LL Cool J

James Todd Smith , better known by his stage name LL Cool J , is an American rapper and actor from Queens, New York. He is known for such hip hop hits as I Cant Live Without My Radio, Im Bad, The Boomin System, Rock The Bells and Mama Said Knock You Out, as well as romantic ballads such as Doin It, I Need Love, Around the Way Girl and Hey Lover. LL Cool J is also known as one of the forefathers of pop rap. He has releasedstudio albums and two greatest hits compilations. His twelfth album Exit, was his last for his longtenured deal with Def Jam Recordings. His latest album, Authentic, was released in April 2013.

LL Cool J was born James Todd Smith on January 14, 1968, in Bay Shore, New York, the son of Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith, Jr. His mother was born Andra Jolly, and was adopted by Eugene Gladstone Griffith and Ellen E. Hightower .

Source: Wikipedia