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LL Cool J

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Name: James Todd Smith

Reppin': Queens, NY

Breakthrough: In 1984, Def Jam Recordings released LL Cool J’s debut single, “I Need a Beat,” the label’s first single ever. It quickly sold over 100,000 copies, turned both LL and Def Jam into household names and led to the rapper’s 1985 debut album, Radio, which went platinum thanks to the singles, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock The Bells.” However, his sophomore album, Bigger and Deffer (Def Jam, 1987), featured one of the first pop-rap songs, “I Need Love,” and secured LL’s place in hip hop history. He has since gone on to record and release more than a dozen full-length albums, including Walking With A Panther (Def Jam, 1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (Def Jam, 1990) and another huge commercial success, Mr. Smith (Def Jam, 1995).

Now You Know: Outside of being a rapper, LL Cool J has also enjoyed a long Hollywood career that spans back to an appearance in the seminal 1985 hip hop film, Krush Groove (Warner Bros.). He has starred movies like Deep Blue Sea (Warner Bros., 1999), Any Given Sunday (Warner Bros., 1999) and Rollerball (MGM, 2002) as well as the TV series In The House (NBC,1995-1999).