Short answers, pulled from the story.
LL Cool J is an American rapper and actor born James Todd Smith on the 14th of January 1968 in Bay Shore, New York. He is known for hip-hop songs such as "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "Rock the Bells," for playing Special Agent Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles for 14 seasons, and for being the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.
LL Cool J stands for Ladies Love Cool James. The name was coined by his friend and fellow rapper Mikey D. Smith chose it to replace his earlier stage name J-Ski, which he dropped to avoid association with the cocaine culture linked to that suffix.
LL Cool J was signed by Def Jam Recordings in 1984, when he was sixteen years old. His debut single "I Need a Beat," released that year, sold over 100,000 copies and helped establish Def Jam as a label.
LL Cool J has won two Grammy Awards. He won Best Rap Solo Performance in 1992 for "Mama Said Knock You Out" and won a second Grammy for "Hey Lover," which featured Boyz II Men and was released on his 1995 album Mr. Smith.
LL Cool J was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 in the Musical Excellence category. He had been nominated six times, in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2021, before receiving the honor.
LL Cool J starred in NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS from 2009 to 2023, a run of 14 seasons. He played Special Agent Sam Hanna, an ex-Navy SEAL fluent in Arabic, and reprised the role as a recurring guest star in NCIS: Hawaii starting in 2023.