Ain't no stoppin' this sixth man.

In the scene that provides the title of Chris Rock's newest film as writer, director, and star, Top Five, his character defends LL Cool J's talents as an MC—"before the show," that is:

Unless I'm way off-base, "the show" is NCIS: Los Angeles, the CBS drama on which the rapper-actor born James Todd Smith has starred alongside Chris O'Donnell since 2009. But LL's first network series was the family sitcom In the House, which aired from 1995 to '96 on NBC before moving to UPN for three more seasons.

Two years prior to its debut Mr. Smith released his fifth album, 14 Shots to the Dome. On the track "Ain't No Stoppin' This" he grouses, "I guess I need a TV show to get mine / But I don't feel like kissin' no director's behind."

Well, not yet anyway. And if you don't kiss the right behind, you may find yourself on the lowest-rated network at the end of the 20th century.