LL Cool J Grammy Presenter
L.L. Cool J was born James Todd Smith, on January 14, 1968, in Long Island, New York. At the age of four James witnessed his father shoot his mother and grandfather, both of whom survived. His mother's next boyfriend physically and verbally abused James until his mother found out and immediately ended the relationship. At the age of eleven, James was writing and performing his own songs. At fifteen, a friend of James came up with the stage name LL Cool J, which stood for "Ladies Love Cool James". At the age of sixteen, LL was discovered by Rick Rubin who sent a demo to his friend Russel Simmons. That same year, Rubin and Simmons founded Def Jam Records and released LL's debut album.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005112/bio
