All language subtitles for BEHIND THE MUSIC - 2 - Documentary (2021) -Hr

Let's do it.

♪♪♪

Oh, man. Many different ways.
I mean, I've just been inspired.

Yeah. Let's go.

[ cheers and applause ]

♪ LL Cool J is hard as hell ♪

♪ Battle anybody,
I don't care who you tell ♪

♪ I excel ♪

NARRATOR: He's a legendary M.C.

who changed the course
of music history.

You'd be hard-pressed
to find any M.C.

who hasn't been heavily
influenced by LL Cool J.

Yeah!

I don't know where hip-hop
would be

if there was never no LL Cool J.

LL Cool J is just
hip-hop equity. It's royalty.

- ♪ Rock the bells ♪
- [ cheers and applause ]

♪ I need a beat,
I need a beat, I need a beat ♪

LL Cool J's passion for hip-hop
made him a superstar

by the age of 16.

Has your life changed?

Yeah, it definitely changed
a little.

You know, pants size bigger.
My pockets are fatter and...

His fierce hustle was forged

on the mean streets
of New York...

LL COOL J: I came from Queens
with reefs on the corner

and gunshots ringing out.

...and from violence
in his own home.

Waking up hearing moaning and
just walking into the kitchen

and just seeing my mother
laying in a pool of blood.

♪♪♪

[ beatboxing ]

Hip-hop was his escape.

[ beatboxes ]

Hip-hop empowered me
in a big way.

♪ Jack the Ripper,
a man, not a myth ♪

♪ AKA James Todd Smith ♪

From teen heartthrob
to multimillionaire,

LL lived a life most people
only dream of.

I had cases of champagne,

gold chains
around actual panthers,

Mercedes Benzes,
supermodels holding bottles,

you know what I'm saying?
Like, I was just wilin'.

But when the streets
turned on him...

[ audience booing ]

...he wasn't going out
without a fight.

♪ Mama said knock you out ♪

♪ I'm gonna knock you out ♪

Well, you know,
Frank Sinatra says

the best revenge is
massive success. [ laughs ]

Then when LL left
the music industry behind...

[ grunts ]

...he became a pop culture icon
in Hollywood.

♪ Let me hear you say,
"Hell, yeah" ♪

AUDIENCE: ♪ Hell, yeah ♪

- [ chanting ] George Floyd!
- [ chanting ] Say his name!

- George Floyd!
- Say his name!

But it was racial injustice

that moved him to rap again
for the first time in years.

♪ Watching that man die slow
left a hole ♪

I haven't done music
in, you know, a decade.

♪ And I ain't got to tell ya
that Breonna Taylor got slayed ♪

♪ In her own home ♪

It's inspired me to speak truth.

Black Lives Matter.

♪♪♪

This is not about a teenybopper
from Queens.

This is about the grown man
living in America.

♪ I be fighting for my dream
my whole life ♪

Now eight years after
LL Cool J's last episode

of "Behind the Music" aired,

he's reflecting on key moments
of his life...

This symbolizes the Cartier
I'm-a have

after I get off the tour--Benz.

[ laughs ] I wouldn't give him
too much advice. He did a'ight.

♪♪♪

...giving new insights
to the past...

When something makes me nervous,
I lean into it.

...with a look towards
the future

as guardian and protector
of hip-hop culture.

Classic hip-hop fans only.
"Rock the Bells Radio,"

strictly for the O.G.s.
- "Rock the Bells"!

I always feel like
I'm representing

and bringing the culture
with me.

♪♪♪

Because everywhere I go,
hip-hop goes.

This is "LL Cool J:
The Story Behind the Music."

[ cheering ]

♪♪♪

When LL Cool J arrived
in Washington, D.C.,

in December of 2017

to receive the prestigious
Kennedy Center Honors,

it was an incredible moment
of personal achievement.

I don't limit myself, you know?
That's how I started in music,

and that's how I treat
everything I do.

No limitations.

Other than the
Presidential Medal of Freedom,

it's the highest honor
that an artist can get

in the United States,

and so it's, uh...
it's a big one.

[ applause ]

But it was also
a watershed moment

for an entire genre of music.

Tonight we are witnesses
to history--LL Cool J

is the Kennedy Center's
first hip-hop honoree.

I think he has been so vital

to broadening the horizons
of hip-hop.

The rarefied air
of the Kennedy Center balcony

was a long way
from the unforgiving streets

of Queens, New York,
where it all began for LL.

LL Cool J was born
James Todd Smith

in Queens, New York,
on January 14, 1968.

He was the only child
of Ondrea and James,

who called him "Todd."

His mother, a nurse,

and his father
a working musician,

provided a stable income,
but their marriage was volatile.

My father was tough.

You know, he was just--
he was just an aggressive guy.

It just wasn't
a healthy situation

for either one of them.

When Todd was 4 years old,
Ondrea left her husband.

Enraged, James snapped
and did something

he would regret forever.

I was going
into my mother's home...

[ gunshot ]

...and he just shot me
with a shotgun.

I felt it, and I kind of fell,

and my father
looked out the door,

and the shotgun
went off again.

[ gunshot ]

James shot Todd's mother
in the back

and his grandfather
in the stomach.

Todd was there.
He saw all the chaos

and the carnage and the blood
and everything.

My memories of that, you know,
just, uh, waking up,

hearing moaning and just
walking into the kitchen

and just seeing my mother laying
in a pool of blood.

You know, and my grandfather's
sitting over there and bleeding.

My mother rushed both of us
to the hospital.

I don't really remember anything
after that,

but I know that I spent quite
a long time in the hospital.

As Todd's mother
and grandfather recovered,

James fled to California.

A police report was filed,
but James was never prosecuted,

and Todd's family
took no further action.

Ondrea,
a deeply spiritual woman,

was determined to forgive
and move on,

not fer herself,
but for her young son.

You can cripple your children
when you, you know,

remind them of things.

I forgave his father because

I needed to give myself
spiritual freedom.

Being raised by strong women,

there's a certain amount
of humility, you know,

growing up
in the Catholic Church.

That's just the kind of family
I had.

Let's not deal with that.
Let's work on healing.

And that's what they did.
They totally forgave him.

