LL Cool J soon led to an increase in multi-racial audiences and listeners, adding to the legacy of the album and hip hop as well. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive Kennedy Center Honors. LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American hip hop recording artist, record producer, actor, author and entrepreneur from Queens, New York. He is known for such hip hop hits as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells" and "Mama Said Knock
Speech (rapper) Speech (rapper) Todd Thomas (born October 25, 1968), better known by the stage name Speech, is an American rapper and musician. He is a member of the progressive hip hop group Arrested Development and has released a number of solo albums. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States and spent his childhood years there and in Ripley, Tennessee, before relocating to Georgia in 1987 to attend the Art Institute of Atlanta. He attended Rufus King High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 1987, Speech joined with fellow DJ Headliner to form the group Arrested Development. After over three