"[14] In 1972, Smith and his mother moved into his grandparents' home in St. Albans, Queens, where he was raised. [84] He played Beth's father in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and was shown in a trailer for the film but his scenes were cut from the final product.[85]. Then his mom ended up marrying her physical therapist, who ended up being extremely abusive. that benefits the victims. Apr 3, 2018 - Explore Kellz M's board "LL Cool J" on Pinterest. It was tough. Cool J is a real force to be reckoned with, and this is why he is beloved, honored, and celebrated. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, wrote a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout. The album was originally scheduled to be executively produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent. 7 on the Hip-Hop and R&B singles chart, and No. 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. }); Copyright 2015 . "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! LL Cool J explained that late one night, he woke up to the sound of horrible moan. He went to check what had happened and found that James had shot Ondrea in the back. [94][100], In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive Kennedy Center Honors. The lead single was the Timbaland-produced "Headsprung", which peaked at No. I guess it would leave you scarred, at four years old, based on how the people around you dealt with it and encouraged you to deal with it. I'm an Independent, you know? LL Cool J founded and launched Boomdizzle.com, a record label / social networking site launched in September 2008. His mother, Ondrea, was a nurses assistant while his father, James, was a truck driver. The album debuted at No. Although LL Cool J may have a perfect life with his wife of 25 years, he has experienced a few bumps on the ride to a successful life. I've been here for years!" James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J (acronym for Ladies Love Cool James) is an American rapper and actor. 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. [78] LL Cool J appeared in Sesame Street's 39th season, introducing the word of the day--"Unanimous"in episode 4169 (September 22, 2008) and performing "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (September 30, 2008). [63][64], While LL Cool J first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"),[65] his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. It was just a power trip , 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. His father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them both. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. WHO WE AREThe news you want unfiltered.The Electronic Urban Report/EUR puts the most buzz worthy African American news at your fingertips. He didnt care how he beat me or with what . It's like speaking Spanish if you grow up in an all-Spanish house. To make matters worse, it was the Grammy Award winner who found his mom and grandfather on the floor after his dad shot them. . You know how glad I was to have Roscoe out of my life, but the damage was done. The agreement angered the rapper's father, truck driver James Nunya, who ended up pointing a gun at his father-in-law Eugene. and the Beastie Boys. 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. James reportedly did it because he was distraught that Ondrea had left him and also taken their son with her. }); Copyright 2015 . "[55], On January 21, 2016, LL received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Thank you. 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"). It was like the scene in `Glory when Denzel Washington was getting beat down like a slave, except I was like 8 years old. [79], Since 2009, LL Cool J has starred on the CBS police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.. After his mother moved on, she married an abusive man and drug addict named Roscoe Granger. His second book was the children-oriented book called And The Winner Is published in 2002. The first single was the Jermaine Dupri-produced "Control Myself" featuring Jennifer Lopez. In image as in song, the artists projected a tough, cool, street b-boy attitude. Although his dad made a mistake, the rapper revealed that he also tried his best to make things right. He started rapping aged nine, and music provided a way to escape the suffering he endured. Tracks that the two worked on were leaked to the internet and some of the tracks produced with 50 made it to Exit 13. And LL was the one who discovered them! LL Cool J was born James Todd Smith in Bay Shore, New York on January 14, 1968 to James Louis Smith (AKA James Nunya) and Ondrea Griffith. It was released on January 13, 1998 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by the Trackmasters. [66] He landed the role of Captain Patrick Zevo in Barry Levinson's 1992 film Toys. According to Hollywood.com; Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law Eugene in the stomach and estranged wife Ondrea in the back out . LL Cool J achieved an 'MTV Video Music Award' for his hit track 'Mama Said Knock You Out in . Dante Boyles MUS 211 LL Cool J Cultural Analysis Paper LL Cool J has done a lot in the hip-hop industry and has also branched out to the entertainment business as well. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. It was like the scene in `Glory when Denzel Washington was getting beat down like a slave, except I was like 8 years old. LL Cool J attends Spike TV's Guys Choice 2015 at Sony Pictures Studios on June 6, 2015 in Culver City, California | Photo: Getty Images. The lyrics are about a recently-born baby girl and deceased beat poet Neal Cassady that's right, they couldn't even spell his name correctly SD 26 BRAD PAISLEY FEAT. 