LL Cool J Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

*LL Cool J has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the unveiling ceremony was held on Friday (Jan. 22), where the rapper/actor was joined by fellow entertainers like Queen Latifah, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson and more.

Latifah and Diddy spoke highly of Cool J and his achievements in the music/film industry. Although he has stepped away from the music to concentrate on his acting duties, the veteran artist said in an interview with Variety that if he returns, it’ll be because he’s ready and not because a record label has demanded he deliver a new project.

“If I put out more music, it’ll be just because,” he says. “It’s not to try to compete. I don’t have to be a juvenile to make cool records. I don’t have to be on the pop charts to be relevant or be a cool artist. I’m a cool artist because I’m LL Cool J and this is what I do. And that’s just coming from a place of confidence, not hubris or arrogance.”

Check out the beginning of the star unveiling ceremony in the clip below at the 16-minute mark.

Born James Todd Smith, Cool J has released 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. His twelfth album “Exit 13” (2008), was his last for his long-tenured deal with Def Jam Recordings. His latest album, “Authentic,” was released in April 2013.

He has also appeared in numerous films, including “In Too Deep,” “Any Given Sunday,” “S.W.A.T.,” and “Edison.” He currently stars as Special Agent Sam Hanna on the hit CBS crime drama “NCIS: Los Angeles.” Cool J is also the host of “Lip Sync Battle” on Spike.

LL will return as host of the upcoming Grammy Awards next month, and he recently weighed in on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy by agreeing that Hollywood needs improving when it comes to the Academy and nominees being more diverse.

In related news, the Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises more than 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust.