LL Cool J
2018 We Are Family Humanitarian Award Honoree

LL COOL J is an entertainment icon who has found great success crossing into multiple mediums. A Kennedy Center Honoree, two-time Grammy® Award winner, recording artist, actor, author, NAACP Image Award winner, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, LL continues to display his wide range of talents with every project.

First introduced to the world in 1984 as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass ten consecutive platinum-plus selling albums. The multi-platinum artist and three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is currently tied for third place for most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper. In 2017, LL became the first rapper to earn the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, which is America’s highest achievement for any performer and received his star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016 for his achievement in music.

As an actor, LL has successfully transitioned to one of the consistently highest rated shows on television. He currently stars in the CBS hit primetime drama series, “NCIS: LOS ANGELES,” which premiered its ninth season in October 2017. His performance on the show garnered him an NAACP Image Award four years in a row and nominations in both 2015 and 2016 for his role of ‘Special Agent Sam Hanna’.

LL can also currently be seen hosting and producing the fourth season of the Jimmy Fallon-executive produced hit show Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network, which premiered as their most-watched original program ever. In 2017, the show earned its second Emmy® nomination in the category of “Outstanding Structured Reality Program” and LL won an NAACP Image Award in 2018 for “Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety Series or Special.”

LL is an avid philanthropist involved in numerous causes including literacy for kids, music and arts programs in schools as well as his annual charity “Jump & Ball” in his hometown of Queens, New York which gives back to his community by offering a five-week athletic and team building program dedicated to bringing wholesome fun to young people.