Ladies Love Cool James is back. After focusing on his acting career for more than a decade, LL Cool J is back to doing what made him relevant. Rapping.
The New York MC’s 14th studio album, “The FORCE” is LL’s first studio album in eleven years. With that in mind, let’s look back at the 40-year career of one of the most tenured and accomplished hip-hop artists of all time.
This is the evolution of LL Cool J.
James Todd Smith was born on January 14, 1968 to Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith Jr. in Long Island. He later moved to Queens with his mother, which is where he grew up.
Smith’s interest in hip-hop began early in his life. One of his early influences was the pioneering hip-hop trio The Treacherous Three, which included DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special J, and Spoonie Gee.
Smith’s original stage name was J-Ski. Although hip-hop was still a young genre at the time, his mother and grandmother supported his musical dreams, going out of their way to buy music equipment.
In 1987, Cool J released his sophomore album, “Bigger and Deffer,” and continued the momentum he earned from his debut. Some of the singles for this record included, “I Need Love” and “I’m Bad.”
After a three-year music hiatus to focus on other endeavors, LL released his fifth studio album, “14 Shots to the Dome,” which featured the singles, “Back Seat (of My Jeep)“ and “How I’m Comin’.”
Two years later in 1995, LL continued his consistent run of releasing albums with the release of “Mr. Smith,” which featured the singles “Loungin” and “Doin’ it.”
After dating Kidada Jones in the early 90s, LL married the love of his life, Simone Johnson, in 1995. They have four daughters together.
This feud began after LL Cool J thought Canibus took shots at him on his track, “4,3,2,1.” LL responded on that same 1997 track. In 1998, Canibus came back with “Second Round K.O.’’ Cool J responded with two diss tracks (not featuring Canibus), “The Ripper Strikes Back” and “Back Where I Belong.
Staking his claim as the best the genre has seen, LL called his eighth studio album, “G.O.A.T.” Although the album is not terrible, it didn’t quite lead people to consider him the greatest of all time.
A largely forgotten album in his discography, LL Cool J’s “10" was the MC’s ninth studio album (technically considered his tenth since he released a compilation album that included his greatest hits).
This 2004 Album reminded us why LL has endured in a genre, in which so many others had failed.
For the title of LL Cool J’s 2006 album, he took a direct approach, essentially naming it after his middle and last name. It included features from many popular artists at the time including Juelz Santana, Ginuwine, and Freeway.
LL Cool J’s last studio album on Def Jam, “Exit 13,” was released in 2008 after being delayed for nearly two years.
From September 2009 to May 2023, LL Cool J played NCIS special agent Sam Hanna on the television show, “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
LL Cool J appeared in several different TV shows and movies throughout his career, including “In Too Deep,” “Any Given Sunday,” “S.W.A.T.” and many others.
After being nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame several times in the 2010s, he was officially inducted in 2021.
The last studio album LL released was “Authentic,” in 2013 and includes features from Chuck D, Snoop Dog, Fatman Scoop, and Charlie Wilson.
