LL Cool J

LL Cool J has been married to Simone Johnson since 1995, and they have four children: Samaria, Nina, Italia, and Najee. He previously dated Kidada Jones from 1992 to 1994.

Simone Johnson was diagnosed with stage-three chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and was later cancer-free. She became an entrepreneur and launched jewelry businesses, including Sister Love with Mary J. Blige and the men's line Majesty, which she co-founded with LL Cool J.

LL Cool J began rapping as a child and was making demo tapes in his grandparents' home by 1984. His grandfather, a jazz saxophonist, bought him recording equipment, while his mother used her tax refund to buy him a Korg drum machine. He initially used the name J-Ski before adopting LL Cool J, an abbreviation of “Ladies Love Cool James.”

He signed with Def Jam Recordings in 1984 and released “I Need a Beat,” which sold more than 100,000 copies. His debut album, Radio, followed in 1985 and became one of the early records to combine hip-hop's vocal style with rock-influenced musical arrangements. The album's success helped establish Def Jam and made LL Cool J one of the first hip-hop performers to achieve major mainstream success.

His early albums included Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), and Mama Said Knock You Out (1990). “I Need Love” from Bigger and Deffer became an early major rap ballad, while “Going Back to Cali” and “Around the Way Girl” showed his movement between aggressive rap, romantic material, and R&B.

Mama Said Knock You Out, produced by Marley Marl, was a critical and commercial turning point for LL Cool J. The title track earned him the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and the album also included “The Boomin' System” and “Around the Way Girl.”

He followed it with albums including 14 Shots to the Dome, Mr. Smith, Phenomenon, G.O.A.T., 10, The DEFinition, Todd Smith, Exit 13, and Authentic. Mr. Smith featured “Hey Lover,” which won a Grammy Award, while G.O.A.T. debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart.

In 2024, he released The FORCE, his first album under Def Jam since Exit 13. The album was entirely produced by Q-Tip and was preceded by “Saturday Night Special,” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe, as well as “Proclivities” with Saweetie and “Murdergram Deux” with Eminem.

LL Cool J made his screen debut in Krush Groove (1985), appearing as a rapper and performing “I Can't Live Without My Radio.” He later appeared in Wildcats, Toys, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Deep Blue Sea, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, Deliver Us from Eva, and Last Holiday.

He starred as Marion Hill in the NBC sitcom In the House from 1995 to 1999. His major television role came in 2009, when he began playing NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in NCIS: Los Angeles. He continued in the role through the series finale and reprised it in NCIS: Hawai'i and NCIS.

LL Cool J also hosted Lip Sync Battle from 2015 to 2019 and hosted the Grammy Awards for five consecutive ceremonies from 2012 through 2016. His television work earned him multiple NAACP Image Awards for his performance in NCIS: Los Angeles.

LL Cool J wrote four books, including the autobiography I Make My Own Rules, the children's book And the Winner Is..., and The Platinum Workout. He founded the music label P.O.G. and the company Rock the Bells, and launched Boomdizzle.com as a music label and social-networking site for aspiring artists.

He received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 1997 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016. In 2017, he became the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 with the Award for Musical Excellence and received the key to Queens in 2022.

His charitable foundation, Jump & Ball, provides athletic and team-building programs for young people in Queens. He has also supported literacy, music, and arts programs for children and schools.