We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Those who don't know the actors story and only look at how he is doing nowadays might desire to have his life. LL Cool J launched a clothing line (called "Todd Smith"). [50][51][52], On October 16, 2013, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced LL Cool J as a nominee for inclusion in 2014. [68], In 1998, LL Cool J played security guard Ronny in Halloween H20, the seventh movie in the Halloween franchise. LL Cool J - Father Lyrics | Genius Lyrics LL Cool J would later consider toning his lifestyle down out of respect for his lady, and that was the beginning of a lifetime of commitment. The album had four singles ("How I'm Comin'", "Back Seat (of My Jeep)", "Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings", "Stand By Your Man") and guest-featured labelmates Lords of the Underground on "NFA-No Frontin' Allowed". [citation needed] The song also earned him a Grammy Award. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', When 4-year-old LL found them, blood was everywhere." Taryll revealing this sexual abuse, Iyanla said, was a huge step in his . With the Rock The Bells label, he had artists such as AMyth,[89] Smokeman, Natice, Chantel Jones and Simone Starks. The lead single was the Timbaland-produced "Headsprung", which peaked at No. LL Cool J learns family secret in 'Finding Your Roots' He would beat me for watching television, for looking at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. LL Cool J - Biography - IMDb After labeling his family as very interesting, he revealed one of the most shocking aspects of the entire situation: LL Cool Js mother forgave his father for shooting her in the back. LL Cool J Net Worth (Rapper) His father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them both. L.L. The album was originally scheduled to be executively produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent. See more ideas about ll cool j, sexy men, fine black men. LL Cool J was also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network. They made amends and until later when he felt his father was mismanaging his money and he cut ties with him again. 7 on the Hip-Hop and R&B singles chart, and No. Radio, along with Raising Hell (1986) and Licensed to Ill (1986), would form a trilogy of New York City-based, Rubin-helmed albums that helped to diversify hip-hop. I was doing all kinds of wild things by then and getting in all kinds of trouble.. Another of the album's singles, "Hey Lover", featured Boyz II Men, and sampled Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life"; it eventually became an early hip-hop music video to air on VH1. [98] The decline of the old-school form of hip hop also led to the closing of Sugar Hill Records, one of the labels that helped contribute to early hip hop and that, coincidentally, rejected LL's demo tape. [24], Radio was released to critical acclaim, both for production innovation and LL's powerful rap. Production came from Timbaland, 7 Aurelius, R. Kelly, and others. [79], Since 2009, LL Cool J has starred on the CBS police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles. Both survived. James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York), better known as LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James), is a Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor signed to Def Jam. [4] He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells" were singles that helped the album go platinum. Cool J was born James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, the son of Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith, Jr. Todd, as he was called, did not have a very happy childhood. NBA Comes for Ja Morant After He Flashes Gun in Nightclub Queen Latifah & Monie Love Reunite Lizzo Stops Show to Give Chris Rock Jokes Enjoying Watching Will Smith Get Whipped in Emancipation + Nivea, Tamar Braxton, Evelyn Lozada & More | PicsVideos, The Moment Tamar & Toni Learn Chaka Khan Sings Reading Rainbow Theme Yung Miami is About Self-love in 2023 & More | PicsVideos, Tatyana Ali Says New Bel-Air Role is Full Circle Moment Adrienne Bailon Covers Harpers Bazaar & More | PicsVideos, CeCe Winans Says Whitney Houstons Im Every Woman is Demonic + Joe Bully Budden Talks BS About Michael B. Jordan & More | PicsVideos, City of Houston, Residents Honored for National Water Challenge. Advertisement LL Cool J is a legendary rapper who has recorded over nine albums in the last 15 years and won many awards, including three Grammys. Description: James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968) is an American hip hop artist better known by his stage name, LL Cool J ("Ladies Love Cool James"). [10], In 2002, LL Cool J supported George Pataki's bid for a third term as Governor of New York. How LL Cool J Learned to Forgive His Father | Oprah's Next Chapter LL Cool J Bio, Early Life, Family, Career, Wife, Net Worth, Measurements [59] In September 2019, it was announced that LL had re-signed to Def Jam for future album releases. As a young boy growing up in New York City LL witnessed a few traumatic events that he carried with him into his adulthood. [53], In October 2014, LL announced that his 14th studio album would be called G.O.A.T. In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list. They met during their teenage years and dated for eight years before exchanging their marriage vows. He toured with Janet Jackson on her Rock Witchu tour, only playing in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, and Kansas City. According to a Chicago Tribune report, his father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them. In fact, when he was starting out as a musician, his dad actually re-entered his life and tried to guide him through it. As a young boy growing up in New York City LL witnessed a