In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, LL said he met his wife at 19 in their hometown of Queens, NY, on an Easter Sunday. The rapper said he drove down the street in his mother's car when he stopped by to say hello to a friend. "Hey, you want to meet my cousin?" asked the friend. At first, the rapper said he made an excuse to leave, but after seeing Simone, he changed his mind. "I looked over and said, 'Oh yeah, I'll meet your cousin.'" From there, it was history.

The couple's first of their four children, Najee, was born on Sept. 18, 1989.

 "Silky, milky her smile is like sunshine, that's why I had to dedicate at least one rhyme," he lyricized in the song about how no one compares to his partner. 

Baby girl Italia was next to be born for the happy couple on Jan. 3, 1991. "I just try to lead by example, encourage [my kids], make sure that they know they can do anything they put their minds to," said LL in an Oprah's Master Class episode.

The duo tied the knot on August 7, 1995.

Their third child, also the first to be born after marriage, was daughter Samaria on September 15, 1995. LL also attended the 65th Annual Father of the Year Awards 2006.

The Smith family was complete with their youngest daughter Nina born August 9, 2000. In an exclusive interview with BET.com, Simone commented on motherhood, saying, "I've learned patience. As you become a mother, it's no longer about you. You can love someone more than you love yourself."

In 2004 Simone was diagnosed with stage III chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and had to undergo an invasive reconstructive surgery on her right leg. She was later declared cancer-free in 2013, with her loving hubby by her side. He told Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter, "You don't abandon someone in that foxhole…you gotta be there in that foxhole with them."

The Smith's enjoyed a family outing at  Cirque du Soleil's dynamic Wintuk show at the theater in New York City's Madison Square Garden in November of  2008.

In 2011, Simone launched Simone I. Smith Jewelry with legend and long-time friend Mary J. Blige as a partner and collaborated with the American Cancer Society to support other women going through what she endured.

"It makes me feel really good to know that I have designed and created something that women love and that makes them feel good," Simone told BET.com. The rapper and actor was and is one of her biggest supporters, even pausing his career to help her through treatment and recovery.

In 2018, LL and Simone became grandparents to grandbaby King James after their second daughter Italia had a baby. She later had a daughter in September 2020, making them grandparents to two.

The power couple launched the "Beat Cancer Like a Boss" video with the American Cancer Society, with LL dropping the opening line, "How did my wife Simone beat cancer? Like a boss." The footage included other artists like Salt N' Pepa, Jhene Aiko, and Remy Ma embracing their 'boss behavior' to empower other Black women fighting cancer.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Smiths still found a way to celebrate their milestone 25th anniversary. The pair enjoyed an intimate candlelit dinner, thanks to some "special people" who made the night possible, as Simone detailed in her Instagram post.

Today the couple has 28 years of marriage under their belt. A lot can happen in nearly three decades, but they have truly defined what it means to let love prevail. Simone posted a throwback picture of the duo that not only shows how far they have come but also how their love is also steep in hip hop.