Best Known As: The controversial female rapper of "No Time"
Name at birth: Kimberly Denise Jones
One of the few female stars in hardcore rap, Lil' Kim is known just as much for her tangles with the law, censors, and fashion police. She got her start with the help of Notorious B.I.G. and rappers Junior M.A.F.I.A.. She went solo in 1996 with the album Hard Core, which included the rap hit "No Time," a duet with Sean "Puffy" Combs. She quickly grew notorious for her sexually explicit lyrics and revealing clothes, and the almost-breast-baring outfit she wore to the 1999 MTV Video Awards gave her new fame. In 2005 she was convicted of lying to a federal grand jury about a 2001 shooting outside a Manhattan radio station. She was fined $50,000 and served 10 months in federal prison as inmate 56198-054 before being released in July of 2006. Her albums include The Notorious K.I.M. (2000), The Naked Truth (2005) and Ms. G.O.A.T. (2008). She has also dabbled in acting, appareing in the Rachael Leigh Cook film She's All That (1999) and Ben Stiller's 2001 comedy Zoolander, and Gang of Roses (2003).
Lil' Kim shared a Grammy in 2002 with Christina Aguilera, Pink and Mya. The four re-recorded the classic 1970s single "Lady Marmalade" for the soundtrack to the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge... "G.O.A.T." stands for Greatest Of All Time; the phrase has often been used by boxer Muhammad Ali... Her year of birth is unclear. Most sources say 1975, but some contend that federal prison records say she was born in 1974... Lil' Kim is sometimes confused with fellow female rapper Foxy Brown.
Born Kimberly Denise Jones, on July 11, 1975, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Ruby Mae and Linwood Jones.
Career
Rapper; albums: Hard Core, Undeas/Big Beat/Atlantic, 1996, Notorious K.I.M., Atlantic, 2000. Queen Bee Records, CEO. Actress, 1999- ; television appearances: VIP, 1999, DAG, 2001. Films: She's All That, 1999; Juwanna Mann, 2001; La Bella Mafia, 2003; The Naked Truth, 2005.
Life's Work
When Kimberly Denise Jones teamed up with Notorious B.I.G. in her Brooklyn neighborhood, she became the self-proclaimed "ghetto fabulous" Lil' Kim turned the tables on male-dominated rap. The four-foot-eleven-inch dynamo's hard-core rap songs focused on explicit sexuality long the domain of male rappers. She also turned heads with her bold image donned outrageous outfits that often revealed more than they hid. Although most of her records bore a "Parental Advisory" sticker Kim was a critical popular success scoring number-one hits and garnering lucrative endorsement deals.
From Ghetto to "Ghetto Fabulous"
Kim was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1975 to ruby Mae and Linwood Jones. She was raised in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, but that changed after her parents split up when she was nine. She bounced back and forth from one parent to the other until she ran away from home at 14. She dropped out of high school and lived with friends and, at times, on the streets.
Lil' Kim and her rapping talents soon were noticed by small-time drug pusher and up-and-coming rapper Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G. "We lived on the same block in Brooklyn," Kim said of meeting B.I.G. in an interview with Interview magazine. "I always thought he was cute, and when I first started talking to him, I felt like I'd known him for years ... friends of mine said to him, 'You know, Kim knows how to rap.' He was like, 'Please! She's too cute to know how to rap.'" The two also became involved romantically linked, and Kim was shattered when B.I.G. married singer Faith Evans in 1994. His rumored infidelity with Kim, with Kim becoming pregnant and having an abortion, became a source of gossip in the rap community, and inspired a bitter rivalry between Kim and Evans that the two would play out in the gossip columns, on stage, and with their respective record labels.
B.I.G. helped Kim become a member of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes) and start her career. She made her appearance on the group's hit debut single, "Player's Anthem." She also played a big part on the group's debut album, Conspiracy, which entered the top ten of the Billboard 200 in September of 1995. The album made it to number two on the Billboard R&B chart, and the group launched its first major tour, opening shows for Notorious B.I.G. on his U.S. tour. "Biggie thought I was just going to be this little female in the back, this girl he'd put in the group because he loved me," Kim was quoted as saying in her record-company biography. "But when we came out, everyone loved our songs 'Get Money' and 'Player's Anthem,' and we blew up."
Hard Core was Hard Core
Over the next couple of years, Kim honed her style, working with a variety of producers, lending her talents on a number of other artist's releases. She appeared on records by Mona Lisa, the Isley Brothers, and Skin Deep. Her debut album, Hard Core, was the result of her work with producers Sean "Puffy" Combs, High Class, and Jermaine Dupri.
Released in 1996, Hard Core was promoted as bold and provocative. Kim appeared scantily clad in a skimpy bikini, draped in furs on the record cover and in ads promoting the album, and Hard Core debuted at number eleven on the pop charts. It was the highest-ever debut for a female hip-hop artist on the Billboard 200. The first single, a duet with Combs, "No Time," spent nine weeks at number one on the rap charts.
