Jan 16, 2020 · LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, was born in January 1968 in Queens, New York, in a middle-class and catholic family. His mother, Ondrea, was a nurse’s assistant while his father, James, was a truck driver. LL Cool J’s mother forgave his father for shooting her in the back.

In 1972, Smith and his mother moved into his grandparents' home in St. Albans, Queens, where he was raised. [17][18] He suffered physical and mental abuse from his mother's ex-boyfriend Roscoe. [16] Smith began rapping at the age of 10, influenced by the hip-hop group The Treacherous Three.

Feb 9, 2016 · Eugene Griffith and Ellen Hightower took LL Cool J and his mom, Ondrea Griffith, into their home after she and his father split. His grandparents “embraced me, they built me up. They made me believe in myself,” he recounts on the program.

Truck driver James Nunya shot his father-in-law Eugene in the stomach and estranged wife Ondrea in the back out of frustration over the couple’s divorce in 1972, when the Grammy winner and awards host was just a young boy.

Jul 20, 2021 · James was upset that LL Cool J's mother had left him. However, the victims survived, and thankfully, things were repaired in the household, with the Smith patriarch admitting and turning away from his errors.

Feb 12, 2016 · LL Cool J's childhood was scarred by his parents' separation and violence, with his maternal grandparents stepping in to give him a loving home and appreciation of music. But the couple kept...

Dec 8, 2024 · Rap veteran LL Cool J, 56, went through a very traumatic experience at a young age that no child should ever have to witness. The artist born James Smith Jr. witnessed his father shoot his...

Aug 11, 2021 · He shot him in the stomach before shooting his estranged wife, Ondrea, LL Cool J's mother. To make matters worse, it was the Grammy Award winner who found his mom and grandfather on the floor after his dad shot them. Although no one died, it was a terrible experience for LL Cool J, who was only a kid when it occurred. HIS MOTHER'S ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND

Jan 28, 2013 · When LL Cool J was just 4 years old, his father shot his mother and grandfather. Both survived. Now, LL explains how he—and his mother—learned to forgive. Plus, LL shares what his...

Sep 22, 2022 · *In his 1997 biography “I Make My Own Rules,” LL Cool J recounts the time his father shot his mother and grandfather because he was bitter about getting a divorce. LL was a young boy...