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FUBU is a clothing company. It includes casual wear, sports wear, a suit collection, eyewear, belts, and shoes for the African-American community in the sense of economic investment but not to be exclusively worn by African Americans. The name is sometimes considered an acronym for "For Us By Us", implying the product line was produced for a primarily African-American market. The original meaning of FUBU was "Five Urban Brothers United," but the "For U, by U" line later took root as the clothing line expanded.

History[link]

The company was founded in 1992 by Daymond John with a line of hats made in his house in Hollis, Queens, New York. According to the company website, John mortgaged his own home for $100,000 and with that seed money he and his three friends Carl Brown, J. Alexander Martin, and Keith Perrin, turned half of his house into a factory and the other half into living space.^[1] FUBU staff started the company for their local youth community.

Collection[link]

The FUBU collection consists of T-shirts, rugby shirts, hockey and football jerseys, baseball caps, shoes and denim jeans. All are embroidered with the FUBU logo. Most of the products, such as the jeans, are imported from around the world. FUBU has now expanded to include various lines such as Platinum FUBU, FUBU footwear for men and women, intimate apparel, active wear, swimwear, watches, FUBU suits, and FUBU tuxedos. The Platinum FUBU collection also includes the M.Ali, Fat Albert and Harlem Globetrotters clothing lines.

In 1995, South Korean company Samsung^[2] invested in the New York-based clothing company.

At its peak, FUBU grossed over $350 million dollars in annual worldwide sales. FUBU have received several honors for their entrepreneurial achievements. These include two Congressional Awards, two NAACP Awards, the Pratt Institute Award, the Christopher Wallace Award, the Online Hip-Hop Award and a Citation of Honor from the Queens Borough President.

FUBU Records[link]

From 2001 to 2003 FUBU also established a record label, first releasing a compilation album entitled The Good Life in 2001 and then an album by the 54th Platoon entitled All or Nothin' in 2003. Though both albums made it to the Billboard charts, neither was a commercial success and FUBU shut down its record label after the release of All or Nothin'.

See also[link]

	African American portal
	Hip hop portal
	Fashion portal

• Southpole (clothing)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website (Archive)
• http://www.samsungamerica.com/Graphics/fubu.asp

Daymond John
Born	Daymond John (1969-02-23) February 23, 1969 (age 43)[1] Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Residence	New York City, New York, United States
Occupation	Founder, President, and CEO of FUBU
Employer	FUBU
Known for	CEO & Founder of FUBU

Daymond John (born February 23, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, investor, television personality, author and motivational speaker. He is best known as the founder, president and CEO of FUBU, and appears as an investor on the ABC reality television series Shark Tank.

Early life[link]

John was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, but spent his childhood in the Queens neighborhood of Hollis^[2] He was raised an only child by his mother and attended Bayside High School.^[3] In high school, he participated in a co-op program that allowed him to work a full-time job and attend school on an alternating weekly basis, which he credits with instilling an entrepreneurial spirit.^[4] After graduating high school, he started a commuter van service.^[2]

FUBU[link]

FUBU's origins date to 1992. At the time, wool hats with cut-off tops were popular, and John noticed them being sold for $20, which he considered overpriced.^[5] He went home and sewed around 80 hats with his next-door neighbor, Carl Brown.^[6] They sold their homemade hats for $10 each in front of the New York Coliseum, and made $800 in a single day.^[3]

Sensing potential, Daymond and his mother mortgaged their house for $100,000 to generate start-up capital.^[3] In addition to Brown, he recruited longtime friends J. Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin into the business, and began sewing the FUBU logo onto hockey jerseys, sweatshirts, and t-shirts.^[3] To make ends meet, John held a full-time job at Red Lobster, working on the FUBU business in between shifts.^[7] In 1993, he convinced LL Cool J, an old neighborhood friend, to wear a FUBU t-shirt for a promotional campaign.^[8] Later, while filming a 30-second advertising spot for The Gap, LL Cool J wore a FUBU hat in the commercial and incorporated the line "for us, by us" in his rapping.^[7][9]

FUBU gained nationwide exposure when John and his partners traveled to Magic, a trade show in Las Vegas in 1994.^[10] Despite not being able to afford a booth, FUBU received over $300,000 worth of orders.^[10] FUBU continued growing, signing contracts with Macy’s, J.C. Penney's, and the National Basketball Association and a distribution deal with Samsung Electronics.^[8] By 1998, FUBU returned $350 million in revenues.^[6] Currently, FUBU has amassed over six billion dollars in global sales.^[11][12]

Shark Tank[link]

In 2009, John joined the cast of Shark Tank, a show about entrepreneurship on ABC.^[10] John and four other business executives listen to business pitches from everyday people, and decide whether or not to invest money in the project.^[13][14]

Assuming every on-camera deal happened, to date, John has invested $700,000 in Shark Tank projects.^[15]

Consulting and speaking[link]

Through his reputation as FUBU's CEO, John has become a highly sought after consultant and speaker.^[16][12] He works with brands and celebrities to create additional revenue streams and brand extensions; some of his clients include Pitbull and the Miss Universe Organization.^[17] John is also a brand ambassador for the ecommerce company Shopify.^[18]

As a motivational and business speaker, John speaks about marketing, negotiations, and entrepreneurship. Some of his recent speaking engagements include California First Lady Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference, AT&T’s History Makers Tour, and Babson College School of Entrepreneurship.^{[19][20][21][22]}

Awards and reception[link]

John has received numerous awards, including Brandweek Marketer of the Year, the NAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year Award (which he won twice), the Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, the Essence Award, Crain’s Business of New York Forty Under Forty Award, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Brandeis University International Business School’s Asper Award for Excellence in Global Entrepreneurship, Details 50 Most Influential Men, and the Congressional Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship (which he won twice).^{[7][10][23][24][25]}

FUBU has received attention from the sports and entertainment industry, and has been worn or endorsed by LL Cool J, Janet Jackson, Will Smith, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Magic Johnson, Lennox Lewis, and Whitney Houston.^[5][6]

Media[link]

Daymond John has appeared on multiple magazine covers including Jetset Magazine and Newsweek.

Personal life[link]

He is currently based in New York City. Two of his favorite books are Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad, Poor Dad.^[7]

John has written two books, Display of Power and The Brand Within. Display of Power is an autobiography that details John's rise from Queens to a fashion empire; it was named one of the best business books of 2007 by the Library Journal.^[26] The Brand Within examines the loyalty relationships between customers and companies.^[27][28][29]

References[link]

External links[link]

• DaymondJohn.com Official website

LL Cool J
LL Cool J in 2010.
Background information
Birth name	James Todd Smith
Also known as	L.L. Cool J, Ladies Love Cool James, Luv, Cool J, LL, The G.O.A.T., Jack the Ripper, Mr. Smith, Uncle LL
Born	(1968-01-14) January 14, 1968 (age 44) Bay Shore, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, Actor
Instruments	Vocals, turntables
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Def Jam, Violator
Associated acts	Z-Trip, Dr. Dre, L.A. Posse, Keith Murray, Timbaland, G-Unit, D12, Young MC, DMX, 50 Cent, Method Man
Website	llcoolj.defjam.com

James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J (an abbreviation for Ladies Love Cool James^[1]), is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor from Bay Shore, New York. He is known for romantic ballads such as "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover" as well as pioneering hip-hop such as "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", and "Mama Said Knock You Out". He has released thirteen studio albums and two greatest hits compilations, including 2008's Exit 13, the last for his record deal with Def Jam Recordings. He has also appeared in numerous films, and currently stars as NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles.

As he grew older, Smith found a way to escape the effects of his abuse, and his bullying attitude: hip-hop music. He fell in love with it at the age of nine, and by 11 he was writing lyrics and making his own songs with some DJ equipment his grandmother gave him to stop him riding motorcycles or doing karate.^[2] Before too long, LL was an established member of the Hip-Hop community in his area. He gained notoriety through his many rap battles against well-established MCs, including the battle against Chicken and Porn that rocketed him to fame.^[3]

Influenced by Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, funk legend Rick James, Kurtis Blow, and pioneers Run-DMC, LL started to create his own rap style.

