He is an American rapper and actor. LL Cool J got his start in the industry by sending out demo tapes to several record labels. His demo impressed the folks at Def Jam, so they gave him a recording contract. In 1985, he released his debut studio album, titled Radio. I Can’t Live Without My Radio and Rock of the Bells became radio staples almost overnight. He has released thirteen studio albums and achieved widespread success with singles including “I Need Love,” “Hey Lover,” “Control Myself,” “I’m Bad,” and “The Boomin’ System.” He has since made guest appearances on a wide variety of shows and films, including 30 Rock, In The House, Toys, Halloween H20, Deep Blue Sea, Rollerball, and more.
In 2009, he became recognizable as Special Agent Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles. As of today, October 16th, 2013, LL Cool J has been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the 2014 ceremony. On January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York, James Todd Smith entered the world. In addition to his work as a singer and actor, he has also published four books, created his own line of clothes, and founded his own record company, Rock the Bells.
LL Cool j’s Net Worth
An estimated $100 million is LL Cool J’s net worth. He is a double-Grammy winner who overcame childhood domestic violence to become a composing genius by the age of 11. American rapper and actor LL Cool J has a $120 million fortune. He pioneered the hip-hop genre’s crossover into the pop music industry. The role of Special Agent Tony DiNozzo on NCIS: Los Angeles propelled him to fame. He earns $350,000 every episode of NCIS.
L L Cool j’s Early Life
LL Cool J’s parents, Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith Jr. gave birth to James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York. LL Cool had a rough childhood, marked by a number of tragic experiences. At age 4, LL discovered his mother and grandma dead and soaked in blood. In a fight about his parents’ divorce from 1972, his father pulled a gun and nearly killed them. His mother later started dating a heroin addict named Roscoe Granger, who regularly battered LL.
Smith’s early involvement in the music ministry of his church marked the beginning of his passion in music. At the tender age of nine, he also started rapping. James was inspired to pursue music by his jazz saxophonist grandfather, who gifted him with his first mixing table when he was sixteen. Sears was the place where the mixing table was purchased. His mother was so invested in his success that she used her annual tax refund to purchase a Korg drum machine for him.
LL Cool j’s Rapper’s Career
Smith started making his own music and sending demos to record labels. People at Def Jam Recordings heard his demo. Since the demo sounded so good, Def Jam decided to give him a go at making an album. His new stage name, an acronym for “Ladies Love Cool James,” was used for the album’s release. Cool J’s 1984 single “I need a beat” was a huge success, selling over 100,000 copies and earning him widespread acclaim in the rap community and beyond. Because of this, he skipped out on high school to focus on making his debut album.
His first studio album, titled “Radio,” sold over 1.5 million copies and earned him a platinum certification. As well as commercial success, the album was well received by critics thanks to LL Cool J’s introduction of conventional song form, which endeared rap to a wider audience. In 1987, he released a sequel titled “Bigger and Deffer.” One of the earliest pop-rap songs was “I need love.” The record was a huge success, going double platinum, and earning him widespread critical acclaim once more. In 1989, he came back with another platinum record called Walking with a Panther. In this era, the first rudimentary elements of the western hip-hop scene took shape. Gangster imagery and themes started popping up more frequently in hip-hop. Mama Said Knock You Out” was released in 1990. The album’s grittier sound resonated with the hip-evolving hop audience. In other words, it was a triumph once again.
Regrettably, neither critics nor listeners took to his follow-up album in 1993. Following his two-year hiatus, he launched an acting career. The movies “The Hard Way” and “Toys” both featured him around this time. He also had a starring role in the “In The House” sitcom on NBC. With the release of Mr. Smith in 1995, he made his musical comeback. The album included a cover of “The Lady in My Life” by Michael Jackson and a collaboration with Boys II Men. A Grammy was in the works for LL, and this music video would be one of the first hip-hop videos ever played on VH1. There were nearly 2 million copies of this album sold. After the success of his last album, Phenomenon, LL Cool J followed it up in 2000 with G.O.A.T, which immediately became a top-selling album in the United States. LL Cool J’s album “10” (the tenth overall) was released in 2002. Upon its first week of release, it reached position #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. There were four further studio albums by LL Cool J, each of which was met with varying degrees of success. From February 2012 through February 2016, LL Cool J served as the Grammy Awards’ host. The news of LL Cool J’s return to Def Jam Records and the impending release of new songs came in September of 2019.
In January of 2016, a star was placed in honor of LL Cool J on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For performers in the United States, the Annual Kennedy Center Honors is the pinnacle of success, and in December of 2017, LL Cool J was the first rapper to receive this honor. He commented on this recognition by writing on Instagram: “Everyone who has ever lived, both before and after me, is included in this one. Our mission here on Earth is to share our love and motivation with one another. Bring our hopes and desires into being. I can only say that you have truly inspired me and that I sincerely hope that you find some of the same motivation in me.”
What is @NCISLA actor LL Cool J’s net worth? #NCISLosangeles #NCISLA https://t.co/W2IISXcpgv pic.twitter.com/RdSNjPodd1
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) September 15, 2020
A profession in the Theater
LL Cool J is not just an accomplished musician, but also an actor with a long list of credits that fans will recognize. His debut job was in the high school football film Wildcats, where he played a minor character. In the 1992 film Toys, he played Captain Patric Zevo. In the House, LL Cool J’s own sitcom that ran from 1995 to 1998, saw him in the lead role. He played a former football star who is having financial issues and has to rent out a room in his house to a single parent with two young children. The 1998 film Halloween H20 featured him in a supporting role. Deliver Us from Eva, SWAT, and Mindhunters were just a handful of the films he was in throughout the subsequent years.
He has been a main character on the CBS police drama NCIS: Los Angeles since 2009. As former Navy SEAL turned NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna, LL Cool J is a welcome addition to the cast. He has been the host of the hit TV show Lip Sync Battle since its debut in April 2015.
LL Cool J Gets Paid
When LL Cool J appears on NCIS: Los Angeles, how much does he get paid every episode? $350,000
In Other Activities
The hip-hop clothing label TROOP has collaborated with LL Cool J. In 1996, he also helped FUBU create a clothing line. He has his own clothing brand out now too, called Todd Smith, and it’s full of trendy pieces for the city crowd. In 2008, LL and Sears entered into a partnership to create and market an accessible family wear brand. In 2009, he established the record label and social networking platform Boomdizzle.com. L.L. Cool J graduated from Harvard University’s Business of Entertainment Media & Sports program in November 2017.
The autobiography I Make My Own Rules was published in 1998, followed by the children’s book And The Winner Is in 2002, followed by a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout in 2006 (co-written with his trainer), and finally, LL Cool J: The Book, published in 2007. (Hip Hop Stars.)
LL Cool j’s Personal Life
LL Cool J and his wife Simone have been together since 1995 and are now married. A total of four offspring have been born in this union. In August of 2012, he made headlines when he brutally assaulted a burglary suspect at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles, breaking the man’s nose and jaw. He was supposedly upstairs when he heard noises and walked down to see what was going on. As the struggle escalated, LL overpowered the criminal and held him until the cops arrived. As a result of his wounds, the suspect was taken to the hospital.