But Todd's childhood nightmare
wouldn't end there.

When his mother fell in love
with a new man,

it wasn't long before he began
viciously beating Todd.

♪♪♪

I felt like, you know,
why are you doing this to me?

I was just getting a lot
of abuse, you know?

Beaten
with vacuum cleaner pipes,

kicked down steps,

beatings for going
in the refrigerator.

You know...just getting beatings
for nothing.

For three long years,
Todd suffered in silence.

When my son came to me,
it was over.

I'll never pick anybody
over my son, never.

My mother and grandmother
and grandfather

instilled in me
a lot of confidence

and a lot of myself
that my circle,

my core circle was very tight,
and, um,

even though it was a lot
of craziness

and there were certain...

there were villains in my life,
so to speak,

there were a lot of heroes.

You have to move
into your own imagination,

into your own spirit.

And the 11-year-old spirit
became drawn

to a new sound emerging
from the streets.

♪ I said a hip-hop,
the hippie, the hippie ♪

♪ To the hip hip-hop
and you don't stop ♪

SUGARHILL GANG: ♪ The rock it
to the bang bang, the boogie ♪

♪ Say up jump the boogie ♪

♪ Dig the rhythm of the boogie,
the beat ♪

Hearing rap music

was the first time
I heard kids like me

saying words that sounded...
powerful.

♪ Don't push me
'cause I'm close to the edge ♪

♪ I'm trying not to lose
my head ♪

It was 1982, and hip-hop
was in its infancy

But Todd Smith was hooked.

First time I ever rapped
in public,

I rapped in the basement
of a church.

And I did it,
and I rapped my heart out.

I mean, I went off, and, uh,
this girl came up to me

and said, "Boy, you can't rap."

[ music warps down ]

That's a heck of a way
to get introduced to the game.

[ beatboxing ]

Undeterred, Todd kept spitting,

and by age 15, he decided
to dedicate his life

to becoming a rapper.

All right.

He said, "Ma, I decided to name
myself 'LL Cool J.'"

♪ I'm the ladies' love,
legend in leather ♪

Ladies Love Cool James.

So I said, "Oh, they do?
The ladies love you, huh?"

It was wishful thinking all day,

'cause it wasn't no ladies
loving me.

Hip-hop definitely empowered me
in a big way, in a big way,

giving me a sense
of self-esteem.

♪ Ladies love,
long, hot, and lean ♪

♪ And now you know
what LL means ♪

We had a math teacher
that used to

hit us on the back
and call us all dummies

as we went into class.

It wasn't the most inspiring
environment.

♪♪♪

LL Cool J's talent
caught the attention

of local DJ Cut Creator,
who became his right-hand man.

At that age, he was just
really ambitious, really hungry,

um, always wanted to prove
himself that he was the best.

♪ Cut Creator, LL Cool J ♪

♪ Say "Olé" to what we display ♪

Together, they cut a demo
and sent the tape to Def Jam,

a new indie label started
by NYU student Rick Rubin.

You know, sent it to Rick.

I called him and bugged him
every day.

Yo, I just called to see
if you get the tape.

"This is Rick." Yo, I just
called to see if you got--

I mean, yo, I just went crazy.

The cassette said,
"Ladies Love Cool J."

And I listened to it
and laughed,

just thought he was so--
he was so cool and different.

[ imitates record scratching ]

♪ And, and, and, and ♪
[ imitates record scratching ]

♪ You waitin' and debatin'
for oh so long ♪

♪ Just starvin' like Marvin
for a Cool J song ♪

♪ If you cried
or thought I died ♪

♪ You definitely was wrong ♪

♪ It took a thought plus
I brought Cut Creator along ♪

He was so amped up
and so aggressive

and so young and energetic
and scholarly at the same time.

It was about his writing,
his voice, and his delivery.

♪ Rock the bells ♪

♪ And, uh-uh-uh, and ♪

[ chuckles ]

It's funny. It's my bedroom
with my grandma, the basement.

[ imitates record scratching ]

[ laughs ]

It's that purity of really
loving what you do

and being vulnerable enough to
just go after it wholeheartedly.

Like, I love it.
I think it's great.

Good kid. [ laughs ]
Smart.

♪ I need a beat ♪

LL Cool J became the first
artist signed by Def Jam

and immediately dropped
his first single.

♪ I wanna rock ya,
that's all you need to know ♪

♪ "I Need a Beat"
is the title of the show ♪

In November of 1985,
the 17-year-old

released his and Def Jam's
debut album, "Radio."

♪♪♪

♪ My radio, believe me,
I like it loud ♪

♪ I'm the man with a box
that can rock the crowd ♪

RUBIN: When "Radio" came out,

it ended up selling
900,000 albums,

which was a lot for a new artist
in a new genre.

♪ I'm good to go on your radio ♪

♪ And I'm cold gettin' paid
'cause Rick said so ♪

It was so raw and so B-boy
even before

there was such a thing as B-boy.

It was a new sound.

♪ Walkin' down the street
to the hardcore beat ♪

♪ While my JVC vibrates
the concrete ♪

It's like a rebellious record
for people who don't like kids

who walk down the block
with big radios

and sneakers loose
and just illin' and skillin'

as they would say
in the street.

♪ Now I make the song,
you sing along ♪

♪ And your radio's def
when my record's on ♪

For my 11th birthday,

I got the "Radio" tape,
and at that moment,

everything LL, I was into it.

♪ And I know I can't live
without my radio ♪

And I just think about having
his posters everywhere

plastered across my wall
like wallpaper.

♪ The floor vibrates,
the walls cave in ♪

I would say definitely early on,
his impact on me personally,

like, like, it just gave me
more confidence,

a little more self-belief.

The swagger that he had--
if I could portray that swagger,

I'll go to school,
and kids might think I'm cool.

Overnight, LL Cool J became
hip-hop's breakout star,

and life as he knew it
would never be the same.

♪♪♪

At 17 years of age, it's gotta
be a change of life for you.

Has, uh, has your life changed?

Yeah, it definitely changed
a little.

You know, pants size bigger.
My pockets are fatter.

- [ laughter ]
- And...I'm coolin'.

What were you gonna do before
you became a musician?

