Legendary hip-hop artist and longtime actor, LL Cool J, is an expert at juggling music and television careers simultaneously, although he admits that it has not been an easy task. Recently, the star emphasized the delicacy and complexity of needing to reconcile such a musical background with the need to be an actor who can act in different roles.
LL Cool J’s real name is James Todd Smith. His breakthrough occurred in the second half of the 1980s when he was among the first people who made rap famous and popular due to his hits ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ and ‘I Need Love’ amongst others. However, during the peak of his musical public appearances, LL apparently decided to start acting and nabbed his first major role in a movie – Toys which was released in 1995. Since then, he has built an impressive career in acting where he has appeared in major movies such as Any Given Sunday and a leading role in CBS’ lengthy series NCIS: Los Angeles.
“In essence, it all encompasses striking the right equilibrium,” LL Cool J explained. “I enjoy both styles but each one of them engages different parts of my imagination. With the music thing, it is very direct and very emotionally involved. Acting on the other hand gives me the chance to be in the skin of another person, to do things that are exactly opposite to everything that I am and also grow.”
According to LL Cool J, who has managed to juggle two celebrity careers, it has not been easy and is very time-consuming. His love for music is still alive, but acting has helped him in his endeavors to a different level. “At the end of the day, it’s about the love for what you do,” he explained. “Of course, I do not wish to be disassociated from my following of music lovers, but then again, I am good at narrating stories on a screen as well.”
Fans should not be surprised when more music from LL Cool J comes out in the foreseeable future as he is still working on other projects. “I am still the same Queens kid who loves hip hop, but I am also an actor, and actors love to entertain, so I also enjoy being in both worlds.”
There stands every chance, arguments are made clear that LL Cool J will not stop performing in every sense since numerous projects are in operation at the moment and along with that future generations of artist, whose aim would be that of breaking boundaries; music in one hand and acting in the other.
