Super Soul Special: Oprah’s Master Class: LL Cool J

Oprah's Super Soul

Oprah

Society & Culture

4.6 • 32.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Original Air Date: October 3rd, 2018 Hip-hop legend, Grammy winner, TV and film star, devoted husband and father, LL Cool J has accomplished it all. Nevertheless, it's easy to see a scenario where it never would have happened. As a kid growing up in Queens, LL almost lost his mother and grandfather when they were shot by his father during a fit of rage. Incredibly, once his father turned his life around, LL's mother grew to forgive him and allowed him back into LL's life. LL says this powerful lesson taught him how forgiveness is a key to happiness. Now, after decades in a loving marriage to his wife, Simone, LL explains how she and their four children keep him grounded and balanced. Want more podcasts from OWN? Visit https://bit.ly/OWNPods You can also watch Oprah’s Super Soul, The Oprah Winfrey Show and more of your favorite OWN shows on your TV! Visit https://bit.ly/find_OWN

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hip hop, legend, Grammy winner, movie star, TV star, Mr. LL Cool J. You know his name
0:10.4	stands for Ladies, Love, Cool James, right? Well, before he was knocking us out, LL went
0:17.2	by his real name, James Todd Smith, and was known to his family and his friends as Todd.
0:25.0	Growing up in New York, LL overcame the temptations of the city through the love and guidance of his
0:30.9	grandparents who adopted his mother as an infant. LL credits his grandparents and his mom for
0:39.0	giving him structure and discipline and encouraging his creativity. Instead of getting lost in the
0:45.4	streets, teenage LL got lost in his beats. Inspired by the founders of Hip Hop like Grandmaster
0:53.4	Flash and the Sugar Hill gang, LL chased his dream of becoming a rapper. His first single, I
1:00.4	need a beat, was an instant smash selling over 100,000 copies. LL's Megawatt Charisma soon turned
1:08.2	heads in Hollywood and to career in movies like Any Given Sunday and TV series like NCIS Los Angeles
1:15.4	followed where LL ambition and drive are forever kept in balance by the love and devotion he has
1:25.0	for family. Everybody has a story and there's something to be learned from every experience. Use
1:35.2	your life as a class. This is Masterclass with LL Cool J. I was always in factuated with motorcycles
1:43.6	and minibikes growing up. So love minibikes, love motorcycles. So a friend of mine, he had a minibike
1:49.2	and he had a shoelace around the throttle wrapped around the handlebar of minibike because the actual
1:55.7	throttle was broken and there was some leaks in the thing so the thing was you could ride it as much
2:01.1	as you want and as fast as you want but don't push the brakes on because it'll turn off. Right so
2:08.8	it's like yo just don't stop. You know we have fun on the bike but you can't stop. Okay, smash cut
2:16.0	too. I'm you know I'm riding down first. I go down Dunkirk. I turn down Jordan. I get the wood
2:28.0	street cause coming. Don't stop cause coming. Don't stop cause coming. Pow! Clang, clang, bushes,
2:36.2	everything. But I don't get hurt. I'm all right. So I just leave his bike there. I just go home.
2:43.9	Just go in the house like I'm just disgusted. You know my friend's a little mad at me. I left his
	...

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