LL Cool J comes to Jamaica for the first time on the Reggae Sumfest bill.

Following an earlier announcement of the signing of R&B diva Mary J Blige, Summerfest Productions, promoters of Reggae Sumfest, have now secured the services of rap legend LL Cool J. The durable rapper-actor is set to appear on the Friday night (July 20) bill, according to a release from the organisers.

Johnny Gourzong, executive director of the organisers, says that this being the fifteenth anniversary year of the event, much effort has been put into securing a first-class line-up. He went on to say that LL Cool J has a great following and is the epitome of resilience, a trait he shares with the festival. He is by far one of hip hop's most viable artistes and a true pioneer in the music business.

Carlo Redwood, group marketing manager at Red Stripe - title sponsors of the event - says that LL Cool J is an amazing artiste with great talent and is a welcome addition to the festival. "LL Cool J's stage presence and electrifying performance style is sure to attract many to the event this year," Redwood added.

The festival has featured some of the biggest pop/R&B and hip hop stars over the years, including Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, Lionel Richie, Kanye West and John Legend.

From his early days of rapping in front of the mirror in Queens, New York, James Todd Smith (The 'LL' reportedly stands for 'Ladies Love' with 'Cool J' meaning Cool James) has always been determined to be a winner in the game. He made his first studio recording at age 12 and never looked back. He was the first artiste to be signed to a then emerging Def Jam label in 1984, and he released the underground hit I Need A Beat, the song was the first hit for Def Jam and its success persuaded LL to drop out of school to record an album. Beginning his career with the masterful 1985 debut album, Radio, LL has since recorded numerous hits that have earned him great fame.

In 1990, LL released the album Mama Said Knock You Out which mixed tracks about police brutality, spirituality with basic hip hop party rocking. The album eventually sold over two million copies and marked the first of the many self-reinventions he would undergo to adapt to hip hop's often changing atmosphere. His I Need Love was one of the first 'hip hop ballads'.

The rapper was far from being loving when one of the hip hop industry's many conflicts - or beefs as the slang refers to them - pitted him in a war of words with Haitian-born superstar Wyclef, and more specifically, against Wyclef-sponsored rapper Canibus, a verbal war which became intensely vituperative. Early in his career, he had a similarly intense beef with fellow New Yorker Kool Moe Dee and lesser verbal dust-ups with MC Hammer and Ice- T.

The singles Doin' It and Loungin' from the album Mr Smith, released in 1995, were two of the biggest songs in 1996 and both music videos were hugely successful on MTV. Another of the album's singles, Hey Lover earned LL a Grammy award. The Phenomenon album in 1997 featured the hit of the same name and the song Father that became a major success.

In an earlier interview, the rapper said that he is constantly writing rhymes. "I do most of my writing in the studio, I like being in the moment, writing in the zone as the beat bangs in my ear."

Collaborations with Amerie (Paradise), Jennifer Lopez (All I Have) and Lyfe Jennings (Freeze) have produced several popular hits to date. It is rumoured that his final album with Def Jam recordings will be completed later this year and is being produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent.

He readily admits that he is constantly growing as an artiste. "It is not about money or power anymore, there's just a special feeling you get when you complete a project and present it to the world," he said.

In addition to music, LL Cool J has also made forays into the world of film and television. The talented artiste has shown that he is multifaceted by authoring three books and launching a clothing line called Todd Smith.

LL Cool J will begin a tour of the United States in July and will be one of the featured acts on the world-renowned Essence music festival on July 1 in Houston. Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest is one of the major events lined up for the superstar outside of the US. It will be LL's first ever performance in Jamaica.

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