1 on Billboard's R&B albums chart. While speaking to Oprah, the jewelry maker explained that they have an awesome marriage because of the sacrifices and love they share. During his time at Def Jam, LL released an album every two or three years from 1987 to . [citation needed] The song also earned him a Grammy Award. At the beginning of their marriage, Simone ignored her husband for two weeks because he did not honor their honeymoon. LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, was born in January 1968 in Queens, New York, in a middle-class and catholic family. Designs include influences from LL's lyrics and tattoos, as well as from other icons in the hip-hop community. [97], The energy and hardcore delivery and musical style of rapping featured on Radio, as well as other new-school recordings by artists such as Run-D.M.C., Schooly D, T La Rock and Steady B, proved to be influential to hip-hop acts of the "golden age" such as Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy. ", "LL Cool J Todd Smith Clothing Collection Launch and Video", "Here's LL Cool J's Emotional Opening To WrestleMania 31", "Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia Def Jam, LL, & new school hip hop", "LL Cool J:: Radio ** RapReviews "Back to the Lab" series ** by Steve "Flash" Juon", EntertainmentSimone Smith, LL Cool J's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, "LL Cool J's Kids With Wife Simone Smith", "Senator Malcolm Smith Show w. LL Cool J part 3", "One On 1: Hip-Hop Artist LL Cool J Leaves Footprints Beyond Music", "LL Cool J: 2018 We are Family Humanitarian Award honoree", "WWII in HD DVD Set | WW2 HD DVD History Channel", "Rock On The Net: 31st Annual Grammy Awards - 1989", "Rock On The Net: 34th Annual Grammy Awards - 1992", "Rock On The Net: 35th Annual Grammy Awards - 1993", "Rock On The Net: 36th Annual Grammy Awards - 1994", "Rock On The Net: 39th Annual Grammy Awards - 1997", "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations Coverage (1998) |DigitalHit.com", "Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations", "Rock On The Net: 1991 MTV Video Music Awards", "Rock On The Net: 1996 MTV Video Music Awards", "The 1997 Edition Was the Best MTV Video Music Awards", "5 Films Head Nominations for NAACP Image Awards", "Blackflix.com: 34th NAACP Image Award Nominees", "Ashanti, Amerie Lead Pack Of Nominees For Soul Train Awards", "19th Annual Soul Train Awards Nominations", "LL Cool J | Long Island Music Hall of Fame". Jul 19, 2021 09:00 P.M. [63][64], While LL Cool J first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"),[65] his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. According to Hollywood.com; Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law Eugene in the stomach and estranged wife Ondrea in the back out of frustration over the couples divorce in 1972, when the Grammy winner and awards host was just a young boy. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. [88] And LL was the one who discovered . The Journal of Steffanie Jay-Zs Shock in Running Into Kelly Rowland Is Your WATCH LIVE! [84] He played Beth's father in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and was shown in a trailer for the film but his scenes were cut from the final product.[85]. The "NCIS" actor recounted grueling details about his childhood in his book "I Make My Own Rules," beginning with his parents' divorce when he was younger. He was quick to add that no one "should assume that I'm a Democrat either. Cool J and his mother moved to his grandparent's house in 1972. LL Cool J (Getty) *In his 1997 biography "I Make My Own Rules," LL Cool J recounts the time his father shot his mother and grandfather because he was bitter about getting a . According to a Chicago Tribune report, his father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them. We also encourage everyone to report any crime incident they witness as soon as possible. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. I guess it would leave you scarred, at four years old, based on how the people around you dealt with it and encouraged you to deal with it. target_type: 'mix' His father shot his mother and grandfather with a 12-gauge . In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, wrote a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout. He came to the top with his single "I Want a Beat" and his presentation studio collection, Radio, in 1985. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', [39] As a result, his audience base began to decline due to the album's bold commercial and pop aspirations. By Kory Grow. The incident happened at the couple's home at New Meadows Road . I love you", "LL Cool J forgives dad for shooting mother", "Rapper Ll Cool J Puts Wild Days, Demons Behind Him", "LL Cool J Revealed in 1997 Memoir That His Dad Shot His Mom, Grandfather", "LL Cool J Says His Mother's Tax Refund Funded His Demo", "Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary", "Def Jam Recordings - LL Cool J Biography", "LL Cool J bio: Edison Force ActorTribute.ca", "Address Island / Def Jam Records Def Jam history", "LL Cool J career discography at HeadSprung.net", "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - LL Cool J Radio", "LL Cool J Can't Knock Out Billboard Champs", "Biography and other information at Askmen.com", "Kurtis Blow Presents: The History Of Rap, Vol. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Source: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty. Those who don't know the actors story and only look at how he is doing nowadays might desire to have his life. Speaking about the traumatic experience he had with his mother's boyfriend, he said: "He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. Eventually, LLs father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career. The new track is based on his experiences playing special agent Sam Hanna. Posted by. