LL Cool J
LL Cool J landed in the national spotlight in 1985 at the age of 17 with the release of his debut album Radio. He was one of the increasingly crowded scene of Rap hopefuls. Few would have guessed it was the beginning of a 20+ year career as one of the top Hip-Hop performers in the world crossing musical boundaries into Pop and Dance music stardom. Hip-Hop careers have tended to be short-lived, but LL has combined obvious Rap skills with a promising acting career, good looks and an engaging public personality to remain in the spotlight for the long haul.
Raised in New York City’s borough of Queens, LL Cool J (his given name is James Todd Smith, the stage name stands for ‘Ladies Love Cool James’) began rapping at the tender age of 9. By the age of 13 his grandparents had given him a DJ system and he was making home recordings. LL drew the attention of fledgling Def Jam Records in 1984. He was hired by label co-owners Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin to record Def Jam’s first single release. I Need a Beat, the resulting single, sold over 100,000 copies and LL Cool J returned to the studio to record a full-length album. The subsequent release, 1985’s Radio eventually went platinum and landed singles on the R&B and Dance charts. Revered Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau hailed the debut as ‘the most engaging and original rap album of the year.’
A late 1985 appearance in the Rap-themed movie Krush Groove fanned the flames of stardom for LL Cool J. Following a featured role in the 1986 Raising Hell tour with headliners Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, Whodini and Kurtis Blow, the sophomore album Bigger and Deffer was released. It featured the massive Pop hit ballad I Need Love as well as another Dance hit I’m Bad. 1988’s Going Back To Cali from the Less Than Zero movie soundtrack kept LL in the spotlight while 1989’s album Walking With a Panther was completed. That album spawned the single I’m That Type Of Guy which topped the Rap chart, reached the Top 10 on R&B and Dance charts, and Top 20 Pop. Despite the commercial success, there were grumblings in the Rap community that LL Cool J was selling out to Pop audiences.
His answer appeared with the hard-hitting Mama Said Knock You Out in 1990. The Boomin’ System, Around the Way Girl, and the title track followed in quick succession as major Rap, Dance and R&B hits. LL Cool J crushed any suppositions that he was lacking in commitment to Rap as a distinct musical form. He received a Grammy award for ‘Best Rap Solo’ on the title track. In the wake of the success of Mama Said Knock You Out, LL embarked on an acting career in films with roles in The Hard Way and Toys. He was even invited to perform in the inauguration festivities for President Bill Clinton. The next album 14 Shots To the Dome finally appeared in 1993 and, unexpectedly, was a commercial failure. Critics began to write his epitaph as a Rap superstar while his acting career continued to gain approval with his feature role in the television sitcom In the House.
LL Cool J was not down for long. 1995’s album Mr. Smith sent him back to the top of the charts with the duet with BoyzIIMen on Hey Lover and the sexy Doin’ It. The success of Mr. Smith set the stage for the greatest hits album All World in 1996. LL has not made it back to the Dance chart in the past 10 years but his Pop and R&B success has continued. His album G.O.A.T. Greatest Of All Time reached the top of
both the Pop and R&B charts in 2000 and the album 10 topped the R&B chart in 2002. LL Cool J has proved himself to be one of the most enduring of Rap/Hip-Hop artists with his latest work scheduled out in the fall of 2004.
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