LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James) is releasing a new album ‘Authentic’ at the end of this month.

I took his first promo photograph (below) back in 1985. The then seventeen year old LL Cool J seemed shy when he arrived in my downtown studio with Bill Adler, the PR for Def Jam ( keeper of the great hiphop ‘Adler ‘archives) carrying a huge boom box . Two years, and many hits, later I photographed him again on the street (above) with Cut Creator, E Love and B-Rock for the British music weekly Melody Maker. He was still rocking the Kangol with bigger gold chains and more confidence. The New York Times claimed he radiated ” the charisma of the young Muhammad Ali”

These days he is one of hip hop’s great success stories, a movie actor and star of  the TV series ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’. Looking forward to seeing the NY show at Roseland.