Oh, I wanted to play football,
but, uh--

Are you ever sorry
you gave it up?

No. [ laughs ]
I'm on "Bandstand."

- Yeah! [ laughs ] Thank you.
- [ cheers and applause ]

♪♪♪

♪ My radio, believe me,
I like it loud ♪

♪ I'm the man with a box
that can rock the crowd ♪

At the dawn of 1987,
19-year-old LL Cool J

was riding high on
hip-hop's first wave of success.

This symbolizes the Cartier
I'm-a have

after I get off the tour--Benz.

This ring symbolizes money.

This ring symbolizes a little
bit more than more money,

and these two symbolize
a lot more money.

[ laughs ]

Nugget bracelet
and a big, fat rope,

things I've wanted to possess
for years.

I wouldn't give him
too much advice. He did a'ight.

You know, he kinda had it--

You know, I would let him do
exactly what he wants to do.

Yo, get your chains, man.
Get your gold chains.

It was a'ight. I'm a'ight.
He did just fine.

He did just fine.
I wouldn't give him no advice.

Know your value
maybe a little earlier.

Negotiate a little harder.

You know, things that you can
only learn from experience,

but you have to remember
you're talking about a child.

♪♪♪

My friend Todd--you know him
as LL Cool J--

got me this chain, too.

Since I was a little kid,
I always wanted a chain.

I was recording with Rick Rubin,
and I was like,

"Yo, can you ask LL
where he got his chains from?"

So he had these made
and sent 'em to me.

In the "Bad" video,
these are the same two chains

he's wearing in that video,
so that's crazy to me.

♪ I'm bad ♪

I love Em.
I think he's such a good dude.

You know what I'm saying?
And, um,

it feels good to just know
that you inspired,

you know, other great artists.

♪ Why are girlies on the tip,
L.L.'s your name ♪

But underneath the gold chains
and the confident boasts

was a teenager who still
lived at home.

Ms. Smith, would you like
to introduce that video

for the MTV audience?

Okay, here's "Rapture"
by Blondie.

- [ sips ]
- From LL's mom.

And like most teenage boys,
he was obsessed with girls.

Todd was fun.
He was energetic.

You know, he had a cute butt.

17-year-old Simone Johnson
was cute and confident,

and when they met
on Easter Sunday, 1987,

LL felt an immediate connection.

♪ Baby, hair pumping,
lip gloss is shining ♪

♪ I think you in the mood
for wining and dining ♪

Our first date,
we went to Kam's Kitchen.

It's a--It's
a Chinese restaurant in Queens.

Chicken wings,
shrimp fried rice.

All you can eat, baby.
[ laughs loudly ]

And we were both
from around the way.

And I remember that night,
me and him, we kinda--

we clicked.

♪ I need
an around the way girl ♪

And at that time in my life,
she was the only person

that could really, you know,
deal with me.

When I'm all the way turnt up
on all cylinders,

I'm pretty intense.

I wasa always very outspoken,
too.

I definitely know that
that's what drew him to me.

They just liked each other.
You know, they were young.

That's his first real love.

As Simone and LL started dating,

he released his second album,
"Bigger And Deffer"

in July of 1987
and shared his softer side

with an unconventional ballad.

♪ Romance, sheer delight,
how sweet ♪

♪ I gotta find me a girl
to make my life complete ♪

"I Need Love" was a great idea
'cause rappers thought

they would look too vulnerable
doing a love song.

It was, like, too weak,
you know?

At that time, you know,
it was all about the façade.

It's all about, you know,
macho this, macho that.

But I mean, I never played
by the rules.

The real honest answer is
to why I did a song

like "I Need Love" is because
it's from the heart.

This is how I feel.

I like the melody.
It's different. I'm doing it.

I just went for it.

♪ I need love ♪

LL's risky move paid off

when "I Need Love"
shot to number 1,

becoming rap's
first successful ballad.

And with a new legion
of female fans,

hip-hop's heartthrob
crossed over to pop stardom.

What do you think makes you

the sex symbol of rap,
LL Cool J?

[ audience cheering ]

I really think you have
a hot body.

Where do you get those muscles?

I don't know. [ chuckles ]

This dude is, like, built
like a football player,

and he would take off his shirt,
like, boom.

♪ Oreos, eat Cool J cookies,
I'm bad ♪

When I saw the "Bad" video,
I was like, what the fuck?

♪ Never wearin' no Levis,
battle me, why try? ♪

♪ I'll treat you like
a stepchild ♪

♪ So tell Mommy bye-bye ♪

He had the whole package--
the look, the, you know,

the--the swag, the--the chain,
like, everything, you know?

You just wanted to be LL Cool J.

♪ I'm the pinnacle,
that means I reign supreme ♪

♪ And I'm notorious ♪

♪ I'll crush you
like a jelly bean, I'm bad ♪

He was like the first rock star
of rap.

I'm like, yo, I want that.

That was what actually
made me wanna rap.

♪ Ah, I'm bad ♪

- [ fans screaming ]
- ♪ Cool J ♪

He was a teen idol.

He had
the handsome schoolboy looks,

and he had his--his own fashion
with the Kangol.

♪ They call me Jaws,
my hat is like a shark's fin ♪

[ screaming ]

It was like the Beatles,

all the girls running
and screaming.

Oh, my God. They hated me.

They couldn't stand
that he had a girlfriend.

♪♪♪

On September 28, 1989,

Simone became more than
LL's girlfriend

when the couple welcomed
their son Najee into the world.

I remember Todd telling
the doctors in the room,

"Oh, my God. This is dope!
This is dope!

Simone, we gon' have, like,
10 kids."

And I was, like, looking at him
like he was crazy.

♪♪♪

When I saw my son, I realized
how important he was

and how much of a blessing
it was.

As LL became a father,
it gave him new perspective

on his own childhood,
and he yearned to reconnect

with his long-lost
estranged dad.

I think a lot of us,
we like to play tough,

but at the end of the day,
we all want fathers.

That's just something
a man wants.

You want somebody to tell you
it's gonna be a'ight,

give you some advice.

With his grandmother's help,
LL now tracked down

the very man who had once
terrorized his family

and amazingly welcomed him
back into his life.

