LL Cool J

American rapper and actor who was the first artist signed to Def Jam Records — releasing Radio (1985), the label's first album — and who built a 40-year career across music, acting (NCIS: LA), and the Rock the Bells brand.

Became Def Jam's first commercial success — proving the label's model worked — and his string of hits through the late 1980s established the template for the commercially successful hip-hop artist.