’s greatest talents was his ability to make hip-hop as approachable as pop, but it was also a weakness. 1988’s “Goin’ Back to Cali” was derived from the Less Than Zero soundtrack and effortlessly crossed the rap genre boundary.

However, his 1989’s, Walking with a Panther was not well received by most hip-hop fans. Despite being a Top Ten hit and yielding the gold single “I’m That Type of Guy,” the album was viewed as a pop sell-out, and he was booed at a supporting concert at the Apollo.

The Multi-Talented Rapper Has Also Had Successful Stints as an Actor!

During the late 1990s, L.L. Cool J embraced acting more. Starring alongside Halle Berry in B.A.P.S., a 1997 Robert Townsend-directed comedy, and alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in H2O, a 1998 horror movie. 1999’s In Too Deep with Samuel L. Jackson and Omar Epps is another notable mention.

He also appeared alongside Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett Smith in the 2001 “Kingdom Come.” L.L. further thrived in the acting industry by starring alongside Gabrielle Union in “Deliver Us from Eva,” a romantic comedy in 2003. The same year, 2003 saw Uncle L play a huge role in 2003’s SWAT action movie with veterans in the movie industry like Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson, and Colin Farrell.

L.L. Cool J landed a lead role as Sam Hanna in N.C.I.S.: Los Angeles, a 2009 spin-off of the hit series N.C.I.S. starring Mark Harmon and Chris O’Donnell. L.L. Cool J and O’Donnell take on the roles of Navy investigators tasked with solving military-related criminal cases. The show was considered a largely popular drama series on Tv and consequently boosted L.L.’s stock.

Notable Achievements and Awards Over The Years.

• L.L. Cool J won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1992 Grammy Awards for “Mama Said Knock You Out,” which also won Best 1991 rap video on MTV.

• In 1997, he received his second Grammy for the song “Hey Lover.”

• He got the Blockbuster Entertainment Award in 2000 for Favorite Supporting Actor for the film Deep Blue Sea.

• His community work enabled L.L. Cool J to be awarded the Source Foundation Image Award in 2003.

• In the 2011 B.E.T. Hip Hop Awards, L.L. got the I Am Hip Hop Award for his massive contribution to popularizing hip-hop.

• Northeastern University awarded LL an honorary Doctor of Arts in 2014 for his role in growing and evolving hip-hop.

• L.L. Cool J got a much-deserved star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2016.

• In 2022, L.L. Cool J was awarded the Key to the Queens Borough in New York.

Final Take Away

As an influential and iconic artist, L.L. Cool J is not only a trailblazer but also an inspiration for aspiring artists from the Caribbean and beyond. He reminds us that with dedication, passion, and talent, anything is possible!