Videos : LL Cool J : Im Bad
Videos : LL Cool J : Im Bad
Who Is LL Cool J?
The Ladies may Love Cool James, but the man we know as L.L. Cool J was born James Todd Smith on January 14th, 1968 in St. Albans, Queens, New York. Few men in the recording industry show so much versatility, talent and female magnetism in one package. Yet for L.L. -- who found fame at age 16 -- the best is always yet to come.
But then again, when you start rapping at the age of nine and hand out your first demos by 13, what else do you expect? Within a couple of years, Def Jam Records' Rick Rubin signed L.L. to the upstart label and released 1984's 12-inch "I Need A Beat," marking the label's first release of the kind. Soon thereafter, "I Can't Live Without My Radio" planted L.L. firmly on the landscape. From there, he embarked on an ambitious 50-city U.S. tour with the likes of Fat Boys, Whodini, Grandmaster Flash, and Run-DMC. L.L. had taken flight and would not touch back down any time soon.
Over the years, L.L. has hit us over and over again with blinders like Mama Said Knock You Out, All World, Phenomenon, G.O.A.T., and now X. For all of his swagger, L.L. is a character in the truest sense of the word; he has successfully crossed over into acting with roles in Any Given Sunday, Rollerball, as well as having had his own hilarious sitcom back in the 1990s. We had the honor of sitting down with L.L. to talk shop, women, music piracy, and all things "cool."
Q: L.L. Cool J, pleasure to meet you. Tell us a bit about your album, X.
Totally different from the predecessor, it is a very positive album. The music is real cool, it's a feel-good album. It has no profanity, it's clean. Wanted to do a record to show that a person can do a clean album that is cool and widely respected by the hip-hop community. It is definitely that kind of record...
Q: Any particular reason why you took that direction?
Well after 9/11, it was time for some uplifting music. Timing has a lot to with art. I wanted something uplifting and positive, something that [people] could listen to and feel good.
Q: Yeah, but L.L. has always been about feel-good music... What else are you listening to these days?
I was listening to Jimi Hendrix; I just admire his artistry and creativity as an artist. In terms of the music, I was just being L.L.
Q: You have done some movie work, tell us about it.
I have two movies coming out. Deliver Us from Eva [was released] around February, it's a romantic comedy. I have another film coming out, called Mindhunters with Val Kilmer and Christian Slater -- it's a psychological thriller. It's about a serial killer profiler that is getting hunted by a serial killer.
Q: You use your real name in the movies... any stigma attached to being a rapper who crosses the line and acts?
No, there is no stigma attached, but I play it by ear. When you see the promo, it may say L.L. Cool J, but when you get to the theater, it will say my name, a.k.a., L.L. It's just that I like to do things differently. I am artistic so I reserve the right to change my mind at any point. I just like to do different things. What is more important than the name is that people know that I really like acting, I enjoy it and I want people to know that I am serious. The name thing: I will always be L.L. Cool J...
Q: You are sort of a perfectionist, but do you think that people won't take you seriously if you act?
I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to make sure that they know it, that I am serious. So if it takes a small effort to prove that, I should do it.
L.L. raps about his bad-boy image and his womanizing ways.. (Read More)
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