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. [8], In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence. The album debuted at No. }); Copyright 2015 . Together, they share four children named Najee, Samaria, Italia, and Nina. As a child, James Todd Smith experienced great tragedy. Yet, the scars never fully healed. In July 2006, LL Cool J announced details about his final album with Def Jam Recordings, the only label he has ever been signed to. The NCIS star confessed that James came back into his life and made amends for plenty of the things that he did wrong by helping him with his music career early on. His mother did survived, but once she divorced LL's dad, she hooked up with a . The song contains LL Cool J rapping over the instrumental to Maino's "Hi Hater". Now, LL explains how heand his motherlearned to forgive. Father LL Cool J. But even with all of that negativity LL still found a way to forgive his father for everything hes ever done to him. Photos. My family is a very interesting family. ", "NAACP Image Awards 2014: Complete winners list", "EIC Announces Nominations For 18th Annual PRISM Awards- Nods for Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Oprah, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Edie Falco, Allison Janney, LL Cool J, Jewel", "Television - 'Creed,' 'Empire' Top NAACP Image Award Nominations; Full List", "People's Choice Awards 2017: Full List Of Nominees", Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings, Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist, Teen Choice Award for Choice Action TV Actor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LL_Cool_J&oldid=1142520506, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episodes: "Legend: Part 1 & 2", "Too Many Cooks", Outstanding Career Achievements in the Field of Entertainment, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline. [7] In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. _taboola.push({ Now, LL explains how heand his motherlearned to forgive. After labeling his family as very interesting, he revealed one of the most shocking aspects of the entire situation: LL Cool Js mother forgave his father for shooting her in the back. [17] His grandfather, a jazz saxophonist, bought him $2,000 worth of equipment, including two turntables, an audio mixer and an amplifier. LL Cool J was also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network. LL Cool J has lost his father, James Nunya. [14], Smith began rapping at the age of 10, influenced by the hip-hop group The Treacherous Three. }); Copyright 2015 . LL Cool J worked behind the scenes with the mid-1980s hip-hop sportswear line TROOP. published in 2002. "Father" is the third single from LL Cool J's seventh album, Phenomenon. 2 years ago. In 2000, LL Cool J released the album G.O.A.T., which stood for the "Greatest of All Time." James reportedly did it because he was distraught that Ondrea had left him and also taken their son with her. And, so I have learned to hand out the mercy that I like to receive. Though he was beginning to act out in the aftermath of the abuse by the age of 16 LL found his calling during the Golden Age of Hip Hop as one of the top emcees of the time. Eventually, LLs father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career. [92], With the breakthrough success of his hit single "I Need a Beat" and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became an early hip-hop act to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC. [76], In 2005, he returned to television in a guest-starring role on the Fox medical drama House; he portrayed a death row inmate felled by an unknown disease in an episode entitled "Acceptance". To make matters worse, it was the Grammy Award winner who found his mom and grandfather on the floor after his dad shot them. Much to people's surprise, LL Cool J said: LL Cool J at Barclays Center on July 14, 2019 | Source: Getty Images, I guess it would leave you scarred at four years old based on how the people around you dealt with it and encouraged you to deal with it.. Now he is the first hip-hop artist to ever receive a Kennedy Centre Honour this month for his lifetime . "[107] In his 2020 book LL Cool J's Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle, he included Obama in a list of people he admired, stating that the then-president had "accomplished what people thought was impossible. In image as in song, the artists projected a tough, cool, street b-boy attitude. And LL was the one who discovered them! It also reached No. Thankfully, she later became the rapper's number one woman, who is appreciated and deeply loved by a man she described as "her rock.". Following the separation, when the rapper was eight, his mother found a boyfriend by the name of Roscoe Granger. My mother forgave my father He came back into my life and made amends for a lot of things by helping to guide me with my music career early on, and kinda helping me in that area (sic). After the off-and-on relationship and two kids, LL Cool J left Simone twice. LL Cool J. August 22, 2019. LL Cool J started a record label called 'Boomdizzle' that doubled up as a social networking site as well. Dont Miss A Story. [106] In a February 10, 2012 televised interview with CNN host Piers Morgan, LL Cool J expressed sympathy for President Barack Obama and ascribed negative impressions of his leadership to Republican obstruction designed to "make it look like you have a coordination problem." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. After they recovered from their injuries,. You have entered an incorrect email address! In this week's heart wrenching episode, Dr. Henry Louis Gates uncovers the emotional history of both Sean "Puffy" Combs and LL Cool J 's families. His father shot his mother and grandfather, leaving them with serious injuries. Eventually, LLs father James came back into his life and helped him out in the early stages of his budding rap career.