- The first Def Jam act to release a single ("I Need A Beat," 1984) and an album (Radio, 1985) and first Def Jam act to release five consecutive studio LPs;
- The first rap artist to hit #1 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, with "I Need Love";
- The first rap artist to amass four consecutive RIAA platinum-plus selling albums, four RIAA gold singles, and 12 million worldwide album sales;
- The first rap artist to go acoustic for a headlining date on MTV's celebrated "Unplugged" program, back in May, 1991;
- The first rap artist to star as an undercover cop in a Hollywood movie (with Michael J. Fox and James Woods in The Hard Way, 1991), not to mention his cameo in Krush Groove, and his supporting role in Barry Levinson's current film, Toys;
- The first rap artist to be listed as one of the "Ten Sexiest Men in Rock" by Playgirl.
"The facts don't stop there: A record-setting total of 15 New York Music Awards for 1990 and 1991 (including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for Mama Said Knock You Out); ten "Soul Train" Awards, the 1991 Grammy award for "Best Rap Solo" (for "Mama Said Knock You Out" single); ... MTV's "Best Rap Video" award in 1991... Face it: You'd be hard-pressed to find another solo hip-hop act with the durability and staying power of LL Cool J, "the soul survivor of a thousand beats," as he puts it one of the slamming tracks from 14 Shots To The Dome, his fifth album on the Def Jam/Columbia label. But don't ever ask ask LL Cool J how it feels to still be in the game after so many platinum, chart-topping success years, dating back to 1985. "I hate when people say 'still.' Imagine asking a doctor, 'Yo man, you still a doctor?' It's not like I'm fighting to stay above water, I'm swimming and I got a shark's fin going at 100 miles per hour toward the shore." - Press Kit (1993)