few traumatic events that he carried with him into his adulthood. I watched Behind the Music of LL Cool J the other day :) The last LL COOL J album, Authentic, was released in 2013, five years after his last Def Jam album, Exit 13. Screengrab. and the Fat Boys. Beat with belts like a slave with a whip. L.L. Unfortunately, that relationship turned sour when James mismanaged LLs funds and he ended up owing $2 million dollars to the IRS. READ MORE:LL Cool J Announces Rock the Bells Festival with Ice Cube, Lil Kim, Digable Planets, Hed make me take off all my clothes and put my arms up on my bunk bed with the `Star Wars sheets while he beat me. He'd long been open about his adoption, but all he knew, based on some . He started rapping aged nine, and music provided a way to escape the suffering he endured. [9], James Todd Smith was born on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York to Ondrea Griffith (born on January 19, 1946) and James Louis Smith Jr,[10] also known as James Nunya. LL Cool J thanked Canibus in the liner notes of the album, "for the inspiration". LL was a young boy growing up in New York when his parents separated in 1972. LL Cool J's 11th album, Todd Smith, was released on April 11, 2006. [40] LL won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1992 for the title track. Both relatives survived their injuries, and the NCIS: Los Angeles star insists he has since made peace with his dad even though he was initially reluctant to allow him back into his life. It is a single and is available on iTunes. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. LL (birth name James Todd Smith) recounted his painful childhood memories in his biography I Make My Own Rules and the details are shocking. LL Cool J - Wikipedia Source: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty. LL Cool J Discovered the Grandparents Who 'Embraced' Him Were Not "Father" is the third single from LL Cool J's seventh album, Phenomenon. LL Cool J was born James Todd Smith into a middle-class family. "RIP to My Father James Nunya. It eventually reached 1,500,000 copies sold in the US.[30]. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. LL Cool J has appeared in numerous films, including Halloween H20, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, Last Holiday, and Edison. [27][28] Radio peaked at number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number 46 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. LL Cool J Left His Wife Twice & His Dad Shot His Mom and Grandpa [94][100], In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive Kennedy Center Honors. _taboola.push({ "LL Cool J gets honorary degree from Northeastern", "LL Cool J Receives a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame", "Fela nominated for 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame", "LL COOL J Honored With Key To The City In Queens, New York During First Rock The Bells Festival", "LL Cool J Honored With Key To Queens, New York", "LL Cool J Received The Key To The City Of Queens During Inaugural Rock The Bells Festival", "february 2000 | blackfilm.com | features | naacp image awards nominees", "Blockbuster Entertainment Award winners", "Filmmakers.com: Film: The 2004 Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced", "Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees Announced: Harry Potter vs Twilight", "NAACP Image Awards 2012: Full list of winners", "Teen Choice Awards 2012: Complete Winners List", "The 44th NAACP Image Award complete winners list", "Teen Choice 2013 - August 11 on FOX - Vote Every Day! His parents were Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith Jr, aka James Nunya. LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, was born in January 1968 in Queens, New York, in a middle-class and catholic family. It was like the scene in `Glory when Denzel Washington was getting beat down like a slave, except I was like 8 years old. Rock the Bells Records was also responsible for the Deep Blue Sea soundtrack for the 1999 movie of the same name. The agreement angered the rapper's father, truck driver James Nunya, who ended up pointing a gun at his father-in-law Eugene. Kwame Ture on Reactionaries & Revolutionaries (And Why Bill Clinton Hated Empowerment Coach Tera Carissa Hodges Graces Speakers Magazine Cover for Womens Tonight Chris Rock is Set to Make Netflix History | WATCH. You know how glad I was to have Roscoe out of my life, but the damage was done. The album debuted at No. Eventually Ondrea left Roscoe but after all of the trauma LL suffered it was too little too late. He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. NEW BEDFORD After Tito Jackson lost the Boston mayor's race in 2017, he began to take stock of his life and heritage. Series overview and suggestions on where to start! I love you", "LL Cool J forgives dad for shooting mother", "Rapper Ll Cool J Puts Wild Days, Demons Behind Him", "LL Cool J Revealed in 1997 Memoir That His Dad Shot His Mom, Grandfather", "LL Cool J Says His Mother's Tax Refund Funded His Demo", "Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary", "Def Jam Recordings - LL Cool J Biography", "LL Cool J bio: Edison Force ActorTribute.ca", "Address Island / Def Jam Records Def Jam history", "LL Cool J career discography at HeadSprung.net", "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - LL Cool J Radio", "LL Cool J Can't Knock Out Billboard Champs", "Biography and other information at Askmen.com", "Kurtis Blow Presents: The History Of Rap, Vol. Eventually, LLs father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career. [31] Another milestone of LL's popularity was his appearance on American Bandstand as the first hip-hop act on the show. Though he was beginning to act out in the aftermath of the abuse by the age of 16 LL found his calling during the Golden Age of Hip Hop as one of the top emcees of the time. He was driving and stopped by a friends house to say hi. Track 9 on Phenomenon. Apart from that, he shot his grandfather in the stomach. He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. In March 2011 at South by Southwest, LL Cool J was revealed to be Z-Trip's special guest at the Red Bull Thre3Style showcase. Tracks that the two worked on were leaked to the internet and some of the tracks produced with 50 made it to Exit 13. [48], On February 8, 2013, it was announced that the title of LL's upcoming album would be changed from Authentic Hip-Hop to Authentic with a new release date of April 30, 2013. Yet, the scars never fully healed. