Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith Is LL Cool J’s Oldest Child Who Considers Himself an Artist

Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith is the eldest and only son of LL Cool J. After a brief run-in with the law, he has successfully kept out of the news headlines and focused on his art.

Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith has found his creative niche outside the entertainment industry in which his father, LL Cool J, thrived. Yet, he is not altogether unconnected to the rapper and actor professionally.

He has been appearing with his famous father at industry events since he was young. Now in his mid-30s, the artist is based in New York City.

Najee was born to LL Cool J, real name James Todd Smith, and Simone I. Smith on September 28, 1989, weighing 7lbs 16oz. On Instagram, where he has a following of 17.6k followers, he calls himself a “Creative New Yorker.”

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and LOVED more than you know,” his mom wrote on his birthday in 2022. She concluded:

“Your steps have been ordered by God, so walk in your greatness. Remind yourself daily that you are real royalty. 🤴🏽✨🙏🏽”

The public has been exposed to his creativity through his work with Rock the Bells, a hip-hop fashion label founded by his father. He mainly posts about the gear on social media.

On creating the brand’s Drip Hoodie in 2021, he explained his methodology, “I consider myself an artist. When I think of graphic design, I think more of people designing on the computer. I started bleaching T-shirts because I don’t like anyone’s T-shirts. ” He added:

“And then I started messing around with fabric dyes. […] I’ve been doing this for about four years.”

On the morning after his 26th birthday, Najee was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing after getting into a fight with a group of men at a nightclub on September 28, 2015. He was still drunk when taken into the station but behaved like a “gentleman.”

Nina Simone Smith, born August 2000, has the singing “gene.”

An officer reportedly said he looks just like LL Cool J, to which he allegedly replied, “Oh, so you know who I am.” The heir to hip-hip royalty has not gotten into another squirmish with the law since then.

While LL Cool J embodies the hip-hop lifestyle in many respects, he is also a family man and father to four with his high school sweetheart and wife Simone I. Smith.

Born in January 1991, Anita Marie Smith graduated from Northeastern with a degree in business administration and got a commercial real estate certificate from Cornell. Her dad announced in July 2023 that she is pregnant with baby number three with her husband, Lamar Cardinez.

With an early eye for fashion, Samaria Leah Smith, born September 15, 1995, attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she studied design and merchandising. She has an eponymous label.

A proud LL Cool J told Steve Harvey how his youngest, Nina Simone Smith, born August 2000, has the singing “gene.” She released her debut single, “Call Me,” in 2019 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in songwriting from Berklee College of Music in 2023.