LL Cool J

James Todd Smith (lebih dikenal sebagai LL Cool J, singkatan dari Ladies Love Cool James; lahir 14 Januari 1968) adalah seorang rapper, penulis lagu, produser rekaman, dan aktor Amerika. Dia adalah salah satu rapper paling awal yang mencapai kesuksesan komersial, bersama dengan sesama artis hip hop sekolah baru Beastie Boys dan Run-DMC. Masuk ke Def Jam Recordings pada tahun 1984, terobosannya datang dengan single "I Need a Beat" dan album debut bersejarahnya, Radio (1985). Dia mencapai kesuksesan komersial dan kritis lebih lanjut dengan album-albumnya, Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), dan Phenomenon (1997). Albumnya yang kedua belas, Exit 13 (2008), adalah album terakhirnya dalam kontrak jangka panjangnya dengan Def Jam. Pemenang Grammy Award dua kali, LL Cool J dikenal dengan lagu-lagu hip hop seperti "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", dan "Mama Said Knock You Out", serta lagu-lagu hits R&B seperti "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl", dan "Hey Lover". Pada tahun 2010, VH1 menempatkannya dalam daftar "100 Artis Terbesar Sepanjang Masa". Pada tahun 2017, LL Cool J menjadi rapper pertama yang menerima Kennedy Center Honors. Pada tahun 2021, ia dilantik ke dalam Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dengan penghargaan Musical Excellence. Saat ia pertama kali tampil sebagai rapper di film Krush Groove (membawakan "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), peran akting pertamanya adalah peran kecil dalam film sepak bola sekolah menengah berjudul Wildcats. Dia terus bekerja di film sejak saat itu hingga tahun 1995 ketika dia membuat sitkom televisinya sendiri, In the House (1995-2000). Dia telah muncul di berbagai film, termasuk Last Holiday, Edison, Mindhunters, S.W.A.T., Deliver Us from Eva, Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, In Too Deep, Any Giving Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, Halloween H20, B.A.P.S., Toys, dan The Hard Way. Pada tahun 2005, ia kembali ke televisi sebagai bintang tamu di drama medis FOX House. Dia juga menjadi bintang tamu di 30 Rock pada tahun 2007, dan di musim ke-39 Sesame Street di mana dia memperkenalkan kata hari ini, "Unanimous" dan menampilkan "The Addition Expedition" di episode 4172 (30 September 2008). Pada tahun 2011, ia berperan sebagai Agen Khusus Sam Hanna di prosedur polisi CBS NCIS: L.A., sebuah spin-off dari NCIS. Dia juga menjadi pembawa acara Lip Sync Battle MTV.

James Todd Smith (better known as LL Cool J, an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James; born January 14, 1968) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, his breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), was his last in his long-tenured deal with Def Jam. A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for hip hop songs such as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence. While he first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He continued to work in movies from then until 1995 when he landed his own television sitcom, In the House (1995-2000). He has appeared in numerous films, including Last Holiday, Edison, Mindhunters, S.W.A.T., Deliver Us from Eva, Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, Halloween H20, B.A.P.S., Toys, and The Hard Way. In 2005, he returned to television in a guest starring role on the FOX medical drama House. He also guest starred on 30 Rock in 2007, and on Sesame Street 's 39th season where he introduced the word of the day, "Unanimous” and performed "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (Sept. 30, 2008). As of 2011, he stars as Special Agent Sam Hanna on CBS's police procedural NCIS: L.A., a spin-off of NCIS. He was also the host of MTV's Lip Sync Battle.