LL Cool J Net Worth: Hip-hop pioneer LL Cool J is most known for spreading the genre’s popularity throughout the world. The two-time Grammy winner overcame domestic abuse as a child to become a musical prodigy and began writing songs at the age of 11.
His toughening experience with maltreatment as a child is evident in his incisive and hard-hitting songs. He joined a brand-new record label called Def Jam Recordings and was solely responsible for its success. He continued to work with the business for 23 years, releasing 13 albums during that time.
LL Cool J didn’t let his successful music career make him comfortable or rest on his laurels; instead, he tried his hand at acting. Although LL Cool J’s acting career got off to a rocky start, it soon gained traction thanks to a series of compelling performances in both movies and TV shows.
LL Cool J has also demonstrated his flexibility by launching his clothing brand, and record label, and co-writing four books. LL Cool J continues to be a music icon and a loving husband and parent despite having had a hugely successful career.
LL Cool J Early Life
Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith Jr. welcomed James Todd Smith into the world on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York. LL Cool experienced several extremely terrible incidents as a child. LL discovered his mother and grandma were shot and bloodied when he was four years old.
In a fight over their divorce procedures in 1972, his father shot and nearly killed them. The next man his mother dated was a heroin addict named Roscoe Granger, who frequently battered LL. When Smith started singing in his church choir at a young age, he developed a passion for music.
Also at the age of nine, he started rapping. James’s grandfather, a jazz saxophonist, supported him musically and gave him his first mixing desk when he was sixteen. The mixing desk was purchased from Sears. His mother supported his work and bought him a Korg drum machine with her tax refund for one year.
LL Cool J Personal Life
Since 1995, LL Cool J has been wed to his wife Simone. Together, the couple has four kids. He gained notoriety in August 2012 after he attacked a potential thief at his Studio City, Los Angeles, home and shattered his nose and jaw. You may also check our trending articles like Kevin Bacon and Denzel Washington.
He allegedly heard sounds coming from downstairs when he was upstairs at his house and went down to investigate. After a struggle, LL was able to take the aggressor down and hold him there until the cops came. Later, the suspect was treated for his wounds in a hospital.
LL Cool J Career
Rap Career
Smith started to record his tunes, which he then sent to several record labels. Def Jam Recordings employees got their hands on his demo. Def Jam accepted the demo and issued his debut album. His new stage name, L L Cool J, which stood for Ladies Love Cool James, was used to release the song.
The fact that Cool J’s 1984 single “I need a beat” sold over 100,000 copies shows how popular both the rap scene and America were with him. He decided to drop out of high school as a result and record his debut album. His debut album, “Radio,” achieved platinum status after selling 1,500,000 copies.
In addition to being commercially successful, it also received positive reviews thanks to Cool J’s addition of a traditional song structure that made rap more approachable for general listeners. In 1987, he would release “Bigger and Deffer” as a follow-up.
One of the earliest pop-rap songs was the tune “I need love.” With the record hitting 2X platinum, he was once more hailed with praise from both the press and the public. He would make a comeback in 1989 and release another platinum-selling album, Walking with a Panther.
The western hip-hop scene started to develop around this time. The gangster genre started to appear more frequently in hip-hop themes. He published “Mama Said Knock You Out” in 1990. The album’s much harsher edges were appealing to the emerging hip-hop generation.
It was regarded as yet another triumph. Sadly, neither critics nor listeners liked his follow-up album, which was released in 1993. He took a two-year break before starting his acting career. He made appearances in the movies “The Hard Way” and “Toys” during this time.
He appeared in the NBC comedy “In The House” as well. In 1995, he made a comeback with the album Mr. Smith. Boys II Men appeared on several tracks on the album, and “The Lady in My Life” by Michael Jackson was also covered.
The music video would land LL a Grammy and become one of the first hip-hop videos ever to air on VH1. More than 2 million copies of this album were sold. The following album from LL Cool J was Phenomenon, which went platinum and debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts.
In 2000, he released G.O.A.T., which also went platinum. The ninth studio album of LL Cool J, “10,” was released in 2002. It debuted on the Billboard Charts at position No. 4. Later, LL Cool J put out four additional studio albums, with varying levels of popularity.
From February 2012 through February 2016, LL Cool J presided over the Grammy Awards five times in a row. It was revealed that LL Cool J has rejoined Def Jam Records in September 2019 and that new music was in the works.
In January 2016, LL Cool J received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The greatest honor given to a performer in America, the Annual Kennedy Center Honors, recognized LL Cool J as the first rapper in December 2017.
He responded to this distinction with a message on Instagram that read: “This one is dedicated to all of my predecessors and successors. We were placed here to encourage and support one another. manifest and realize our aspirations. I sincerely hope that I have inspired you, just as you have inspired me.”
Acting Career
LL Cool J has a thriving music career in addition to an amazing acting background. His debut performance was in the minor part in the high school football movie Wildcats. In the 1992 film Toys, he was cast as Captain Patric Zevo. In the House, LL Cool J’s TV sitcom ran from 1995 to 1998.
He played a well-known former football player who, due to financial hardship, was forced to rent out a portion of his home to a single mother and her two children. He had a minor part in Halloween H20 in 1998. He made appearances in S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, and Deliver Us from Eva during the following few years.
He has played the primary character on the CBS police drama NCIS: Los Angeles since 2009. Former Navy SEAL and NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna are portrayed by LL Cool J. He has been the host of the well-known celebrity competitive game show Lip Sync Battle since April 2015.
Get ready. A new episode of @ncisla airs tonight on @cbstv at 10pm ET / PT. pic.twitter.com/708c86t580
— LLCOOLJ (@llcoolj) October 23, 2022
Other Work
The TROOP hip-hop apparel brand has collaborated with LL Cool J. In 1996, he assisted FUBU in introducing a clothing brand. He started Todd Smith, a clothing company that creates trendy urban apparel.
In 2008, LL and Sears agreed to collaborate on the creation and distribution of a family-friendly clothing line. In 2009, he established the music label and social networking site Boomdizzle.com. LL Cool J graduated from Harvard University’s Business of Entertainment, Media, & Sports program in November 2017.
Four books by LL Cool J have been published: the autobiography I Make My Own Rules in 1998, the picture book And The Winner Is in 2002, the fitness book The Platinum Workout in 2006 (which he co-wrote with his trainer), and LL Cool J in 2007. (Hip Hop Stars.)
LL Cool J Net Worth
A rapper and actor from the United States, LL Cool J is worth $120 million. He was one of the first hip-hop performers to enter popular culture. He currently has renown as the star of the network television show NCIS: Los Angeles. He makes $350,000 every NCIS episode.
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