Music career[link]

[edit] Radio (1985)

Radio was released to critical acclaim, both for production innovation and LL's powerful rap.^[4] "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and "Rock the Bells" were singles that helped the album go platinum with 1,500,000 sales.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Bigger and Deffer (1987)

In 1987, he released Bigger and Deffer which included "I Need Love". Also featured on the album was "Go Cut Creator Go", which pays homage to the DJ. The album sold about 2,300,000 copies.^{[citation needed]} In 1998, The Source Magazine named it as one of the top 100 albums ever.^[5] "I Need Love" was the second single from LL Cool J's second album, Bigger and Deffer. The song, released in the fall of 1987, reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts, No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. The single won a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap – Single in 1987.^[2] "I Need Love" was ranked No. 13 on the 100 Greatest Rap Songs.^[3]

[edit] Walking with a Panther (1989)

LL Cool J's third album was 1989's Walking with a Panther. The album featured the singles "Going Back to Cali", "I'm That Type of Guy", "Jingling Baby", and "Big Ole Butt" and went platinum with 1,100,000 sales.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)

As an answer to people saying that his music had become too soft due to the inclusion of several ballads on his previous album, LL Cool J released Mama Said Knock You Out. The album was fully produced by Juice Crew producer Marley Marl, one of the premier producers in the hip-hop industry at the time. Mama Said Knock You Out contained three singles, "The Boomin' System", "Around the Way Girl", and the title track, which he performed during an episode of MTV Unplugged. It was also featured in the film The Hard Way. The album went on to sell over 2,700,000 copies.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 14 Shots to the Dome (1993)

After acting in The Hard Way and Toys, LL Cool J released 14 Shots to the Dome. The album had three singles ("How I'm Comin'", "Back Seat" and the strangely titled "Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings") and guest-featured labelmates Lords of the Underground on "NFA-No Frontin' Allowed". The album went gold.

[edit] Mr. Smith (1995)

LL Cool J starred in In the House, an NBC sitcom, before releasing Mr. Smith (1995), which went on to sell over two million copies. Its singles included "Doin' It" (that samples "My Jamaican Guy" by Grace Jones) and "Loungin" (that samples "Who Do You Love?" by Bernard Wright). Another of the album's singles, "Hey Lover", featured Boyz II Men sampling Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life," which eventually became one of the first hip hop music videos to air on VH1^{[citation needed]}. The song also earned him a Grammy Award. Yet another single from the album, "I Shot Ya Remix", included vocal work by Foxy Brown.

[edit] Phenomenon (1997)

In 1997, he released the album Phenomenon. The singles included "Phenomenon" and "Father". The official second single from Phenomenon was "4, 3, 2, 1," which featured Method Man, Redman & Master P and introduced DMX and Canibus.

[edit] G.O.A.T. (2000)

In 2000, LL Cool J released the album G.O.A.T., which stood for the "greatest of all time." It debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts,^[6] and went platinum. LL Cool J thanked Canibus in the liner notes of the album, "for the inspiration".

[edit] 10 (2002)

LL Cool J's next album 10 from 2002, was his 9th studio (10th overall including his greatest hits compilation All World), and included the singles "Paradise" (featuring Amerie), "Luv U Better", produced by The Neptunes and the 2003 Jennifer Lopez duet, "All I Have". The album reached platinum status.

[edit] The DEFinition (2004)

LL Cool J's 10th album The DEFinition was released on August 31, 2004. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard charts. Production came from Timbaland, 7 Aurelius, R. Kelly, and others. The lead single was the Timbaland-produced "Headsprung," which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single was the 7 Aurelius – produced, "Hush," which peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 10.

[edit] Todd Smith (2006)

LL Cool J's 11th album, Todd Smith, was released on April 11, 2006. It includes collaborations with 112, Ginuwine, Juelz Santana, Teairra Mari and Freeway. The first single was the Jermaine Dupri produced "Control Myself" featuring Jennifer Lopez. They shot the video for "Control Myself" on January 2, 2006 at Sony Studios, New York. The second video, directed by Hype Williams, was "Freeze" featuring Lyfe Jennings.

[edit] Exit 13 (2008)

LL Cool J performing in Wilmington, Delaware in August 2008.

