Original subtitles

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 ♪

♪♪♪