Making part of the 19 nominees for the prestigious award, James Todd Smith also known as LL Cool J has received probably the most important nomination of his musical career.
49 years old, the New York native is commonly known for his part in popular show NCIS: Los Angeles as Special Agent Sam Hanna as well as the host of the MTV show Lip Sync Battle. Before a long career on television, Smith made huge moves in the music industry as a rapper.
With the stage name LL Cool J which stood for “Ladies Love Cool James,” he has been considered as one of the most influential artists of all time. Winning 2 Grammy awards for his work, it is no surprise the man known for tracks like “Mr. Smith” and “Stand by your man”, Cool J is now set to be included in the most coveted award recipients of music. Starting off his career in 1985 and reaching his peak in the early 1009s with the album “Mama Said Knock You Out” and 3 other albums before the turn of the century. Other nominees include Bon Jovi and iconic jazz artist Nina Simone.
The nominee list that was made public on the 5th of October 2017 also included Bon Jovi and iconic jazz artist Nina Simone. According to CNN, “an international voting body of more than 900 artists, historians and members of the music industry will receive ballots and this year fans will once again have the opportunity to participate.” The list of inductees is set to be released later in December with the ceremony to be held in April 2018.