Hip-
hop is notorious for short-lived careers, but LL Cool J is the inevitable exception. Releasing his first hit in 1985 when he was just 17 years old, LL initially was a hard-hitting, street-wise b-boy with spare beats and ballistic rhymes. He quickly developed an alternate style, a romantic lover’s rap epitomized by his breakthrough single, “I Need Love.” LL’s first two albums, Radio and Bigger and Deffer, made him a star, but by 1990, his audience had declined somewhat. He shot back to the top of the charts with Mama Said Knock You Out, which established him as one of hip-hop’s genuine superstars. By the mid-’90s, he had starred in his own television sitcom, In the House, appeared in several films, and had racked up two of his biggest singles with “Hey Lover” and “Doin’ It.” In 1995, LL Cool J released Mr. Smith, which became a huge hit, going double platinum and launching two of his biggest hits with the Boyz II Men duet “Hey Lover” and “Doin’ It.” G.O.A.T., released in 2000, reached the top of the album charts, and 2002’s 10 featured one of his biggest hits in years, “Luv U Better.” He unleashed the tough DEFinition album in 2004 as his James Todd Smith clothing line was hitting the malls. “Control Myself,” a hit single featuring Jennifer Lopez, prefaced 2006’s Todd Smith album. In 2013, he released Authentic. LL Cool J remains an international star, and he continues to tour the globe.