LL COOL J has been on the receiving end of some well-deserved flowers as the legendary rapper celebrated his 55th birthday this weekend.
On Saturday (January 14), a plethora of friends and fans flocked to social media to express their appreciation for the “I’m Bad” rapper whose career spans almost four decades.
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Born on January 14, 1968, in Long Island but raised in Queens New York, LL COOL J burst onto the Hip Hop landscape as the first artist signed to Def Jam Records in 1984.
His landmark debut album Radio was released in 1985 followed by Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), 14 Shots to the Dome (1993), Mr. Smith (1995), Phenomenon (1997), G.O.A.T. (2000) and many more.
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Continuing to break barriers for rappers, LL starred in his own sitcom In The House which ran from 1995 to 1999 on UPN. While on the big screen, he appeared in several films such as Krush Groove, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deliver Us From Eva, and several others.
In 2017, LL became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence in 2021.
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His brand Rock The Bells, paid tribute to him on Twitter acknowledging his massive contributions to the culture.
“Wishing a very Happy Birthday to@LLCOOLJ: The G.O.A.T., Def Jam’s first solo superstar and, of course, Rock The Bells’ Founder-In-Chief. Thank you for going above and beyond to make sure this culture we love is celebrated, elevated & primed to shine from ‘73 ‘til infinity,” the tweet read.
Flavor Flav showed LL some bday love in a tweet. “YO,,, Happy Birthday to my man@llcoolj,” he wrote alongside an old pic of LL, Public Enemy and Ecstacy of Whodini.
Mister Cee thanked LL for allowing him to DJ on his platform, writing: “Happy Bday To The Man That Put Me Back On The Box(Radio)!!! LL Cool J @llcoolj. Thank You For Allowing Me To Be Heard On A National Platform On A Daily Basis Wit Rock The Bells Radio @rockthebells.I’m Eternally Grateful. Enjoy You Day.”
Former NBA star and fellow Queens native Kenny Anderson also paid tribute to LL. “Happy birthday to our friend @llcoolj! We hope you’re adding up lots of birthday wishes. We love you!,” Anderson wrote.
Even Sesame Street showed its appreciation for “Big Elly,” tweeting a video of LL on the show and the caption: “Happy birthday to our friend @llcoolj ! We hope you’re adding up lots of birthday wishes. We love you!”
A sea of fans also rushed to social media to wish the G.O.A.T. a happy birthday. Take a look at some of their message below alongside more from LL’s peers.
When it comes to accolades, LL has received every honor imaginable except for a biopic. If that ever happens, Mack Wilds would love to play Mr. Smith.
On Thursday (January 12), the G.O.A.T. shared numerous photos from across his iconic career on Twitter. In the caption, he asked” “Should I do a biopic?”
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“I mean… what are we talking about?” Wilds tweeted in response, adding a laughing emoji.
Wilds went on to explain to HipHopDX that playing LL is one of his dreams as an actor. “Hell yes! I’d love to play LL,” Wilds said. “I’ve been trying to figure out if he’d do a biopic for years.”
Wilds added: “LL was my very first concert. He did a free concert at Wingate Park in Brooklyn. My dad took me ’cause he saw I really connected to his music. He was my first understanding of stage presence.”
Celebrating this week along with LL is another Hip Hop icon, Slick Rick. Hip Hop’s “Greatest Storyteller” turned 58 on Saturday (January 14).
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Rick has much to celebrate after it was announced that he would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
