LL Cool J: A Career Timeline
See why Uncle L is a hip hop G.O.A.T.
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Bigger and Deffer: LL Cool J - Name a rapper LL Cool J ain't influence. Almost 30 years in the game and Uncle L is still making power moves for the next generation to follow. The rap icon was just named host of the 2012 Grammy Awards, so it's only right that we pull up the data on his other remarkable career moves. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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The Birth of Cool\r - At 16, James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J (aka Ladies Love Cool James) records a 12” demo of the single, “I Need A Beat,” in 1984 for Def Jam Records. The song goes on to sell 100,000 copies and leads to LL’s distribution deal with Def Jam and Columbia Records in 1985. (Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Breaking Through - LL makes his acting debut, playing himself in the 1985 film Krush Groove, a film loosely based on the legendary origins of his recording company, Def Jam. The film stars a baby-faced Blair Underwood, Sheila E. and Run DMC.(Photo: Warner Bros.)
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Making a Splash - LL releases his debut album, Radio, to critical acclaim on November 18, 1985.\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Ladies Love Cool James\r - The album, BAD (Bigger and Deffer ), released on July 27, 1987, is well received, selling over two million copies. (Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Beloved - The second single off of the BAD album, “I Need Love,” hip hop's first major ballad, converted many ladies into hip hop fans and anointed LL as a heartthrob of the genre. (Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Beef, Part 1 - Rap legend Kool Moe Dee of the Treacherous Three disses LL for biting his rhyme style. The album cover for his 1987 album How You Like Me Now? features Kool Moe Dee posing in front of a Jeep, crushing LL’s signature red Kangol hat under its wheels. LL releases the single, “Jack the Ripper,” as a b-side to his crossover hit “Going Back to Cali,” featured on the soundtrack for the film Less Than Zero.\r(Photo: Jive/RCA Records)
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Rapper LL Cool J arrives at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 8, 2006, in Los Angeles. - (Photo: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
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Hit After Hit - In under five years, LL releases his third album, Walking With a Panther, in June 1989. The record also goes platinum, featuring the singles “Jingling Baby” and “Big Ole Butt.”\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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T.K.O. - In less than a year, the Queens rapper releases his fourth studio album — his biggest seller to date, with 3 million record sold — Mama Said Knock You Out, in August 1990. The title track was a hit single in 1991, garnering LL Cool J a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. The song was so successful that the music video was parodied on the hit sketch comedy series In Living Color.\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Rapper LL Cool J arrives at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center on February 8, 2009 in Los Angeles. \r - (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Doin’ It Well - LL stars in two films (The Hard Way, Toys) prior to his fifth release, 14 Shots to the Dome, in June 1993. He shows that his rap career will not be thwarted by his success in Hollywood, with the bangers “Back Seat” and “Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag.”\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Hollywood Awaits\r - LL gets his first big break in television, starring in his own NBC sitcom (later moved to UPN), In The House. He plays Marion Hill, an ex-football player who’s struggling financially and rents out his home to a newly divorced mother of two, played by Debbie Allen. The series also starred Kim Wayans, Lark Voorhies, Alfonso Ribiero and Maia Campbell. It was a success, running for four seasons, until it was cancelled in 1999.\r(Photo: UPN)
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A Decade Strong - Ten years after his debut album hit shelves, LL still garners double platinum success with the release of his album Mr. Smith in November 1995. The singles “Doin’ It” and “Loungin (Who Do You Luv),” featuring the Bad Boy girl group Total, were both top ten Billboard hits.\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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The Taste of Success\r - In 1997, LL wins a second Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for the track “Hey Lover,” featuring Boyz II Men, off of his Mr. Smith album. (Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Phenomenal - When most rappers begin losing steam, LL, nearing his 30th birthday, releases Phenomenon, which includes a single he's produced with EPMD’s Erik Sermon for hardcore hip hop fans, “4, 3, 2, 1,” featuring Red Man and Method Man and introducing famous rappers DMX and Canibus to the world.\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Trendsetter\r - LL was always fashion-forward — from his signature Kangol in the '80s and his leather TROOP ensembles, to his one-pant leg rolled up — the ladies loved him and the fellas envied his swagger. So it was a genius match when LL linked up with the Queens-bred urban sportswear line FUBU (For Us, By Us). He helped launch the Black-owned brand through one of the first rapper-clothing line partnerships in hip hop, and famously shouted out the company while wearing one its hats in a Gap commercial in 1997.\r(Photo: Keith D. Bedford/imageDirect/Getty Images)
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In His Lifetime\r - Another feat in 1997, LL Cool J becomes the first rapper to ever win the MTV Video Music Awards Video Vanguard lifetime achievement Moon Man. This accolade is bestowed on those who have made a “profound impact on MTV culture.” With eight albums and countless fly videos, LL was definitely deserving. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect/Getty Images)
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Beef, Part 2 - In one of the greatest rap battles of all-time, LL Cool J took on newcomer Canibus, feeling slighted by Canibus's verse on "4, 3, 2, 1." After Canibus released the diss track "Second Round K.O.," LL dropped "The Ripper Is Back."(Photos: Getty Images)
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In His Own Words - In 1998, LL pens his autobiography, I Make My Own Rules. Speaking out for the first time on childhood abuse and abandonment and his deep love for his grandmother, LL wanted to use the book to inspire young people, saying, “Not every child who's abused has to be a negative statistic. I write this book for anyone who thinks they can make it, to show them they can." (Photo: St. Martin's Paperbacks)
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Breakout Performance - With several film and television credits under his belt, LL lands a major co-starring role in the Oliver Stone football film, Any Given Sunday, alongside Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz and Al Pacino, in 1999.(Photo: Warner Bros.)
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Y2-L - It's the new millenium and when most rappers make the claim, it’s not so believable, but when LL titles his eighth LP, G.O.A.T. or “Greatest of All Time,” no one begs to differ. With more than 15 years in the game, he is still making hits and going platinum. Just for kicks, LL thanks Canibus in the liner notes, “for the inspiration.”(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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He’s Still Got It - Ten albums strong (including his greatest hits CD, All World), the aptly-titled 10, released in 2002, shows that LL's still got it, selling more than one million copies. The album produces the hit single “Luv U Better,” whose video is a riff on the 1990 film, Pretty Woman. And the verdict is — Ladies (Still) Love Cool James.\r(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Chart-Topper - Twenty years later and the people can’t get enough — LL’s tenth studio album, The Definition, debuts at #4 on the Billboard charts in 2004.(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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Grinding - In 2006 LL releases Todd Smith. The album goes gold and features collaborations with 112, Ginuwine, Juelz Santana, Freeway and Jennifer Lopez.(Photo: Def Jam Records)
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