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. In his memoir I Make My Own Rules, the rapper recalled the day his father James almost killed his mother and grandfather. That's when the father of two made a big reveal about his own childhood: He was sexually violated at a young age by a male family member. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. Pl. They shot the video for "Control Myself" on January 2, 2006, at Sony Studios, New York. LL Cool J has an enviable relationship with his wife, Simone Smith, and they share four kids. However, the victims survived, and thankfully, things were repaired in the household, with the Smith patriarch admitting and turning away from his errors. His mother did survived, but once she divorced LL's dad, she hooked up with a . Decades later LL sat down with Oprah Winfrey during a segment on Oprahs Next Chapter to discuss how he coped with Roscoes constant abuse and its sad to hear that he had to become so strong at such a young age. Eventually, LLs father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. [18], In the VH1 documentary Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation, Smith revealed that he initially called himself J-Ski, but did not want to associate his stage name with the cocaine culture (The rappers who use "Ski" or "Blow" as part of their stage name, e.g., Kurtis Blow and Joeski Love, were associated with the rise of the cocaine culture, as depicted in the 1983 remake of Scarface.) [25] Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Speaking about the traumatic experience he had with his mother's boyfriend, he said: "He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. Although no one died, it was a terrible experience for LL Cool J, who was only a kid when it occurred. James Todd Smith was born on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York to Ondrea Griffith (born January 19, 1946) and James Louis Smith Jr, also known as James Nunya. However, rap music gave him solace, and he began writing at age 11. In 1972, when he was just 4 years old his father shot his wife (James Mother) as well as James grandfather. When four-year-old Smith found them, LL Cool J covered the scene in . Even more, he was featured in a television documentary series called Finding Your Roots; LL Cool J learned of the family secret so well-hidden that even his own mother was unaware . [60] His upcoming album will be produced by Q-Tip. The toddler's 25-year-old father was hit in the head and his 22-year-old mother in the leg. Thankfully, she later became the rapper's number one woman, who is appreciated and deeply loved by a man she described as "her rock.". The song contains LL Cool J rapping over the instrumental to Maino's "Hi Hater". James reportedly did it because he was distraught that Ondrea had left him and also taken their son with her. The album reached platinum status. (Power Of God) and formed the company Rock The Bells to produce music. You passed away. When LL was four years old, his father shot his mother and grandfather. But there is an intriguing story behind the heart-melting and powerful duo. Father | LL Cool J Lyrics, Song Meanings, Videos, Full Albums & Bios and the Beastie Boys. With the breakthrough success of his hit single "I Need a Beat" and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became one of the early hip-hop acts to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C. He appeared to endorse the RIAA's position, claiming illegal file sharing was hurting his sales and that his session musicians "can't live" due to the lost income. He has released twelve studio albums over his 27 year career, has starred in numerous feature films and currently LL Cool J starred in In the House, an NBC sitcom, before releasing Mr. Smith (1995), which went on to sell over two million copies. Kodak Black Caught Having Sex in White Teacher Hits The Jerk as Students Go Wild Are AKAs Too Insecure? The 50 Worst Songs By Otherwise Great Artists - Pingovox (4 years old) when his father shot his mother during a dispute between the two. Although he initially refused, he changed his mind after looking at how beautiful Simone was. When LL Cool J was just 4 years old, his father shot his mother and grandfather. He didnt care how he beat me or with what . placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', Tamron Hall Talks About Her Live-In Nanny and the Joy Raising NBA Comes for Ja Morant After He Flashes Gun in Nightclub Jon Jones Set for UFC Return After Body Transformation | WATCH. He didnt need a good reason. [17] Smith later discussed his search for a label, stating "I sent my demo to many different companies, but it was Def Jam where I found my home. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 21:38. L.L. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', Who is LL Cool J dating? LL Cool J girlfriend, wife - Who's Dated Who? [37] It spent 11 weeks at No. Here is the truth behind the rapper's life. At the beginning of their marriage, Simone ignored her husband for two weeks because he did not honor their honeymoon. LL Cool J admits that Tito Jackson is his biological father Story by