Who is LL Cool Jay?
Hip hop and rap music has huge success in the modern era. Moreover, there is a long list of popular rappers and also more than any other genre. LL Cool Jay is also one of the most popular rappers in the world. Apart from being an American rapper, his also an actor, author, record producer and an entrepreneur. Moreover, in 2010, he was in the list of 100 Greatest Artists of all time. While in 2017, he became the only rapper to receive Kennedy Center Honors.
The New York-based rapper whose original name is James Todd Smith born on 14 January 1968. However, professionally he is famous as LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James). The two Grammy Awards winner has given many hits. His first single “I Need a Beat” earned him a lot of recognition. Let’s have a look at his early life and career. To read complete details about him, click here.
Early life and career
LL Cool who born in Bay Shore and grew up in Queens, New York. Moreover, his early life was heartbreaking. He saw blood everywhere when his father shot his mother and grandfather. However, he came out of the situation and ruled the world. He started rapping at the age of just 9, influenced by hip-hop group The Treacherous Three. Moreover, his grandfather and mother were very supportive and bought him essential equipment for the music.
The major breakthrough in his career came when Def Jam signed him under his stage name LL Cool J and he released his first record “I Need a Beat” in 1984. This was the song which helped Def Jam to establish him as a label and LL Cool as a rapper. Over 100,000 copies of the record were sold. Later, he produced some masterpieces of rapping. His album Radio in 1985 further earned him recognition worldwide and it reached over 1.5 million US sales. Moreover, in 1992 and 1997, he won Grammy Awards for “Mama Said knock you out” and “Hey Lover” respectively. He also hosted Grammy Awards for five consecutive years from 2012 to 2016. Later, he appeared in many movies like Halloween and In Too Deep. In 2003, there was a famous LL Cool J Jennifer Lopez duet.
Personal Life and awards
In the late 1980s, LL Cool met Simone Johnson. They started living together and had a son. Moreover, in 1995, they got married and had two more daughters. They have been together through thick and thin for 34 years and are living a happy life.
The awards list of LL Cool is very long, however, the prominent award he has won is Grammy Awards. Apart from this, he also won best rap videos award and Michael Jackson video Vanguard award. For his acting, he has won Blockbuster Entertainment Award and NAACP images awards.
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