Too Cool

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LL Cool J

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but if we're really honest, how many of us actually live by that motto? When I saw LL Cool J on the list of interviews lined up at the Monte Carlo Film Festival, I didn't expect that I would be engaging in an entertaining, intellectually stimulating interview.

In my defence, this is the man, who at 16, renamed himself Ladies Love Cool James (LL Cool J). Born James Todd Smith, he grew up in Queens, New York and started rapping at the age of nine, just in time to burst onto the burgeoning 1980s rap scene with such hits as 'I Can't Live Without My Radio'. Since then, however, he's carved out a pretty lucrative film career and currently stars on 'NCIS: LA'.

My preconception couldn't have been more wrong. In person, LL is absolutely charming. His enthusiasm and energy are infectious and his attention to every second of the interview - as if it was his first - is refreshing and uncommon. He is also one of the most multi-interested artists around; representing the best of the hip-hop nation, while walking the red carpet at the Emmys or helping youth organisations like Camp Cool J. He also finds time to take in the arts in whichever town the publicity trail takes him.

"I'm an artist, and I appreciate everything that includes. I can go to the Louvre in Paris and sit there starring at the Coronation of Napoleon for hours; I can walk around the Vatican and look at paintings; I can go to Trinity College and look at the Book of Kells", he says.

"Yeah I've been there", he laughs when he sees my surprised reaction. "I just like art - acting is an extension of that, music is an extension of that."

Having outlasted and outperformed the competition, LL knows all about negative perceptions. But, at 42, with a hit prime-time TV show under his belt, it would seem the transition from music to acting is well and truly achieved.

"I used to hear those whispers, you know the actors were saying 'here comes the rapper taking our jobs' and the rappers were saying 'look at him, he's selling out'; they were all firing over the bow", he says.

"But you've got to focus on the goals, not the obstacles. If you're passionate about what you do, that's all that matters."

His tough up-bringing is a well-worn part of his celebrity CV; at the tender age of four he saw his mother and grandfather shot by his father. After leaving his father, LL's mother then began a new relationship with a man who bullied him for years. Rap seemed to be the perfect outlet for his troubles, but LL is adamant he doesn't live his life reflecting on the past.

"I've seen some interesting things, it might be a bit depressing for your readers, I don't think I want to go there.

"I'm not trying to position myself in the world as a guy who's been through so much because that's not what it's about for me. For me, it's about making things happen and maximising your potential, not running around pretending to be some guy who's had a terrible life, because no matter what I've been through, there's people who've been through a lot worse - people in Zimbabwe, people in Northern Ireland even."

Does his use his past experiences in his acting roles? "It's according to the character and what they're going through and the situation. It's good fodder to have if you need it, but I don't walk around overly hyped up and sensitive thinking 'oh, do you know what I've been through'."

While he may have kept the Ladies Love part of his name, LL is a one-woman man. He dated wife Simone Smith on and off since the 1980s and the two were married in 1995, when she was pregnant with their third child. Now with four children, aged between 10 and 20, it's obvious that LL's other great love is his family. So how does he make time for them all?

"By letting them know I love them and by setting priorities", he answers. "If my daughter has a father/daughter dance I have to be there. If I have to learn to dance to 'The Nutcracker', then it's what I've got to do", he says, giving a fine rendition of the ballet part.

"I have to take care of my family, its mandatory."

So what does his wife make of that name he's built his empire on?
"She loves me too", he says with a grin. "I don't think she's in a hurry to share, if that's what you're asking!"

Janice Butler