♪♪♪

Most people would agree
that was crazy,

but you know what?
At that time,

that's where I was at.
I just needed a father.

♪ All I ever needed ♪

- All I ever needed...
- ♪ Was a father ♪

..was a father.

- ♪ That's all ♪
- That's all.

People can do things
in the heat of the moment

that they regret,
you know what I'm saying?

So I would hate
for anybody to, like,

run around
and try to paint my father

to be, like, the worst person
in the world

because he made a mistake
in the heat of the moment.

I never hated my father.

♪ Ohh, ohh ♪

♪ A father ♪

As LL and his father
forged a new relationship,

James Smith, who once owned
a small record label,

began advising
his 21-year-old son.

I never really had
consistent management.

A lot of the things that
you've seen me accomplish

is just me winging it.

LL needed a manager and hired
his dad to fill the role.

From a business standpoint,
it wasn't the wisest decision.

But as a human being
and as a man,

I wouldn't trade that in,

because it gave me
an opportunity to find out

the cloth that I come from.

And that's priceless.

[ "I'm That Type of Guy"
playing ]

In 1989,
LL Cool J's third album,

"Walking with a Panther,"
went Platinum,

cementing his status
as a crossover pop star.

♪ I'm the type of guy
that shows up on the scene ♪

♪ And gets the seven digits,
huh, you know the routine ♪

My life was a big frat party.

I was celebrating. That's why
I had cases of champagne,

gold chains
around actual panthers,

Mercedes Benzes,
supermodels holding bottles,

you know what I'm saying?

Like, I was just wilin',
you know what I mean? [ laughs ]

♪ T-y-p-e g-u-y ♪

♪ I'm that type of guy ♪

I do remember when

"Walking with a Panther"
came out,

I wanted to hear that album
so bad,

there was a hotline
you could call.

- MAN: LL Cool J, take one.
- WOMAN: Action.

This is LL Cool J,
and I got somethin' new.

♪ R-o-u-g-h-e-r ♪

♪ Rougher, so here we are ♪

My soon-to-be released album,

playing cut by cut
on your telephone.

I must have called that
fucking thing a hundred times.

♪ I'm the type of guy
to make her say ♪

♪ Why you illin', B? ♪

But that type of guy
had fallen out of favor

with hardcore hip-hop fans.

Some people felt that he was
losing touch a little bit,

like maybe LL is getting
a little too Hollywood.

♪ Going back to Cali,
stylin', profilin' ♪

♪ Growlin' and smilin'
while in the sun ♪

I did not care what anybody
thought

about what I was doing,
period.

Like, I'm just gonna do
what I wanna do.

And I think that's how you have
to live your life.

Do what you wanna do.

I haven't aimed to make
anything commercial.

I never do, and I never will.

You know, but what I will say is
I make my music for everybody.

What I was doing as a rap artist

with all of the diamonds
and the champagne

and all of that had never been
really seen before in hip-hop.

See, now it's looked at
as aspirational.

Back then,
it was called showing off.

♪ 1989, the number,
another summer ♪

♪ Get down ♪

♪ The sound
of the funky drummer ♪

With the rise
of politically conscious rap,

LL suddenly faced ridicule
for his soft beats

and playboy style.

♪ You say, "What is this?" ♪

Things had kinda changed.
The environment changed.

It's like more areas
were being explored.

You had Big Daddy Kane here
and had Public Enemy there.

You had De La Soul.

So you got all these things
going on.

♪ Fight the powers that be ♪

♪ Come on ♪

LL got criticized
for not changing.

This is a crossroads for him.

LL Cool J!

LL got a wake-up call
when he showed up

at an anti-racism rally
in New York.

Expecting a warm welcome,

he instead heard
a chorus of boos.

[ audience booing ]

♪♪♪

You could have
the hottest record

on the radio.

You could be on the top
of the billboard,

but if the streets
are not feeling you,

your career's not going
anywhere.

It kinda crushed him.

His ego--it hurt him a lot.

Because it was like,
where did that come from?

He was very upset.

I let it marinate
in my spirit.

You know,
that's the way I do it.

I let things sit in my head,
in my mind, in my soul.

My grandmother--

I told her the story
about what was going on.

And I said, "Shoot,
why don't you go out there

and show them something?
Go out there and knock 'em out."

Come on, man.

Inspired,
LL went into the studio.

And with his career on the line,
he came out swinging.

♪ Don't call it a comeback,
I've been here for years ♪

♪ I'm rockin' my peers,
puttin' suckers in fear ♪

♪ Makin' the tears
rain down like a monsoon ♪

One of the pages that I took
from him is, like,

when you address the haters,
the way he did it,

and his passion in that song,

I don't care who you are,
how much, if you hate him,

there's no way you can't like
that song.

♪ Damage, uh, damage, uh ♪

♪ Damage, uh, damage! ♪

Like, Jesus Christ! He said
"damage" four times in a row?

And not only did he get away
with it,

he made you feel it.

♪ Don't you never, ever
pull my lever ♪

He was riding that beat,

and you could also feel
the passion.

♪ And my 9 is easy to load ♪

Like, he--he--he wanted
the crown back.

♪ Competition's payin'
the price ♪

♪ I'm gonna knock you out ♪

♪ Mama said you knock you out ♪

"Mama Said Knock You Out"
would sell over 2 million copies

and win LL his first Grammy,

cementing his status
in hip-hop culture.

Well, you know,
Frank Sinatra says

the best revenge
is massive success. [ laughs ]

[ laughs ] Oh, man. Yep.
It's true, though.

One of LL's most memorable
moments that night

was backstage.

Stage manager came up to me,
and he said to me,

"Well, you're about to go
perform.

"You know, you'll--you know,
you'll get your 15 minutes,

"and you know, then you'll,
you know, then, you know,

on to the next thing,"

and I remember thinking
to myself,

I think I want more
than 15 minutes.

Like, I'm trying to do this.

♪ I'm gonna knock you out,
Mama said knock you out ♪

Over the years, as more
generations picked up on it,

as the internet arrived,
the song got bigger and bigger

and took on a life of its own.

I'm just really glad that I was
able to have that moment.

