Biographic - Sunday October 11, 2009 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Born James Todd Smith in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, on January 14, 1968. He started making demo tapes in his early teens, using some DJ equipment that his grandfather had given him. Adopting the name LL Cool J- an acronym for "Ladies Love Cool James" he was signed to the fledging Def Jam label at the age of 16. His first single, 1984's "I Need A Beat" sold over 100,000 copies. Paving the way for his platinum selling debut album "Radio" By the turn of the decade, LL Cool J was one of hip-hop's biggest stars, thanks to hit singles such as "I Need Love" and "I'm That Type of Guy" the advent of public enemy and NWA saw his music rediscover a harder edge, as evidenced by 1990's double-platinum album "Mama Said Knock You Out" and it's grammy-winning title track. He also began to establish acting credentials, appearing in "The Hard Way" and "Toys" in 1995, the year of his hit album" Mr. Smith" he landed the starring role in the sitcom "In The House" By the time the series ended in 1999, he was starring in movies such as "Deep Blue Sea" and "Any Given Sunday" Subsequent film credits included "Rollerball" and "S.W.A.T" he enjoyed his first chart-topping album with 2000's "G.O.A.T" and having collaborated with a wide range of artists, from Boyz II Men, Redman, Canibus, and DMX, he teamed up with Jennifer Lopez on the 2003 chart-topper "All I Have" He has also dabbled in fashion, written books, and established a number of music-related ventures. The 2009 fall season saw him return to the small screen, starring as a special agent Sam Hannah on the NCIS spin-off series "NCIS: Los Angeles"

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