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. He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Unfortunately, that relationship turned sour when James mismanaged LLs funds and he ended up owing $2 million dollars to the IRS. Mark Summers for Rolling . [83] Since April 2015, LL has hosted the show Lip Sync Battle. "RIP to My Father James Nunya. Actor: Deep Blue Sea. After the off-and-on relationship and two kids, LL Cool J left Simone twice. advocates for a healthy discussion about the instances of violence, abuse, sexual misconduct, animal cruelty, abuse etc. He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). Kicked me down steps outside in the snow. At the moment, he is married to Simone Smith, and they have four children together. My mother forgave my father He came back into my life and made amends for a lot of things by helping to guide me with my music career early on, and kinda helping me in that area (sic). LL Cool J. We raise awareness about these issues to help potential victims seek professional counseling and prevent anyone from getting hurt. }); Copyright 2015 . "[18] This was at the same time that NYU student Rick Rubin and promoter-manager Russell Simmons founded the then-independent Def Jam label. When his father then moved to California, his mother's boyfriend was physically . Eventually Ondrea left Roscoe but after all of the trauma LL suffered it was too little too late. LL Cool J during a press conference at Hotel St. Regis on June 5, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico | Source: Getty Images. According to the Chicago Tribune, "[As] a kid growing up middle class and Catholic in Queens, life for LL was heart-breaking. In his memoir I Make My Own Rules, the rapper recalled the day his father James almost killed his mother and grandfather. Under his new stage name LL Cool J (an abbreviation for Ladies Love Cool James), coined by his friend and fellow rapper Mikey D,[21][15] Smith was signed by Def Jam, which led to the release of his first official record, the 12-inch single "I Need a Beat" (1984). It was like the scene in `Glory when Denzel Washington was getting beat down like a slave, except I was like 8 years old. [citation needed] The song also earned him a Grammy Award. [92], With the breakthrough success of his hit single "I Need a Beat" and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became an early hip-hop act to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC. [45] Both artists have promised future collaborations down the road, with LL Cool J calling the duo "organic"[46] One early track to feature LL's talents was Z-Trip's remix of British rock act Kasabian's single "Days Are Forgotten", which was named by influential DJ Zane Lowe as his "Hottest Record In The World"[47] and received a favorable reception in both Belgium and the United Kingdom. [96] A leading example of the new school sound is the song "I Can't Live Without My Radio", a loud, defiant declaration of public loyalty to his boom box, which The New York Times described as "quintessential rap in its directness, immediacy and assertion of self". He was born on January 14, 1968, as James Todd Smith, in New York. The abuse he suffered from Roscoe was damaging, but living with the pain of his father shooting his mother and grandfather must have been worse. [15][16] He suffered physical and mental abuse from his mother's ex-boyfriend Roscoe. He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. In the beginning, his mother, Ondrea, also lived in the home after the initial split from LL Cool J's father but left at some point. If that wasn't hard enough, he experienced a tragic and dramatic event when he was only four years old. He and co-star Jamie Foxx allegedly got into a real fistfight while filming a fight scene. 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. Plus, LL shares what his father's mistakes taught him about mercy. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. [31] Another milestone of LL's popularity was his appearance on American Bandstand as the first hip-hop act on the show. LL Cool J (Getty) *In his 1997 biography "I Make My Own Rules," LL Cool J recounts the time his father shot his mother and grandfather because he was bitter about getting a . When LL Cool J was just 4 years old, his father shot his mother and grandfather. Gigs at larger venues were offered to LL as he would join the 1986-'87 Raising Hell tour, opening for Run-D.M.C. [86] September 22, 2022. This marked the beginning of a creative collaboration between the rap and DJ superstars. By using the mixer he had received from his grandfather, Smith produced and mixed his own demos and sent them to various record companies throughout New York City, including Def Jam. Its singles included "Doin' It" and "Loungin". He had a tough childhood because his parents had a violent relationship. [36] This stands as one of his biggest-selling career albums, having sold in excess of two million copies in the United States alone. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [97], The energy and hardcore delivery and musical style of rapping featured on Radio, as well as other new-school recordings by artists such as Run-D.M.C., Schooly D, T La Rock and Steady B, proved to be influential to hip-hop acts of the "golden age" such as Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy. [71] Later that year, he starred as Julian Washingtona talented but selfish running back on fictional professional football team the Miami Sharksin Oliver Stone's drama Any Given Sunday. 