I'm, like, a guy
with a hundred hit records,

and I'm a one-hit wonder
at the same time. [ laughs ]

♪♪♪

In the Spring of 1991,
LL went on tour

at the top of his game.
- [ camera shutter clicks ]

And life on the road
included plenty of women.

♪ They're jingling, baby ♪

♪ Go ahead, baby ♪

♪ They're jingling, baby ♪

The hotels were ridiculous.

There was girls hiding
in closets,

stealing the maids' carts,
knocking on your door.

I've seen a woman leave
her husband and kids

down in the lobby
and go on upstairs.

- ♪ Go ahead, baby ♪
- ♪ They're jingling, baby ♪

♪ Go ahead, baby ♪

♪ Breakdown ♪

♪♪♪

I'm talking about girls
and more girls.

I promise you, it was--it was
more than you could imagine.

It was crazy.

At this point, I'm just trying
to buy a big record player

so I could put a girl on it
and play it.

You know what I'm saying?
You know what I mean?

♪ Girls all over,
the kind I adore ♪

♪ I felt like a kid
in a candy store ♪

But back at home,
he now had two kids

with his girlfriend Simone.

LL's indiscretions became
a constant source of tension.

♪ 'Cause my girl don't know
that I'm out on the prowl ♪

I just wasn't ready
to settle down.

I hadn't sowed my wild oats.

I had sowed some mild oats,
but not the wild ones.

♪ Yo, I admit
that my girl's a cutie ♪

♪ But Tina was exotic,
Earl's my witness ♪

♪ With the kind of legs that put
stockings out of business ♪

I was pretty much a single mom.
He was on the road.

And I remember being
on the phone arguing,

you know, of course, asking him,

"So are the girls out there
messing with you?

You messing with anybody?"

And Todd was like, "No."

I was a little naughty.
You know, I was.

♪ She said, "You got a girl,"
I said, "It don't matter" ♪

She was my girl, you know,
you know,

but when I was out of town,
um, you know...

you know, I was out of town,
so...what you gonna do?

SIMONE: Then he was messing
around with somebody in Harlem.

Of course, he was telling me,
"It's not true. It's not true.

It's not true."
It was just too much.

I knew I was better than that,
and I wasn't gonna sit around

and allow somebody
to mistreat me.

She gave me
the female verbal assault,

then the price was that,
you know,

it was that my relationship
with her had--was on hold.

♪♪♪

But that wouldn't be
the only turmoil in LL's life.

By now, he was a budding actor
and the face of FUBU,

an urban fashion line.

His career had become
more complex,

and he questioned
his father's ability

to manage it all.

On a business level, my dad,

you know,
he just got in over his head.

You know, my business
and my finances

and the amount of stuff
that was coming in

and around my life was bigger
than his experience

and his capabilities.

As LL rehearsed
for a performance

at the 1991 Video Music Awards,
his father began arguing

with LL's backup band
over money.

Oh, you're gonna be performing

with a band at this thing,
right?

Yeah, I'm gonna perform
with a live band.

It's gonna be incredible.
I'm gonna really do it up.

And the day before the show,

James Smith made
a rash decision.

He fired 'em--the whole band.

Then he gave me another band...
[ laughs ]

...that I never performed with,
ever.

♪ Don't call it a comeback ♪

♪ I've been here for years ♪

♪ I'm rockin' my peers,
puttin' suckers in fear ♪

It was the worst television
performance I've ever had.

Horns are...
[ imitating horns blaring ]

♪ I'm gonna knock you out ♪

♪ Mama said knock you out ♪

[ imitating horns blaring ]

It's terrible. Oh.

♪ Listen to the way I slay ♪

♪ Your crew ♪

It was tragic.

♪ Diggin' and drillin' a hole ♪

♪ Pass the Ol' Gold,
I'm gonna knock you out ♪

You could see the mad
in Todd's face.

He was so angry.
You could just look at his face.

At the end when he said,
"Mama said knock you out!"

Like, he was screaming.

[ screaming ]

[ cheers and applause ]

♪♪♪

By the summer of '93,
LL was at his wits' end,

and he made the painful
decision to fire his father.

You know, it was tough.

I'm not, you know, inhuman.
I felt it. He felt it.

I loved him as my dad.
He came back into my life.

But ultimately, it's my life.
Sorry. I gotta do it my way.

James Smith did not take
the news well,

and father and son would not
speak to each other again

for nearly two decades.

It hurts not to be able to speak
to your parent

or speak to someone you love

or someone you feel
you should be speaking to.

It was like, you know,
he had ended the lesson.

♪♪♪

In early 1995,

LL Cool J found himself
at a personal crossroads.

He had 2 children
under the age of 6

but was separated from
their mother, Simone Johnson,

and rarely had time
to see his kids.

My son started asking me, "Dad,
are you gonna coming over today?

Dad, where are you?
Are you coming by today?"

He'd say,
"Does my daddy love me?"

I'd say, "Yes, he--
he loves you. he's working."

But you know,
children want their father.

When I started hearing that,
I said okay.

Wait a minute now.

Yeah, encouraged me to try
to make myself a better person.

You know, a man has to take care
of his family.

You know what I'm saying?
I still I wanna conquer.

I still wanna go out there
and make my dreams a reality.

Um, it doesn't make me docile.
It doesn't make me, you know,

not wanna be out in the arena.

But how can you really be
a winner

if you don't take care
of your family?

♪♪♪

In early 1995,
LL then came to one

of the most important decisions
of his life.

One night,
I hear the doorbell ring,

I go downstairs, open the door,

and I'm like,
"Todd, what are you doing?"

He was like, "I just wanted
to come check up

on you and the kids,
and I want my family back."

♪ It's a long journey back
to the place we was ♪

♪ When I was too embarrassed
to admit I was in love ♪

♪ And you was my good girl
that wouldn't give it up ♪

♪ I can't let us self-destruct ♪

It was a new beginning
for LL and Simone,

who rekindled their relationship
after two years apart.

♪♪♪

I've decided to be around more,

always being respectful
and letting her know I love her,

and being a...trying to be
a decent human being.

I wasn't asking for a lot.
Just show me some respect.

