LL Cool J Shares the Ultimatum From His Grandmother That Lead Him to Pursue Entertainment
LL Cool J Shares the Ultimatum From His Grandmother That Lead Him to Pursue Entertainment
Virginia ChamleeThu, October 1, 2026 at 9:27 PM UTC
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LL Cool JCredit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; Monica Schipper/GettyThe rapper says pursuing music was the only time he did not follow his family’s advice -
LL Cool J said he left school after his grandmother told him to choose education or move out
The rapper said pursuing music was the only time he did not follow his family’s advice
He later built a career spanning music, acting and writing
LL Cool J is opening up about making the decision to leave school and pursue a career in music.
Speaking on a new episode of What Now? with Trevor Noah, the “Going Back to Cali” rapper opened up about his upbringing, saying he was, “a little kid who liked hanging around their grandparents and actually listen to their parents... I actually listened to them, I thought what they were saying made sense.”
“The only time I didn’t listen is is when it was time when my mother my grandmother said to me — because I had made my first song — my grandmother said, ‘You either go to school or you got to get out,’” the 58-year-old added.
The decision, he said, was an easy one.
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Rapper LL Cool JCredit: Al Pereira/Getty
“That was the only time I was like, ‘no, I gotta do this,’ and I went after my dream,” he added.
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He was just 16 years old when he released his breakthrough 1984 single “I Need a Beat”, which was followed by his debut studio album, Radio, in 1985.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
In addition to making music, LL Cool J has starred in numerous TV shows and movies, including NCIS: Los Angeles, Last Holiday and Deep Blue Sea.
He’s also written four books, including the autobiography I Make My Own Rules, and founded the music label, P.O.G., which stands for Power of God.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
