LL Cool J Bio (Wiki)
Benjamin Ward
Published Jan 04, 2026
Who is LL Cool J?
LL Cool J is an American rapper, record producer, actor, author, and entrepreneur.
He won ‘Choice TV Actor: Action’ for his role in ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ at Teen Choice Award.
He has displayed his versatility, as he started a music record label, started his own clothing line, and also co-authored four books.
LL Cool J: Age, Parents Ethnicity, Education
LL Cool J was born as James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York, the United States. He is a Capricorn.
His father, James Smith, and mother, Ondrea Smith are of all-American ancestry.
LL’s mother entered into a relationship with a physical therapist named ‘Roscoe’, in his autobiography and also in interviews, has accused Roscoe of abusing him physically and psychologically. However, Roscoe has denied these allegations.
LL Cool J went to Hillcrest High School, Queens, New York, United States. Then, he attended Andrew Jackson High School, Cambria Heights, Queens, New York, United States.
LL Cool J attended Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
LL Cool J: Professional Life, Career, Achievements
Singing
His first debut album, Radio, was a hugely successful mix of conventional song structure and pop-oriented rap. Whereas, his music fans responded enthusiastically to the album’s singles, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock the Bells”.
LL’s album success earned him roles in films such as ‘The Hard Way’ and ‘Toys’. In the year 1993, he performed at President Clinton’s inauguration ceremony at the ‘Lincoln Memorial’.
In 1993, he started his own music label called ‘P.O.G.’, or ‘Power Of God’. Then, he also formed the music-production company ‘Rock The Bells’ which worked with artists like ‘Amyth’, ‘Smokeman’, ‘Natice’, etc.
In 1995, he released his next album ‘Mr. Smith, featuring the track ‘Hey Lover’. This song was inspired by Michael Jackson’s song ‘The Lady in my Life’.
e released his last album with ‘Def Jam Recordings’, ‘And exit 13’, in 2008. The album also featured a host of other artists, such as ’50 Cent’, ‘Sheek Louch’, ‘Fat Joe’, ‘Ryan Leslie’ etc.
LL Cool J released his next and most recent album ‘Authentic’, in 2013, featuring appearances from numerous other artists including ‘Eddie Van Halen’, ‘Snoop Dogg’, ‘Seal’ and ‘Brad Paisley’.
Acting
LL Cool J also kick-started his acting career in 1985, appearing as himself in the film ‘Krush Groove’. He starred as the lead in the crime-drama movie ‘Out-of-Sync’ in 1995. In the year 1996, he released the album ‘All World: Greatest Hits’ Then, he came to the attention of NBC-TV and was cast in their comedy series ‘In the House’.
In the following years, from 1996 to 1998, he played supporting roles in a few films such as ‘The Right to Remain Silent, ‘Caught Up’, ‘Woo’, and ‘Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
He also appeared in the second season of the television drama series ‘Oz’. In some of his other films, he was a part of the blockbuster science-fiction horror film ‘Deep Blue Sea’.
LL Cool J started a record label called ‘Boomdizzle’ that doubled up as a social networking site as well.
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.
Awards
LL Cool J achieved an ‘MTV Video Music Award’ for his hit track ‘Mama Said Knock You Out in the category ‘Best Rap Video’. LL Cool J received his first Grammy award in the category ‘Best Rap Solo Performance’ in 1992 for his song ‘Mama Said Knock You Out.
He was awarded his second Grammy, again in the same category of ‘Best Rap Solo Performance’. Likely, he won a ‘Blockbuster Entertainment Award’ in the category ‘Favourite Supporting Actor – Action’ for his role in the film ‘Deep Blue Sea’.
What is LL Cool J’s net worth?
As of 2022, LL Cool J has an estimated net worth of around $120m US. As a hip-hop and rapper Artist, his earnings are $62 k U.S and above.
In the year 2009, Todd launched his own clothing of urban apparel ‘LL Cool J collection’ at ‘Sears’ stores.
Body Measurements
How much does LL Cool J weigh?
Founder and CEO of Rock The Bells LL Cool J weighs 96 Kg.
LL Cool J is bald with dark brown eyes, his height 6 feet 2 inches.
His chest, waist, biceps sizes are 46-36-16 inches. His shoe size is 14/15 (US).
Is LL Cool J active on social media?
LL Cool J has around 4M followers on Facebook, about 5.04M followers on Twitter, and 1.8M followers on Instagram.
He is also active on YouTube.
Also get to know more about Kalani Hilliker, Jade Weber, and Faith Schroder.
LL Cool J's Anniversary Dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | August | Monday |
| 2024 | August | Wednesday |
| 2025 | August | Thursday |
| 2026 | August | Friday |
| 2027 | August | Saturday |
LL Cool J's Birthday Dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | January | Saturday |
| 2024 | January | Sunday |
| 2025 | January | Tuesday |
| 2026 | January | Wednesday |
| 2027 | January | Thursday |
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