When Simone became pregnant
with their third child,

LL was finally ready
to settle down,

and he popped the question.

I was like, "Are you serious?"

I was like,
"I'm seven months pregnant.

I was like, "Why can't we wait
till after the baby comes?"

♪♪♪

And he was like,
"No, I want to do this now."

♪ How you doin', miss?
My name is L ♪

The couple was married in 1995
at their house on Long Island.

♪ Who do you love? ♪

♪ Are you for sure? ♪

LL's renewed focus on family
became the inspiration

behind his next album,
"Mr. Smith."

It shot to number 4
on the "Billboard" charts

and earned LL his second Grammy.

Every time he dropped
another album,

the evolution of him
just kept continuing.

So it was like he just kept up
with the times.

He was like a chameleon.

He could jump on the track
with anybody.

♪ Yo, B, why you leave your
honey all alone with me? ♪

He's one of the greatest
songwriters that ever lived

because of his range.

That was a great album,

and I think
it was a mature album.

He was growing
with his audience.

"Mr. Smith" in the evolution
of my life makes perfect sense

because that's where I had
evolved to at that point.

I had become Mr. Smith.

♪ The moral of the story
is a woman need love ♪

♪ The kind you so-called players
never dreamed of ♪

♪ You gotta try love ♪

He was in charge of his life.
He got married.

He became the father
that he always wanted.

He had become a man.

The way I was inspired
and influenced

to touch my kids and give them
love was just simple,

just teach them to really go
after their dreams

and encourage that.

LL also became a family man
on TV screens

when he decided to seriously
pursue acting

and landed the starring role
in the UPN sitcom,

"In the House."

I'm going to my room to sleep
through till Monday.

- Okay, Monday. It's fine.
- Monday.

Okay, okay!

I wanted to see if I could do
something different

in another area to make sure
that my soul as an artist

was completely intact

and still able to create
magical things.

♪ No doubt, I'm the player
that you're talking about ♪

Over the next seven years,

his career soared
to extraordinary heights

as LL took on Hollywood in films
like "Deep Blue Sea,"

Oliver Stone's
"Any Given Sunday,"

and "S.W.A.T." alongside
Samuel L. Jackson

and Colin Farrell.

♪ Doin' it and doin' it
and doin' it well ♪

♪ Doin' it
and doin' it and doin' it well ♪

LL was really able
to navigate Hollywood

and music at the same time.

He became a double threat.

♪ I needed to switch up
and get it in gear ♪

♪ It's a whole new movie,
world premiere, yeah ♪

♪ Yeah, get it jinglin',
no more minglin' ♪

As a rapper, LL was still
churning out platinum hits

with "Phenomenon"
and "Greatest of All Time,"

his first and only album
to debut at number one.

This just adds to the
credibility of what I'm doing,

and this tells me that
I really, really and truly

am doing this
for the right reasons

and I'm doing what I'm supposed
to be doing.

♪ Something like a phenomenon ♪

♪ Something
like a phenomenon ♪

But LL's accomplishments would
soon feel meaningless.

In 2004,
Simone went to the doctor

after experiencing a sharp pain
in her leg.

As a woman,
you have that intuition,

and I just knew
something was wrong.

They did a, uh, X-ray.

They found that she had
a tumor in her leg.

And I was like,
what do you mean, it's a tumor?

I was like, what kind of tumor?

I just remember
my hearing going hot.

Like, I couldn't hear anything.

And I remember
Todd sitting there

with his hand over his face.

Simone was diagnosed
with stage 3 bone cancer,

and doctors said the tumor

needed to be removed
immediately

if she was to survive.

It's not a matter
of being fearless.

It's a matter of what you do
despite being fearful.

You know what I'm saying?
Everybody feels fear,

but it's what you do with it.

They had to do, like,
really invasive surgery on her.

I mean, she went through it,
boy. She went through it.

They had to remove all
the mini microvascular veins

from this leg,
put the fibula over here,

um, put a steel rod in.

It was mind-blowing.
It was devastating.

All I could think about
was my kids.

♪♪♪

[ voice breaking ] But...
[ sniffles ]

♪♪♪

[ exhales deeply ]
I'm a survivor. I'm here.

Simone now faced
two tough years of rehab,

and as she learned
to walk again,

LL was with her
every step of the way.

The thing I'm most proud of
with my dad is probably

him standing by my mom.

He was just there for my mom,
and supported her,

was there the whole way.

You have to...give love,
you know?

That's all you can do.

My wife is doing well.
Her health is good.

She's loving life,
you know what I mean?

She, uh, you know, she sits
on the couch a lot more than me.

[ laughs ]

♪♪♪

After overcoming
his family's personal crisis,

less than two years later,

LL faced a serious
professional setback.

♪ When Def Jam signed me,
they hit the lottery ♪

♪ It wasn't free,
but don't call it a robbery ♪

For over 20 years,

LL Cool J and Def Jam
were synonymous

with hip-hop's rich history,

selling over 20 million albums
together.

They were pioneers who became
hip-hop icons.

♪♪♪

But by 2006, the storied
partnership began to sour.

While LL's 12th album

for the label, "Todd Smith,"
went gold,

sales were far below
his standard of success.

♪ Freeze ♪

♪ All I need is for you
to freeze ♪

♪ This is hard on me,
I don't wanna leave ♪

LL felt that Def Jam,

now under the leadership
of Jay-Z,

had shifted their priorities
toward younger artists.

LL felt that he wasn't
getting the marketing

and promotion from Def Jam
that he thought he warranted.

♪♪♪

That hurt. That was painful,

and that created a lot of
bruised blood in my spirit.

♪ You said I was finished
and Father Time was to blame ♪

♪ You disrespected my legacy
and threw dirt on my name ♪

What people have to understand
with me and Jay-Z is that

I'm not anti-Jay-Z.
I'm pro-LL.

I need my records promoted,
and your job is to promote it.

He needs to be on the phone,
calling radio stations.

I just don't feel like
he had the necessary experience

to do that job.

In late 2007, L.A. Reid stepped
in as Def Jam's head honcho,

but LL's contract
with the label was up,

and he decided not to renew.