LL Cool J in concert at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

In July 2006, LL Cool J announced details about his final album with Def Jam recordings, the only label he has ever been signed to. The album is titled Exit 13. The album was originally scheduled to be executively produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent.^[7] Exit 13 was originally slated for a fall 2006 release, however, after a 2 year delay, it was released September 9, 2008 without 50 Cent as the executive producer. Tracks that the two worked on were leaked to the Internet and some of the tracks produced with 50 made it to Exit 13.

LL Cool J partnered with DJ Kay Slay to release a mixtape called "The Return of the G.O.A.T.". It was the first mixtape of his 24 year career and includes freestyling by LL Cool J in addition to other rappers giving their rendition of his songs. A track entitled "Hi Haterz" was leaked onto the internet on June 1, 2008. The song contains LL Cool J rapping over the instrumental to Maino's "Hi Hater". He toured with Janet Jackson on her Rock Witchu tour, only playing in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, and Kansas City.

[edit] NCIS: No Crew Is Superior (2009)

In September 2009, LL Cool J released a song about the NCIS TV series. It is a single and is available on iTunes. The new track is based on his experiences playing special agent Sam Hanna. "This song is the musical interpretation of what I felt after meeting with NCIS agents, experienced Marines and Navy SEALs," LL Cool J said. "It represents the collective energy in the room. I was so inspired I wrote the song on set."^[8]

[edit] Touring and Collaborations (present)

In March 2011 at South by Southwest, LL Cool J was revealed to be Z-Trip's special guest at the Red Bull Thre3Style showcase. This marked the beginning of a creative collaboration between the rap and DJ superstars. The two took part in an interview with Carson Daly where they discussed their partnership^[9]. Both artists have promised future collaborations down the road, with LL Cool J calling the duo "organic"^[10] One early track to feature LL's talents was Z-Trip's remix of British rock act Kasabian's single "Days Are Forgotten", which was named by influential DJ Zane Lowe as his "Hottest Record In The World"^[11] and received a favorable reception in both Belgium and the United Kingdom. In January 2012, the pair released the track "Super Baller" as a free download to celebrate the New York Giants Super Bowl victory. The two have been touring together since 2011, with future dates planned through 2012 and beyond.

Acting career[link]

While LL Cool J first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He continued to pursue acting, landing the role of Captain Patrick Zevo in the 1992 film Toys.^[12] In 1995, when he landed his own television sitcom, In the House. He starred as an ex-Oakland Raiders running back who finds himself in financial difficulties and is forced to rent part of his home out to a single mother and her two children.

In 1998 he had a role in the film Halloween H20. In 1999's Deep Blue Sea, he played the wise-cracking cook on a top-secret sea base besieged by genetically enhanced sharks. He received rave review for his role as Dwayne Gittens, an underworld boss, nicknamed "God" in In Too Deep. Later that year, he had a starring role in Any Given Sunday, in which he played Julian Washington, the talented but selfish running back on the dysfunctional Miami Sharks. Since then, LL Cool J has appeared in a variety of films, such as the 2002 remake of Rollerball, Deliver Us from Eva, Mindhunters, and S.W.A.T..

Stuttgart/Germany 2001

In 2005, he returned to television in a guest starring role on the Fox medical drama House as a death row inmate felled by an unknown disease.

LL Cool J also appeared as Queen Latifah's love interest in the 2006 movie Last Holiday.

He also guest starred on 30 Rock in the 2007 episode "The Source Awards" as the hip hop producer Ridiculous, who Tracy Jordan fears is going to kill him.

LL Cool J appeared in Sesame Street's 39th season where he introduced the word of the day, "Unanimous", in episode 4169 (Sept. 22, 2008) and performing "The Addition Expedition" in episode 4172 (Sept. 30, 2008).

LL Cool J is currently a series regular on the CBS police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles, a spin-off of NCIS (which itself is a spin-off of the naval legal drama JAG). He portrays NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna, an ex–Navy SEAL who is fluent in Arabic and an expert on West Asian culture. The series debuted in autumn of 2009, but the characters were introduced in an April 2009 crossover episode on the parent show.

LL Cool J appeared in a cameo role, where he is credited with being the product lead of Google's Gmail Tap, an April Fool's Day joke launched by the Gmail team, purporting to bring a Morse code keyboard to the platform.