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", "NAACP Image Awards 2014: Complete winners list", "EIC Announces Nominations For 18th Annual PRISM Awards- Nods for Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Oprah, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Edie Falco, Allison Janney, LL Cool J, Jewel", "Television - 'Creed,' 'Empire' Top NAACP Image Award Nominations; Full List", "People's Choice Awards 2017: Full List Of Nominees", Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings, Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist, Teen Choice Award for Choice Action TV Actor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LL_Cool_J&oldid=1142520506, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episodes: "Legend: Part 1 & 2", "Too Many Cooks", Outstanding Career Achievements in the Field of Entertainment, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline. 00:00. It's too long for a . 14 on the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B chart and No. LL Cool J started a record label called 'Boomdizzle' that doubled up as a social networking site as well. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now! [39] As a result, his audience base began to decline due to the album's bold commercial and pop aspirations. [106] In a February 10, 2012 televised interview with CNN host Piers Morgan, LL Cool J expressed sympathy for President Barack Obama and ascribed negative impressions of his leadership to Republican obstruction designed to "make it look like you have a coordination problem." Now, LL explains how heand his motherlearned to forgive. [8] In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence. LL Cool J was born in 1968 in Queens, New York, according to Amomama, in a tough neighborhood where drug abuse and crime were rampant. Although no one died, it was a terrible experience for LL Cool J, who was only a kid when it occurred. Pl. It was just a power trip.". and the Fat Boys. [43] Exit 13 was originally slated for a fall 2006 release, however, after a 2-year delay, it was released September 9, 2008 without 50 Cent as the executive producer. He eliminated the threatening forces and continued advancing in his career while making money selling books, platinum records, and helping children. Father LL Cool J. He appeared as Queen Latifah's love interest in the 2006 movie Last Holiday. LL Cool J was also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network. And, so I have learned to hand out the mercy that I like to receive. Beat with belts like a slave with a whip. 96 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from J.Cano: Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', Before then, they were lovers with an unsettling relationship plagued by the rapper's familiarity with women and his flirtatious attitude. LL opened up about Roscoes constant abuse during an interview with Oprah back in the day. He would beat me for watching television, for looking at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. He didnt care how he beat me or with what . ': What Happened to the Stars of the Iconic Series through the Years, LL Cool J Discovered the Grandparents Who 'Embraced' Him Were Not Biologically Related to Him, Tyler Perry Was Broke Living in His Car - He Recalls in Tears That He Was Only 'Praying & Believing, Michael J Fox Was Isolating Himself From Wife of 34 Years & Kids - She Helped Him to Become Part Of Family Again. Eventually Ondrea left Roscoe but after all of the trauma LL suffered it was too little too late. LL Cool J came out and said that Jay and LL Cool J stand for Jackson. The album's success also helped in contributing to Rick Rubin's credibility and repertoire as a record producer. According to Hollywood.com, it would be years before LL was able to forgive his father. When he was very young his parents got a divorce and it angered his biological father, James, so much that he shot both LLs mother and grandfather with a shotgun. 4 on the Billboard charts. A married man himself, LL Cool J has been with his wife Simone since 1995. You know how glad I was to have Roscoe out of my life, but the damage was done. His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), was his last in his long-tenured deal with Def Jam. The unraveling of LL Cool J's hidden family history also uncovered a rough parallel to the violence he witnessed as a child, when his grandfather and mother were wounded in a shooting involving . 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. This was the same person who shot his mother in the back and granddad in the stomach. The official second single from Phenomenon was "4, 3, 2, 1", which featured Method Man, Redman & Master P and introduced DMX and Canibus. LL Cool J has an enviable relationship with his wife, Simone Smith, and they share four kids. James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), better known by his stage name LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, record producer. In the same year 2009, he was cast as a regular in the still-running CBS TV series 'NCIS: Los Angeles', in which he plays special agent 'Sam Hanna', a Navy investigator. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; In this week's heart wrenching episode, Dr. Henry Louis Gates uncovers the emotional history of both Sean "Puffy" Combs and LL Cool J 's families. LL Cool J is in mourning today following the death of his father. I watched Behind the Music of LL Cool J the other day :) Eventually, LL's father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career. After acting in The Hard Way and Toys, LL Cool J released 14 Shots to the Dome. [58], In October 2018, LL Cool J was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We raise awareness about these issues to help potential victims seek professional counseling and prevent anyone from getting hurt. Unfortunately, that relationship turned sour when James mismanaged LLs funds and he ended up owing $2 million dollars to the IRS. The Marley Marl produced album received critical acclaim and eventually went double Platinum, selling over two million copies according to the RIAA. Early life and family. L.L. mode: 'thumbnails-rr1', At the age of four, he saw his mother and grandfather shot by his own father. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 21:38. Yet, the scars never fully healed. LL Cool J launched a clothing line (called "Todd Smith"). LL Cool J on February 9, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images. Roscoe beat me for just about anything. Exception: This awkward piece of wonky cheese. February 20, 2023. In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, wrote a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout. LL Cool J has lost his father, James Nunya. does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. 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. Right then and there I said 'This is what I want to do'. }); Copyright 2015 . Thankfully for the family, both of them survived the incident. Rapper/actor LL Cool J has forgiven his dad for shooting his mother and grandfather and leaving them for dead when he was only four years old. His father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them both. [62], LL hosted the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 22, 2022. target_type: 'mix' Kodak Black Caught Having Sex in White Teacher Hits The Jerk as Students Go Wild Are AKAs Too Insecure? 2 years ago. My family is a very interesting family. James Todd Smith, realized expertly by his stage name, LL Cool J, was brought into this world on January 14, 1968. Both survived. On October 6, 2012, LL Cool J released a new single from Authentic Hip-Hop called "Ratchet". Punched me in the chest stomped me out on the flo'. Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, LL Cool J's breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). . It includes collaborations with 112, Ginuwine, Juelz Santana, Teairra Mari and Freeway. The hip-hop Icon LL Cool J opened up about his rough childhood and the abusive nature of his stepdad and his biological father who he claimed shot his mother. 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. Later pressings of the album added the 2003 Jennifer Lopez duet, "All I Have". The agreement angered the rapper's father, truck driver James Nunya, who ended up pointing a gun at his father-in-law Eugene. The singles included "Phenomenon" and "Father". My family is a very interesting family. His father shot his mother and grandfather with a 12-gauge . target_type: 'mix' [60] His upcoming album will be produced by Q-Tip. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; They worked through thick and thin to become one of the industry's power couples. 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. The show is a spin-off of NCIS, which itself is a spin-off of the naval legal drama JAG. He has been in films such as "Any Given Sunday", "In Too Deep", and "Deep Blue Sea" just to . Hed even pull me out of the shower to get a beating. 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. According to Hollywood.com; Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law Eugene in the stomach and estranged wife Ondrea in the back out of frustration over the couples divorce in 1972, when the Grammy winner and awards host was just a young boy. 's debut album, to combine the vocal approach of hip hop and rapping with the musical arrangements and riffing sound of rock music, pioneering the rap rock hybrid sound. - I Shot Ya 1995. As a result LL fired James and hired a new manager. [61], On December 29, 2021, LL Cool J canceled his performance at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19. As a young boy growing up in New York City LL witnessed a few traumatic events that he carried with him into his adulthood. When he was a young boy, LL Cool J's father, James Nyunya, shot his father-in-law and his ex-wife, LL's mother, in the back while they were going through a divorce. After they recovered from their injuries,. His father, , it would be years before LL was able to forgive his father. Yet another single from the album, "I Shot Ya Remix", included debut vocal work by Foxy Brown. Dont Miss A Story. "This song is the musical interpretation of what I felt after meeting with NCIS agents, experienced Marines and Navy SEALs," LL Cool J said. 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. 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. Gigs at larger venues were offered to LL as he would join the 1986-'87 Raising Hell tour, opening for Run-D.M.C. He didnt need a good reason. LL (birth name James Todd Smith) recounted his painful childhood memories in his biography "I Make My Own Rules" and the details are shocking. L.L. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', [101] He married Simone Johnson in 1995. window._taboola = window._taboola || [];