♪ Launched the greatest label
in the history of rap ♪

♪ And for 24 years,
I carried it on my back ♪

♪♪♪

The rapper aptly titled his 13th
and final release for Def Jam

"Exit 13."

♪♪♪

I needed to escape that.

In order to become
who I am as a human being,

I needed to get out of that--
that prison.

♪♪♪

I think that that was probably
the lowest that I've seen.

He's like, I think I'm done.

He didn't wanna do music
anymore.

Facing an uncertain future,

LL was also forced
to reckon with his past

when he received a phone call
from his estranged father,

who was gravely ill.

There was a long period of time
when I didn't speak to my dad.

We both held a lot of things in.

It had been 17 years since
they'd last seen each other,

but his father
wanted to make peace

before he passed away.

I visited him at the hospital
when he was doing bad.

We connected.

He just wanted to say,
you know, "I love you,

and, uh, I care about you."

It was important for Todd to
have that closure with his dad.

It was actually emotional
for all of us.

♪♪♪

♪ LL Cool J ♪

In 2009, LL Cool J,
one of hip-hop's true pioneers,

decided to take a break
from music

and pursue his other passion--
acting.

He landed a leading role

in the CBS drama
"NCIS: Los Angeles,"

which became an immediate hit.

To be able to put your creative
and artistic inspiration

and desire into something
like this

and see it come to fruition
is a beautiful thing.

You know, a lot of shows,
actors and actresses

won't come out the trailer,
you know, go bananas.

You know what I mean?

But we don't phone it in.
Why be mediocre?

Like, what is the point
of being here on this planet?

You know, you leave it all
on the floor of life.

After four successful seasons
on TV,

LL was now a household name
to a whole new audience,

and in February 2012,
he cemented his place

in pop culture when he hosted
the Grammys.

When I first started, rap wasn't
even eligible for a Grammy.

Now I'm hosting.

This night is about music.

I mean,
it was an amazing feeling.

He's still the same dude with
the Kangol and the gold chain,

but now he's in front
of the world saying,

"We've arrived, man."

'cause he's hosting the show.
Hip-hop is running the game.

Are we all ready
for music's biggest night?

[ cheers and applause ]

First, they didn't even give us
Grammys at all.

Then they didn't even air
the rap category on the Grammys.

Then finally, you know,
we were able to perform,

and being able to host
was like it coming full circle.

♪♪♪

And getting nominated 11 times.

You know what I'm saying?
So it's pretty good.

The experience reignited
LL's love for making music,

and after five years
away from the game,

he went to work on a new album.

♪♪♪

In April 2013, LL Cool J
dropped "Authentic."

♪ Let the bells jing-a-ling
and let the champagne pop ♪

♪ 12 to 6 and 6 to 9 ♪

Ohh.

♪ Round the clock,
I'm riding high ♪

- ♪ Can you take it?
- ♪ Take it ♪

- ♪ Take it ♪
- ♪ Take it ♪

The album was filled
with catchy hooks

and high-profile collaborations.

♪ Let me love you babe ♪

♪ I won't make you wait ♪

- ♪ Can you take it? ♪
- ♪ Take it? ♪

But it only debuted
at number 23 on the charts.

My old music was more
light-heartened fun

for entertainment.

I didn't necessarily upgrade
the content

or try to speak
to something deeper.

I didn't feel good about how
people received it.

So I kinda got uninspired.
So I just backed away.

♪♪♪

After his disappointment
with "Authentic,"

LL decided to revisit
the creative inspiration

he found in acting...

- Things are gonna get brutal.
- ...and hosting.

♪ Let me hear you say,
"Hell, yeah" ♪

Hell, yeah!

Just continuously try to grow

and stay curious
and stay hungry.

And when something
makes me nervous,

I lean into it,
you know what I'm saying?

I don't shy away from that.

Got front-row seats to
the biggest fight on the planet.

Not only did LL continue
to act on "NCIS,"

but he hosted and produced
the hit competition series,

"Lip Sync Battle."

It's just good entertainment,

and that's why I got involved
with it.

♪ There's a 10 to one chance
that you might get smacked ♪

♪ Rock the bells ♪

And LL continued
to nurture his passion for music

in a different way--
by launching a radio station.

LL's deep respect
for classic hip-hop

inspired him to found
"Rock the Bells"

on SiriusXM in 2018.

It's on and poppin', baby.
"Rock the Bells Radio,"

strictly for the O.G.s.

LL believes many
legendary hip-hop artists

are not being supported
by the modern music industry,

and he's determined to give them
the respect

and the platform they deserve.

Instead of me sitting around
complaining about,

oh, they don't treat
Melle Mel this way,

or they don't treat
Run-DMC this way,

they don't treat Big Daddy Kane
or KRS-One this way,

let me step up
and do something about it.

And that's what I did.

- Let's do it!
- If something is great,

it's just great no matter
what era it's from.

Some of those same artists
that you loved 20 years ago

have new shit, and he's
playing it on his station.

That's huge.

Just lifting up our culture
and making sure

that we tell our history
so nobody tells it wrong

a hundred, 200 years from now.

We're champions of hip-hop,

and we're champions for all
those who love hip-hop.

♪ You don't stop the rock it
to the boogie, the bang-bang ♪

♪ Boogie to the beat,
so unique ♪

Ohh!

[ cheers and applause ]

"Rock the Bells" not only
celebrates classic hip-hop,

but LL gave many iconic artists

an ownership stake
in the company.

I gave Run-DMC equity.

I made sure
that Grandmaster Caz,

who's one of the forefathers,
has equity,

and Salt-N-Pepa has equity.

Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shanté.

It's amazing.

We gonna take care of the roots
and nurture the fruit.

While LL was nurturing hip-hop,

tragic events inspired him
to rap again.

- [ chanting ] George Floyd!
- [ chanting ] Say his name!

George Floyd!

In 2020, police violence
and racial injustice...

PROTESTORS:
No justice, no peace!

- ...shook him to the core...
- Say his name!

...and made him revisit
the importance

of using his voice
and platform.

Obviously,
it's extremely upsetting,

but it's nothing new.

You know, all of these things
have been happening.

It's just we didn't
have cellphones.

And a lot of people thought

people were exaggerating
or lying.

