As one of the first artists signed to entrepreneur Russell Simons‘ legendary hip-hop label Def Jam Records, James Todd Smith, better known to music fans as LL Cool J, Â has had quite a career. From a baby-faced rapper with several platinum plaques and awards on his musical resume to an established actor, author and entrepreneur, the Queens, NY native has evolved as a performer and businessman. While he currently appears as a lead character on NCIS: Los Angeles, LL always remains close to his musical roots. In fact, while being honored as a musical icon at the BET Hip-Hop Awards LL shared his views with BlackEnterprise.com on the culture’s evolution and his continued connection to it.
LL Cool J is just one of the many iconic artists billed as a “Game Changer†in the new coffee table book, Hip Hop, A Cultural Odyssey. To purchase your copy of Hip Hop, A Cultural Odyssey click here and every 10 books sold will result in a copy being donated to a HBCU library.