Rap artists are bum-rushing network TV. The latest to enter the lineup is L.L. Cool J (as in ''Ladies Love Cool James''), who will star with Debbie Allen in the new NBC sitcom In the House (Mondays, 8:30-9 p.m.). But as Cool says, ''Just because you have a record deal doesn't mean people are gonna want to sit on their couches and watch you every week.'' Here's how his predecessors have fared on TV so far. *The Fresh Prince (a.k.a. Will Smith) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His single ''Parents Just Don't Understand'' spawned an NBC sitcom success (which helped him win a lead role in the film Six Degrees of Separation). While physical comedy is Smith's strength, his dramatic attempts, like his last CD, are weak. B
* *Queen Latifah (a.k.a. Dana Owens) Living Single. Contrary to her name, she takes no regal approach to acting. She shelves the crown to become a real Jersey girl. A
*Sir Mix-A-Lot (a.k.a. Anthony Ray) The Watcher. He plays a Vegas voyeur who monitors the city's nocturnal activities. Not a real acting stretch for the man who boasts ''I like big butts and I cannot lie '' in the classic ''Baby Got Back.'' D
*Heavy D (a.k.a. Dwight Myers) Guest appearances on Roc, A Different World, and Living Single. His big, cuddly, ''Nuttin' But Love'' image makes him believable as the sensitive guy. B
*Ice-T (a.k.a. Tracey Marrow) Ice-T's Baadass TV (U.K. only) and an appearance on New York Undercover. The king of hip-hop-heavy metal ain't afraid to don Shaft-like attire for a laugh in London. Stateside, the man who wrote ''Cop Killer'' gives his best performances, ironically enough, in police dramas. The antiestablishment angst in his music translates well on screen. B+
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