Rapper and actor LL Cool J received the 2,571st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring a pioneering recording career that made him the first rap artist to amass 10 consecutive platinum-plus selling albums.
Queen Latifah and Sean “Diddy” Combs joined the “NCIS: Los Angeles” star at the 11:30 a.m. ceremony in front of the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Boulevard.
The ceremony comes a week after his birthday and slightly more than three weeks before he hosts the Grammys for the fifth consecutive year.
Joining the ranks of such icons as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Michael Jackson, the actor and rapper said the honor was a big deal for him.
“I’m grateful, this is pretty big for me,” he said.
LL’s music career spans four decades and includes 14 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. His debut album, 1985’s Radio, is certified platinum and he has three double platinum albums – 1987’s Bigger And Deffer, 1990’s Mama Said Knock You Out and 1995’s Mr. Smith.
The rapper has hosted the Grammy Awards four times and has also worked as an actor in television and film, appearing in NCIS: Los Angeles and Any Given Sunday, among other projects.
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