LL Cool J - Wikipedia "RIP to My Father James Nunya. Both relatives survived their injuries, and the NCIS: Los Angeles star insists he has since made peace with his dad even though he was initially reluctant to allow him back into his life. Released November 18, 1985, on Def Jam Recordings in the United States,[26] Radio earned a significant amount of commercial success and sales for a hip hop record at the time. [70] He received positive reviews for his role as Dwayne Gittens, an underworld boss nicknamed "God", in In Too Deep. He actually had to overcome many challenges to get to where he is today. LL Cool J Mourns Death of Father James Nunya - The Boombox It was released on January 13, 1998 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by the Trackmasters. The album's immense success propelled Mama Said Knock You Out to be LL's top selling album of his career (as of 2002) and solidified his status as a hip-hop icon. He has also appeared in several films. [29] By 1989, the album had earned platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales exceeding one million copies; it had previously earned a gold certification in the United States on April 14, 1986. According to a Chicago Tribune report, his father shot his mother and grandfather, nearly killing them. As a result LL fired James and hired a new manager. "Father" is the third single from LL Cool J's seventh album, Phenomenon. [49] At around the same time, it was announced that LL Cool J had collaborated with Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen on two tracks on the album. I love you", "LL Cool J forgives dad for shooting mother", "Rapper Ll Cool J Puts Wild Days, Demons Behind Him", "LL Cool J Revealed in 1997 Memoir That His Dad Shot His Mom, Grandfather", "LL Cool J Says His Mother's Tax Refund Funded His Demo", "Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary", "Def Jam Recordings - LL Cool J Biography", "LL Cool J bio: Edison Force ActorTribute.ca", "Address Island / Def Jam Records Def Jam history", "LL Cool J career discography at HeadSprung.net", "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - LL Cool J Radio", "LL Cool J Can't Knock Out Billboard Champs", "Biography and other information at Askmen.com", "Kurtis Blow Presents: The History Of Rap, Vol. READ MORE: LL Cool J Revealed in 1997 Memoir That His Dad Shot His Mom, Grandfather. }); Copyright 2015 . James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York), better known as LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James), is a Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor signed to Def Jam. Mini Bio (1) L.L. We raise awareness about these issues to help potential victims seek professional counseling and prevent anyone from getting hurt. _taboola.push({ He currently plays NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles. Tito Jackson found his birth mother. Their family's journey is a tale He portrayed an ex-Oakland Raiders running back who finds himself in financial difficulties and is forced to rent part of his home out to a single mother and her two children, one of whom moves out with her before the third season. 'Finding Your Roots' Uncovers LL Cool J Emotional Genetic History At the moment, he is married to Simone Smith, and they have four children together. LL Cool J - Pinterest Rock the Bells Records was also responsible for the Deep Blue Sea soundtrack for the 1999 movie of the same name. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. LL Cool J looks back on "Accidental Racist" and explains why he declared himself the G.O.A.T. The rest is history. [20] Smith has stated that by the time he received musical equipment from his relatives, he "was already a rapper. [31] Another milestone of LL's popularity was his appearance on American Bandstand as the first hip-hop act on the show. [106] In a February 10, 2012 televised interview with CNN host Piers Morgan, LL Cool J expressed sympathy for President Barack Obama and ascribed negative impressions of his leadership to Republican obstruction designed to "make it look like you have a coordination problem." Radio served as one of the earliest records, along with Run-D.M.C. He toured with Janet Jackson on her Rock Witchu tour, only playing in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, and Kansas City. With the Rock The Bells label, he had artists such as AMyth,[89] Smokeman, Natice, Chantel Jones and Simone Starks. Tamron Hall Talks About Her Live-In Nanny and the Joy Raising NBA Comes for Ja Morant After He Flashes Gun in Nightclub Jon Jones Set for UFC Return After Body Transformation | WATCH. Sha Be Allah. Five years later, he became a star, went on to win numerous awards, and earned the title of one of the founding fathers of hip hop. When he was a young boy, LL Cool J's father, James Nyunya, shot his father-in-law and his ex-wife, LL's mother, in the back while they were going through a divorce. [14][12][19] His mother was also supportive of his musical endeavors, using her tax refund to buy him a Korg drum machine. He would beat me for watching television, for lookin at him funny, for looking out the window watching other kids play. The singles included "Phenomenon" and "Father". }); Copyright 2015 . Yet another single from the album, "I Shot Ya Remix", included debut vocal work by Foxy Brown. And LL was the one who discovered them! LL Cool J Songs - Hit 'em High 1996 - Hush 2004 - U Will Know 1994 Unfortunately, that relationship turned sour when James mismanaged LLs funds and he ended up owing $2 million dollars to the IRS. LL Cool J worked behind the scenes with the mid-1980s hip-hop sportswear line TROOP. After acting in The Hard Way and Toys, LL Cool J released 14 Shots to the Dome. news.AmoMama.com does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. LL (birth name James Todd Smith) recounted his painful childhood