Other works and venture[link]

Fashion[link]

LL Cool J worked behind the scenes with the mid-eighties Hip-Hop sportswear line TROOP.^[13] In the mid 90's, he also helped to launch the clothing line FUBU.

LL Cool J launched a clothing line (called "Todd Smith").^[14] The brand produces popular urban apparel. Designs include influences from LL's lyrics and tattoos, as well as from other icons in the hip-hop community.^[15]

Books[link]

LL Cool J has written four books, including 1998's I Make My Own Rules, an autobiography co-written with Karen Hunter. His second book was the children-oriented book called And The Winner Is... published in 2002. In 2006, LL Cool J and his personal trainer, Dave "Scooter" Honig wrote a fitness book, The Platinum Workout. His fourth book LL Cool J (Hip-Hop Stars) was co-written in 2007 with hip-hop historian Dustin Shekell and Public Enemy's Chuck D.

Businessman and entrepreneur[link]

LL Cool J at MyCokeFest at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

LL Cool J started his own businesses in the music industry such as the music label in 1993 called P.O.G. (Power Of God) and formed the company Rock The Bells to produce music. With the Rock The Bells label, he had artists such as Amyth,^{[16][unreliable source?]} Smokeman, Natice, Chantel Jones and Simone Starks. Rock the Bells Records was also responsible for the Deep Blue Sea soundtrack for the 1999 movie of the same name. Rufus "Scola" Waller was also signed to the label, but was released when the label folded.^[17]

LL Cool J appears in the music video "Mrs. Right" by Mindless Behavior.

Stuttgart/Germany 2001

LL Cool J founded and launched Boomdizzle.com, a record label / social networking site launched in September 2008. The website accepts music uploads from aspiring artists, primarily from the hip hop genre, and the site's users rate songs through contests, voting, and other community events.^[18]

Personal life[link]

LL Cool J was born in Bay Shore, New York, the son of Ondrea and James Smith.^[19] He married Simone I. Johnson, on August 9, 1995 at his home in Long Island, New York. The couple have four children: son Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith (born September 18, 1989) and daughters Italia Anita Maria Smith (born January 1, 1991), Samaria Leah Wisdom Smith (born September 15, 1995) and Nina Simone Smith (born 2001). In 2002, he threw his support behind sitting Republican Governor of NY George Pataki's bid for a 3rd term.^[20] In 2003, LL Cool J appeared before a senate committee hearing on P2P file-sharing, voicing his support alongside the RIAA, expressing that he just wished "music could be downloaded legitimately."^[21] In 2004, LL Cool J was seen leaving the Republican National Convention.^[22] He has also voiced his support for New York State Senator Malcolm Smith, a Democrat, during an appearance on the senator's local television show^[23] and has worked with Smith in putting on the annual Jump and Ball Tournament (since 2003) in the rapper's childhood neighborhood of St. Alban's, Queens.^[24]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Grammy Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

• 1991 – MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video, for "Mama Said Knock You Out"
• 1997 – MTV Video Music Vanguard Award, for "career achievement"

NAACP Image Awards

• 1996 – Best Rap Artist, for "Mr. Smith"
• 1997 – Best Rap Artist, for "Mr. Smith"
• 2001 – Outstanding Hip-Hop/Rap Artist, for "G.O.A.T."
• 2003 – Outstanding Male Artist

Soul Train Music Awards

• 1987 – Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap - Single for "I Need Love"
• 2003 – Quincy Jones Award, for "outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment"

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

• 2000 – "Favorite Supporting Actor – Action" from Deep Blue Sea

The New York Music Awards

• 15 New York Music Awards

Soul Train Awards

• 10 Soul Train Awards

Billboard Awards

• 1 Billboard Award

Rock The Vote Award

• 1997 – "Patrick Lippert Award"'

Source Awards

• 2003 – Source Foundation Image Award, for "his community work"

Long Island Music Hall of Fame

• 2007 – Inducted as part of the Inaugural Class of Inductees for his contribution to Long Island's rich musical heritage

BET Hip Hop Awards

• 2011 – Honored with the I Am Hip Hop Award for his contributions to hip-hop culture

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: LL Cool J

• Official website
• LL Cool J at the Internet Movie Database