♪♪♪

But one thing I'm able to do is
direct those feelings

at the people who deserve
for those feelings

to be directed at them.

♪ For 400 years, you had
your knees on our necks ♪

♪ A garden of evil
with no seeds of respect ♪

♪ In America's mirror,
all she sees is regret ♪

♪ Instead of letting blood live,
they're begging for bloodlet ♪

♪ Revenge is a dish that's
served on platelets ♪

♪ Jumping up and down
on police cars and vex ♪

♪ After Chauvin killed
George Floyd, we got next ♪

♪ Molotov cocktails,
anarchy on the set ♪

[ chanting ] I can't breathe!
I can't breathe!

For LL, it wasn't just a moment
of political activism.

It was a reawakening
of a calling inside him.

♪ Watching that man die slow
left a hole ♪

♪ He cried for his mama
as the murder unfolds ♪

- What's his name?
- George Floyd!

I haven't done music
in, you know, a decade.

After seeing all these things

that have been happening
recently,

a fire came back in a really
different and interesting way.

♪ If it wasn't for the phone,
Chauvin would be at home ♪

♪ Feeling justified
because of George skin tone ♪

♪ I'm telling it to those
with melanin, you're not alone ♪

This inspired me to get beyond
just the pure entertainment side

into something with some depth.

♪ And I ain't got to tell ya
that Breonna Taylor got slayed ♪

♪ In her own home ♪

Black Lives Matter.

The thing that
everybody comes at you with

is, "Oh, you can't relate
because you made

X amount of dollars"...

♪♪♪

...completely missing the fact
that I came from Queens

with a quarter of Olde English,

beatin' on a garbage can
with reefs on the corner

and gunshots ringing out,
to where I am today.

You know what I'm saying?
And then the question becomes,

"Oh, did you forget?"
Nah, I didn't forget nothing.

I didn't forget the times
I was smacked around by cops.

I didn't forget the times
I was pulled over

for absolutely no reason.

♪ What the hell
are you looking for? ♪

♪ Can't a young man
make money anymore? ♪

♪♪♪

In December of 2020, LL took
to the stage with DJ Z-Trip

for a benefit concert in support
of racial and social justice.

[ siren wails ]

♪ I was sued to court,
the case got thrown out ♪

♪ I'm that man
that you all read about ♪

♪ Put me in jail,
you're doing it for clout ♪

♪ I only got one question--
what's that all about? ♪

Every chance I get,

I try to lift up the culture
in a big way.

There's a righteous beat.

There's a moral high ground
there.

♪ And I ain't here to demonize ♪
all cops ain't bad, guys ♪

♪ Let's just cut
these rotten apples ♪

Cut these bad apples.

Cut these rotten apples
out America's pie.

♪ Yeah, boy, it's Jack Ripper ♪

♪ Don't play with me, boy,
play with your babysitter ♪

That year,
LL returned to the studio

with legendary producer Q-Tip
to start working

on his 14th album,
his first in nearly a decade.

It has depth. It has
a certain level of quality.

You know, it's just
a whole nother level, you know?

It's not the LL Cool J
that people remember.

And a far cry from the LL
three decades ago

who was criticized for not
speaking out for social justice.

Yeah.

You know, because it's like,
can you make something

that's relevant?

Can you make an album that lasts
longer than three days

in this environment?

You know what I mean?
Like, I don't know.

But I'm definitely gonna do
everything I can

to make sure I deliver.

If he feels like
it's not good enough,

it ain't coming out.

But when he feels like
it's good enough,

and it is coming out,
that's when you know,

like, okay, this is--now we
need to pay attention to this.

[ cheering ]

[ "Mama Said Knock You Out"
playing ]

♪ Don't call it a comeback ♪

♪ I've been here for years ♪

But of everything LL's achieved

over his incredible
3-decade hip-hop career,

one of the moments that meant
the most of him

was receiving the prestigious
Kennedy Center Honors....

[ applause ]

...alongside Gloria Estefan,
Norman Lear,

Carmen de Lavallade,
and Lionel Richie.

The artists we celebrate tonight
have brought joy to our lives.

They have enriched
American culture,

and they are celebrated
around the world.

I'm standing on the shoulders
of some people

who have done
unbelievable things

to make it possible for me
to get this far,

and I'm very thankful for it.
I don't take it for granted.

And you know,
I didn't go it alone.

Like, Lionel Richie was
one of my mentors.

You know, I used to go over
to his house

and sit and talk to him,
and he would tell me

about careers and longevity,

and getting
our Kennedy Center Honor

side by side--that was
an amazing, amazing thing.

We honor you tonight
and always.

Congratulations.

[ applause ]

I dedicated it
to hip-hop culture,

because there were so many
artists who came before me.

♪ Don't call it a comeback,
I've been here for years ♪

When you look at LL,
you know it's gon' be

a lip-licking, great show.

Body's gonna be riding up,
you know, like,

♪ I feel good ♪

♪ Mama said knock you out ♪

- ♪ Uhh ♪
- ♪ I'm gonna knock you out ♪

One of the most prolific artists
in hip-hop,

I mean, since its inception.

His voice, his energy,
his pure passion.

He did the artform justice.

[ applause ]

That's why they call him
the GOAT, man.

The whole blueprint that he had,
I stole it

and just tried to do
my version of that.

♪ The greatest of all time ♪

I felt like I got one
for the good guys,

you know what I'm saying?
Like, I didn't go it alone.

'Cause everywhere I go,
hip-hop goes.

- [ cheers and applause ]
- ♪ I'm the GOAT ♪

♪ The greatest of all time,
I'm the GOAT ♪

[ faint cheering ]

♪ Feel the beat, y'all,
freak, freak, y'all ♪

♪ You don't stop ♪

♪ When Def Jam signed me,
they hit the lottery ♪

♪ It wasn't free,
but don't call it a robbery ♪

♪ They underestimated me
quite possibly ♪

♪ It's like that
when you a godfather, B ♪

♪ I'm the greatest of all time,
you heard that before ♪

♪ But now when I say it,
it means so much more ♪

♪ 'Cause it's so true,
no hype man, no crew ♪

♪ No reason for ghostwriters,
every year I get tighter ♪

♪♪♪