memories in his biography "I Make My Own Rules" and the details are shocking. LL Cool J has been nominated six times for induction into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. [54] LL stated that "the concept behind the album was to give upcoming artists an opportunity to shine, and put myself in the position where I have to spit bars with some of the hardest rhymers in the game"; however, the album was put on hold. According to the Chicago Tribune, "as a child growing up middle-class and Catholic in Queens, life for LL was heartbreaking. In that same year, he released the album Phenomenon. The agreement angered the rapper's father, truck driver James Nunya, who ended up pointing a gun at his father-in-law Eugene. LL Cool J Biography and Life Story - AceShowbiz Designs include influences from LL's lyrics and tattoos, as well as from other icons in the hip-hop community. The show is a spin-off of NCIS, which itself is a spin-off of the naval legal drama JAG. [102], In an episode of Finding Your Roots, Smith learned that his mother was adopted by Eugene Griffith and Ellen Hightower. Punched me in the chest stomped me out on the flo'. American rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor (born 1968), LL Cool J during a 2001 performance in Germany, 19932005: Continued success and career prominence. ", "LL Cool J Todd Smith Clothing Collection Launch and Video", "Here's LL Cool J's Emotional Opening To WrestleMania 31", "Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia Def Jam, LL, & new school hip hop", "LL Cool J:: Radio ** RapReviews "Back to the Lab" series ** by Steve "Flash" Juon", EntertainmentSimone Smith, LL Cool J's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, "LL Cool J's Kids With Wife Simone Smith", "Senator Malcolm Smith Show w. LL Cool J part 3", "One On 1: Hip-Hop Artist LL Cool J Leaves Footprints Beyond Music", "LL Cool J: 2018 We are Family Humanitarian Award honoree", "WWII in HD DVD Set | WW2 HD DVD History Channel", "Rock On The Net: 31st Annual Grammy Awards - 1989", "Rock On The Net: 34th Annual Grammy Awards - 1992", "Rock On The Net: 35th Annual Grammy Awards - 1993", "Rock On The Net: 36th Annual Grammy Awards - 1994", "Rock On The Net: 39th Annual Grammy Awards - 1997", "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations Coverage (1998) |DigitalHit.com", "Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations", "Rock On The Net: 1991 MTV Video Music Awards", "Rock On The Net: 1996 MTV Video Music Awards", "The 1997 Edition Was the Best MTV Video Music Awards", "5 Films Head Nominations for NAACP Image Awards", "Blackflix.com: 34th NAACP Image Award Nominees", "Ashanti, Amerie Lead Pack Of Nominees For Soul Train Awards", "19th Annual Soul Train Awards Nominations", "LL Cool J | Long Island Music Hall of Fame". [5][6], 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". He started rapping when he was 9 years of age, his biggest influencers were the sugarhill gang and the treacherous tree. 14 on the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B chart and No. [97], The energy and hardcore delivery and musical style of rapping featured on Radio, as well as other new-school recordings by artists such as Run-D.M.C., Schooly D, T La Rock and Steady B, proved to be influential to hip-hop acts of the "golden age" such as Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy. Brigitte Nielsen Proves Age Is Just a Number in Figure-Hugging Outfit & Knee-High Boots in Pics, '13 Reasons Why's Sosie Bacon Flashed Ring - Kevin Bacon's Daughter's Hands Showed Syndrome She May Have, Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin Are Uncoupling Goals as She Calls Him Sweetest Father in Birthday Post, LL Cool J Discovered the Grandparents Who 'Embraced' Him Were Not Biologically Related to Him, Michael J Fox Was Isolating Himself From Wife of 34 Years & Kids - She Helped Him to Become Part Of Family Again, Neal McDonough Was Crushed & Lost House after He Refused to Cheat On His Wife for Movies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, wrote a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout. LL Cool J Left His Wife Twice & His Dad Shot His Mom and Grandpa He came to the top with his single "I Want a Beat" and his presentation studio collection, Radio, in 1985. As a young boy growing up in New York City LL witnessed a few traumatic events that he carried with him into his adulthood. LL CooL J Tv Shows, Movies, Bio, Wiki, Age, Wife, Songs, And Net Worth L.L. My father made a massive blunder, but he also did a lot of things right.. He didnt care how he beat me or with what . Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law . The abuse he suffered from Roscoe was damaging, but living with the pain of his father shooting his mother and grandfather must have been worse. In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig, wrote a fitness book titled The Platinum Workout. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Yet, the scars never fully healed. LL Cool J - short for "Ladies Love Cool James" - was born in 1968 in Long Island, New York, and grew up in Queens. Now, LL explains how heand his motherlearned to forgive. Hed even pull me out of the shower to get a beating. But even with all of that negativity LL still found a way to forgive his father for everything hes ever done to him. Once there, his friend offered to introduce his cousin, Simone. [53], In October 2014, LL announced that his 14th studio album would be called G.O.A.T. "[14] In 1972, Smith and his mother moved into his grandparents' home in St. Albans, Queens, where he was raised. Roscoe beat me for just about anything. Classic albums including Bigger and Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out are well represented here. During his time at Def Jam, LL released an album every two or three years from 1987 to . ", "NAACP Image Awards 2014: Complete winners list", "EIC Announces Nominations For 18th Annual PRISM Awards- Nods for Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Oprah, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Edie Falco, Allison Janney, LL Cool J, Jewel", "Television - 'Creed,' 'Empire' Top NAACP Image Award Nominations; Full List", "People's Choice Awards 2017: Full List Of Nominees", Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings, Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist, Teen Choice Award for Choice Action TV Actor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LL_Cool_J&oldid=1142520506, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episodes: "Legend: Part 1 & 2", "Too Many Cooks", Outstanding Career Achievements in the Field of Entertainment, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline. "LL Cool J gets honorary degree from Northeastern", "LL Cool J Receives a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame", "Fela nominated for 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame", "LL COOL J Honored With Key To The City In Queens, New York During First Rock The Bells Festival", "LL Cool J Honored With Key To Queens, New York", "LL Cool J Received The Key To The City Of Queens During Inaugural Rock The Bells Festival", "february 2000 | blackfilm.com | features | naacp image awards nominees", "Blockbuster Entertainment Award winners", "Filmmakers.com: Film: The 2004 Black Reel Awards Nominations Announced", "Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees Announced: Harry Potter vs Twilight", "NAACP Image Awards 2012: Full list of winners", "Teen Choice Awards 2012: Complete Winners List", "The 44th NAACP Image Award complete winners list", "Teen Choice 2013 - August 11 on FOX - Vote Every Day! and the Beastie Boys. In the same year 2009, he was cast as a regular in the still-running CBS TV series 'NCIS: Los Angeles', in which he plays special agent 'Sam Hanna', a Navy investigator. LL Cool J was born James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore, New York. The album was originally scheduled to be executively produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent. [86] LL Cool J on February 9, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images. [40] According to Billboard, the album peaked at No. He had a tough childhood because his parents had a violent relationship. Recently, he allegedly came out and said that Tito Jackson is his father and he also reveals some shocking details about Barry Gordy using him for his talent early on but he had to sign some letters because Tito ain't want him to be his real child. DiscoverNet | Tragic Details About LL Cool J That's when the father of two made a big reveal about his own childhood: He was sexually violated at a young age by a male family member. Both relatives survived their injuries, and the NCIS: Los Angeles star insists he has since made peace with his dad even though he was initially reluctant to allow him back into his life. Kwame Ture on Reactionaries & Revolutionaries (And Why Bill Clinton Hated Empowerment Coach Tera Carissa Hodges Graces Speakers Magazine Cover for Womens Tonight Chris Rock is Set to Make Netflix History | WATCH. It's like speaking Spanish if you grow up in an all-Spanish house. 2. Plus, LL shares what his father's mistakes taught him about mercy. [28] [18] It was featured in the film Krush Groove (1985), which was based on the rise of Def Jam and new school acts such as Run-D.M.C. But even with all of that negativity LL still found a way to forgive his father for everything hes ever done to him. Production came from Timbaland, 7 Aurelius, R. Kelly, and others. I was doing all kinds of wild things by then and getting in all kinds of trouble.. James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), better known by his stage name LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, record producer. LL Cool J Graduates From Harvard - Our Weekly Thankfully, the actor and rapper is in a much better place now and learned from his parents mistakes. LL Cool J - Father Lyrics | SongMeanings Hip Hop Artist and Actor LL Cool J's Father Passes - AM 1310: The Light Who is LL Cool J dating? LL Cool J girlfriend, wife - Who's Dated Who? Instead, he rose above all that, making a success of his life with the help of his father, James Smith. . His parents were Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith Jr, aka James Nunya. According to Hollywood.com; Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law Eugene in the stomach and estranged wife Ondrea in the back out of frustration over the couples divorce in 1972, when the Grammy winner and awards host was just a young boy. [103] In 2003, LL Cool J spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee hearing on the RIAA lawsuits against Americans distributing or downloading copyrighted music over peer-to-peer networks. LL Cool J, Simone Smith and family at The Fashion Institute of Technology on May 25, 2017 | Source: Getty Images. LL Cool J Once Revealed His Dad Shot His Mother and Grandfather & Why 00:00. LL Cool J explained the reason for it, saying, "It was good but I didn't feel like it was ready yet. I was so inspired I wrote the song on set."[44]. Season 2 Episode 220. According to Hollywood.com, it would be years before LL was able to forgive his father. LL Cool J Facts for Kids My family is a very interesting family. It was just a power trip.. WHO WE AREThe news you want unfiltered.The Electronic Urban Report/EUR puts the most buzz worthy African American news at your fingertips. As a result LL fired James and hired a new manager. I was doing all kinds of wild things by then and getting in all kinds of trouble.. How LL Cool J Learned to Forgive His Father - Video - Oprah.com LL Cool J Left His Wife Twice & His Dad Shot His Mom and Grandpa