The tragedy of his š¤š©šŖšš„hood revealed
CIS: Los AngelesĀ star,Ā LL Cool JĀ has had a successful career in both television and music since heĀ burst onto the scene in the late ’80s.Ā However, in stark comparison, his š¤š©šŖšš„hood wasĀ far from perfect…
LL Cool J, real name James Todd Smith, opened up about his š¤š©šŖšš„hood in his 1998 autobiography titledĀ I Make My Own RulesĀ –Ā and the contents are heartbreaking.Ā LL was ššØš«š§ in Queens, New York in 1968 and was the only š¤š©šŖšš„ of James and Ondrea Smith.Ā The rapper did not have the easiest start to life, as early on he witnessed his father shoot his mother and grandfather. Thankfully, both of them survived the incident.
However, things only got worse when LL was four and his mother invited her new boyfriend to live with them. According to LL, the man who Ondrea met while being treated in hospital, quickly began to physically and psychologically abuse young LL. “It was the most horrible experience,” LL recalled in his memoir.Ā “I was defenceless and I didn’t understand. The pain went so deep.”
Ā© Photo: Getty Images
LL Cool J is currently starring onĀ NCIS: Los Angeles
Shortly after, Ondrea moved herself and her son in with her parents Eugene Griffith and Ellen Hightower, which was a much more stable and loving environment for the young LL. Eugene was a jazz musician who gave LL his first guitar, and later supported his grandson’s ambitions to make it as a rapper by buying him $2,000 worth of DJ equipment, including two turntables, an audio mixer and an amplifier.
Ā© Photo: Getty Images
LL’s grandfather supported his ambitions to become a rapper
Speaking about his grandparents onĀ Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr, LL was full of admiration and gratitude. “They embraced me, they built me up. They made me believe in myself,” he said of them.
Ā© Photo: Getty Images
LL learnt that his mother (pictured) was adopted as a š¤š©šŖšš„
However, it was on this show that LL was to make a shocking discovery about his heritage. As the Grammy winnerĀ dug into his family history to find out more about his ancestors, heĀ learnt thatĀ his mother had been adopted as a š¤š©šŖšš„ meaning LL was not theĀ biological grandson of Eugene and Ellen.
MORE:Ā Meet NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J’s family
Through DNA testing, the series’ genetic genealogist was able to discover the identities of LL’s biological grandparents and linkedĀ theĀ NCIS: LAĀ star to 1930s champion boxer, John Henry Lewis.
“This doesn’t change how I feel about the people that raised me,” LL Cool J, said of the grandparents who raised him.Ā “I have more love and respect for them than I ever did.”