LL Cool J Gets Honorary Degree From Northeastern

BOSTON (CBS) - It's college graduation time in Boston and today Northeastern grads had a special guest and honoree. Actor and musician LL Cool J was there to see his daughter graduate and to become "Doctor" Cool J.

"I've been called a few things, but never a doctor, that's for sure," Cool J says laughing. His given name is James Todd Smith, but as LL Cool J he helped move Hip-Hop music into the popular culture.

As an actor, he's now one of the stars of the CBS show "NCIS Los Angeles." For his accomplishments, Northeastern awarded him an honorary Doctor of Arts degree. "For them to recognize my body of work and my contributions to the world of art is an amazing feeling," he says.

But his biggest joy today was seeing his daughter, Italia Smith, graduate with honors. And it was great for her to have her dad on stage. "It was emotional, it was exciting, I'm just happy to reach a new milestone," she says.

"It made me feel real proud because I know she put a lot of hard work in, a lot of dedication, a lot of commitment and a lot of hours," says the proud father.

We couldn't resist asking him about the season finale of NCIS LA. "There's a lot of peril and a lot of detriment. It could potentially lead to some cast changes, if it's not a spoiler alert," he says.

But does he mean his own character? "We'll see. You've got to check it out, you've got to check it out," he adds mysteriously.

You can watch LL Cool J on WBZ every Tuesday at 9pm on NCIS Los Angeles.

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