Critics and hard-core rap fans stood up and took notice when Kim released Hard Core. With her raunchy lyrics, and sexual take-no-prisoners attitude, Kim had crossed into territory previously visited only by male rappers. "Kim is a revolutionary figure in the sense that she's a woman who is articulating the same perverted thoughts that men have been rhyming about for years," wrote one critic in CMJ. "Asserting herself sexually like a hip-hop Millie Jackson, Kim's ribald accounts of healthy sexual appetite come off as empowering," wrote another in Time Out.
An Outrageous Diva
Although her lyrics were considered more macho than feminine, Kim's wardrobe was decadent and all woman. She shunned the hip-hop uniform of baggy pants, shirts, and boots, in favor of revealing leather and mink catsuits, rhinestone headpieces, and carefully placed pasties. "I take bits and pieces from everybody," Kim was quoted as saying of her fashion sense in Vibe. "I've always studied the fashion of women who were beautiful and glamorous....A lot of credit goes to my mom as well. She's got a great sense of style," she continued.
Kim's lyrics and style indicated to many that Kim saw herself as a very liberated black woman, and she fully expected her work and image to be accepted by blacks and feminists. She was, however, criticized by some African Americans for donning lavish blonde wigs and wearing blue contact lenses. Some feminists denounced her for exploiting her sexuality and having her breasts enlarged. In an Essence article, writer Akissi Britton in an open letter to Kim, remarked that "feminism is about embracing our power without reducing it to what's between our legs.""I thought women were gonna be behind me," Kim said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, and added the criticism "discouraged" her.
Where some found criticism, others found praise for Kim. "Her capacity to calculate what you want her to be and then become it--a skill she honed in the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y.--makes her damn near interactive," wrote Robert Marriott in Vibe. "Raunchy, vulnerable, demure. Mae West. Bessie Smith. Lady Godiva. Blue-eyed Barbarella, aqua-haired ghetto mermaid--she's the virtual black girl staring at you from billboards and magazine covers in a dazzling array of guises," he continued. Essence stated that many found Kim's message "empowering."
Notorious B.I.G. Inspired Notorious K.I.M.
On March 9th, 1997, Kim received a blow in her personal life that directly affected her professionally. Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down as he left an event in Los Angeles. "He was everything to me. My father, brother, and mentor," Kim was quoted as saying in her record-company bio. "He would tell me when to go to sleep, when to wake up. It was crazy. Big had a plan for me....He contributed so much to my life--and he still does....I'll always love him with all my heart." Kim wasn't up to recording her own second record that year, but managed to contribute to recordings by Jay-Z, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Mobb Deep, Funkmaster Flex, and Black Rob.
Kim revisited Combs' own New York City studio, Daddy's House, to record her long-awaited second album, The Notorious K.I.M. Producers "Shaft" and Mario Winans were among the many who lent their skills to the effort. After overseeing the rapper's second album Combs told Vibe, "Kim's a true artist. She's a perfectionist." Kim's perfectionism paid off, and The Notorious K.I.M. debuted at number four and went platinum.
Though brash and blunt on the rest of the album, Kim exposed her vulnerable side on the single "Hold On." On the track's vocals, Kim was joined by her best friend Mary J. Blige. "It's a song a wrote for Big," she said of "Hold On" in The Source. "I could only get through it once. I would always break down and cry." B.I.G.'s name appeared as executive producer in the album's credits and is honored in the album title itself.
Became a Sought-after Star
Kim and Blige met early in Kim's career, when Junior M.A.F.I.A. was opening for Blige. "She taught me always to go with my first instinct and always to be a woman," Kim said of Blige in Interview. "She said, 'Kim, you are a strong, beautiful, and smart woman. You can make your own decisions.'" Kim subsequently contributed to Blige's 1997 release, Share My World, and the two appeared together in a lipstick campaign for MAC Cosmetics. Kim also promoted Candie's shoes and Iceberg jeans.
Kim set her sights beyond making records, and spent much of her time between records working on her career as a crossover star. She made her debuts on the big and small screens in 1999. She appeared on VIP, the TV series starring her pal Pamela Anderson, and showed up in She's All That, which starred teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze, Jr. She launched her own label, Queen Bee Records, of which she is CEO. She has signed fellow Junior M.A.F.I.A member, 'Lil Cease, and executive produced his solo album. Kim made her way into the mainstream spotlight as a presenter at the VH1 Fashion Awards and The Source Awards. She was invited to induct Earth, Wind & Fire into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame with fellow presenters Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Patti Smith, and John Mellencamp. She appeared on the covers of such magazines as Vibe, The Source, Out, XXL, Genre, Sister 2 Sister, Honey, and Interview.
