LL Cool J has revealed he spent a lot of money on fast cars when he first started banking serious cash from his music career.
The 47-year-old star first found fame as a rapper when he was a teenager in the 1980s and he admits he splashed out on himself and his family when he got his first big pay cheques. In an interview with the Metro newspaper, he said: ''When I started out I bought my mother a house and had 10 or 12 cars - BMWs, Benzes, Porsches.''
LL - real name James Todd Smith - has enjoyed a successful acting career as well as being a hip hop hitmaker, but although he has a lot of money now he doesn't spend it like he used to when he was younger.
The 'NCIS: Los Angeles' actor insists his main purchases now are on new books and box fresh trainers. He revealed: ''The luxury I have in my life now is I can buy all the books I want and I can always have brand new trainers on. I remember going to school and having books that were already written in and had pages missing.
My thing isn't money. Don't get me wrong. I want £10 million right now, today. I'll take it. But that's not my sales pitch. I'm not trying to show people how rich I am. But I do like diamonds and nice things.''
He also makes sure he doesn't overindulge his four kids and he teaches them the value of money and hard work. LL explained: ''I teach them to be grateful and I don't spoil them. They have things but they won't ever have everything. I won't ever overdo it ... There has to be something in their lives to strive for and they have to learn the value of creativity.
It can't only be about money because no matter whose child your are the only thing that's really going to make your life amazing is creativity. If you're not creating in your life, your life won't be about anything. I don't want their life to be about what they can get from me.''
LL Cool J's car splurge
LL Cool J has revealed he spent a lot of money on fast cars when he first started banking serious cash from his music career.
The 47-year-old star first found fame as a rapper when he was a teenager in the 1980s and he admits he splashed out on himself and his family when he got his first big pay cheques. In an interview with the Metro newspaper, he said: ''When I started out I bought my mother a house and had 10 or 12 cars - BMWs, Benzes, Porsches.''
LL - real name James Todd Smith - has enjoyed a successful acting career as well as being a hip hop hitmaker, but although he has a lot of money now he doesn't spend it like he used to when he was younger.
The 'NCIS: Los Angeles' actor insists his main purchases now are on new books and box fresh trainers. He revealed: ''The luxury I have in my life now is I can buy all the books I want and I can always have brand new trainers on. I remember going to school and having books that were already written in and had pages missing.
My thing isn't money. Don't get me wrong. I want £10 million right now, today. I'll take it. But that's not my sales pitch. I'm not trying to show people how rich I am. But I do like diamonds and nice things.''
He also makes sure he doesn't overindulge his four kids and he teaches them the value of money and hard work. LL explained: ''I teach them to be grateful and I don't spoil them. They have things but they won't ever have everything. I won't ever overdo it ... There has to be something in their lives to strive for and they have to learn the value of creativity.
It can't only be about money because no matter whose child your are the only thing that's really going to make your life amazing is creativity. If you're not creating in your life, your life won't be about anything. I don't want their life to be about what they can get from me.''
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