When Jimmy Smith was 15, he decided to use  the stage name, L.L. Cool J  which means "Ladies Love Cool James." And the name was a perfect fit. Soon there were throngs of thong-clad ladies lined up to see and love the rapper/actor who soon became the  most successful rap artists of all time. and ranked #5 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists and .32 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

Apparently even the trannys love L.L. In May 2011,  Toni Newman, a male transsexual hooker, claimed to have had sex with the rapper after getting picked up by him on “Tranny Row” and being paid $500 for sex. However, LL Cool J’s rep, Claudine Joseph, called the allegations “pure comedy.” Toni tells all about her famous pickups in her book I Rise, The Transformation of Toni Newman,

Not everyone loves  LL.  Kool Moe Dee claimed that LL Cool J stole his style,  and started a long-running feud with LL. . The cover of Kool Moe Dee's 1987 album How Ya Like Me Now  featured a red Kangol hat (LL Cool J's trademark) being crushed under the wheel of a Jeep .LL responded with "Jack the Ripper" in which LL calls Kool Moe a "washed up rapper" and "old school sucker punk."  But in the rap business, winning is measured record sales .While Kool Moe' s music had good sales, LL's sales far outdistanced him.

So taking a lead from LL (who prefers his friends to call him Todd), a perfect way to celebrate his birthday is with a cocktail named after his brilliant musical retort to Kool Moe Dee while watching LL emote rapper style in Last Holiday (2006).