Considering the somewhat fickle nature of the movie business and the ridiculously fickle nature of the music business, the fact that LL Cool J has not only been in both games for damn near a quarter century but is continuing to flourish is insane. A good deal of his contemporaries from the mid-80s are little more than footnotes these days; although you might catch them on the classic hip hop station on internet radio or rocking some local house party, hell possibly in person. But James Todd Smith continues to be found on both the large and small screens and on the airwaves, magazine covers, commercials, is a FUBU co-owner, author, and will now be headed for a government gig as well.
Variety is reporting that Ladies Love is going to be headlining an untitled NCIS spinoff, playing “a tough but charming former Navy SEAL who works undercover for the NCIS unit in L.A. and is an expert on the Middle East.” NCIS showrunner created the project and it’ll get a backdoor pilot on a two-part NCIS episode later this season. I’ve liked both LL’s music and his film work, and he’s proven over the years that he’s one of the more versatile performers out there. I’m sure the fact that he’s built like Michael Jai White hasn’t hurt his career options either.
P.S. Ladies, you’re welcome.