After the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, Kim's name was prominent in gossip columns after pop legend Diana Ross acknowledged her with a love tap to her left breast. "People always make a big deal out of nothing," Kim was quoted as saying in her bio of the incident. "Behind stage, she and I kicked it. She was like the most down-to-earth icon I've ever met!"
Rivalry Lead to Shooting
A feud between Lil Kim and Foxy Brown has risen to a level that eerily mimicked the rivalry between slain rappers, Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Neither rapper can remember what started the war, but Kim and Brown have been exchanging heated words--on records and in interviews--for years. Both began as friends but the friendship has dissolved into an on-going feud that continued to enlarge.
Brown recorded a rap that included some "choice" words for Kim on rap duo's Capone-N-Noreaga's song, "Bang Bang." In February of 2001, Kim's entourage and Capone-N-Noreaga's entourage were involved in a shootout that severely injured one person. By the time the police arrived, everyone had fled the scene. Though Kim denied any involvement--even saying she wasn't there, security surveillance caught Kim's limousine slowing down to pick up some of her entourage after the shooting. Brown, who was not at the scene, tried to set up a meeting in the weeks after the shooting. There was no response from Kim.
Lil' Kim came out with the album La Bella Mafia in 2003, for which she won the Source Hip-Hop Music Award for female artist of the year. Then in August of 2004 Lil' Kim announced the startup of her personal designer watch label, Royalty, which will be manufactured by celebrity jeweler Jacob Arabo. On a down side, in March of 2005 Lil' Kim was convicted on federal perjury charges regarding that shooting incident in Manhattan in 2001. She was acquitted of the more serious charge of obstruction of justice, but she still received a sentence of one year and one day in jail plus a $50,000 fine. She began her sentence on September 19. She spent her days before going into jail finishing up her album, The Naked Truth, and filming a few videos to go with it. Much of the album dealt with her feelings surrounding her upcoming imprisonment, but she put a brave face on all of it. She even mentions Martha Stewart, who herself just recently got out of jail, in one of her songs. The album was released in late September. People magazine said of it, "The Naked Truth is hardly perfect; it's too long and has too much filler. But it sure does leave you waiting to hear what she comes up with when she gets out of prison."
In the midst of all this, Kim's goal was to become an entrepreneur and household name, according to an interview in Ebony. "I want the world to know that I can do anything," she said. "I'm versatile. ...I want people in India to know me. I want people in China to know me. I love people. That's my main reason for working so hard and wanting to get there. ...I see how much people love me, are empowered by me, and I know God has a reason for me being who I am," she concluded.
Awards
Platinum record for sales over one million, 1997 and 2000; won two Soul Train/Lady of Soul awards; Source Hip-Hop Music Award for female artist of the year, 2003.
Works
Selected discography
(as solo artist)
Hard Core, Undeas/Big Beat/Atlantic, 1996.
Notorious K.I.M., Atlantic, 2000.
(with Junior M.A.F.I.A.)
Conspiracy, Atlantic, 1995.
La Bella Mafia, Atlantic, 2003.
The Naked Truth, Atlantic, 2005.
Selected EP's, singles
Player's Anthem, Undeas/Atlantic, 1995.
No Time, Atlantic, 1996.
Not Tonight, Atlantic, 1997.
Hold On, Atlantic, 2000.
How Many Licks, Atlantic, 2000.
Videos
#2 X-Rated, 1997.
Best of Lil' Kim, 2000.
Guest Appearances
High School High (original soundtrack), Various Artists, 1996.
Sunset Park (original soundtrack), (with Junior M.A.F.I.A.),1996.
Share My World, Mary J. Blige, 1997.
Money Talks (original soundtrack), Various Artists, 1997.
My Way, Usher, 1997.
Chef Aid: The South Park Album, Various Artists, 1998.
Jermaine Dupri Presents: Life in 1472, Jermaine Dupri, 1998.
Hell City, Hell, Various Artists, 1998.
Forever, Puff Daddy, 1999.
Tunnel, Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap, 1999.
Wonderful World of Cease A Leo, Lil' Cease, 1999.
Selected filmography
She's All That, 1999.
Juwanna Mann, 2001.
Notable TV appearances
VIP, "Mao Better Blues," 1999.
Further Reading
Periodicals
Ebony, October 2000, p. 184.
Entertainment Weekly, July 14, 2000, p. 77.
Essence, October 2001, p. 112.
Harper's Bazaar, April 2000, p. 196.
Newsweek, September 26, 2005, p. 56.
People, September 26, 2005, p. 86; October 24, 2005, p. 49.
USA Today, www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-08-11-lilkim-watches_x.htm (August 11, 2004).
Additional information was obtained at All-Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com, Atlantic Records, http://www.atlantic-records.com, EOnline, http://www.eonline.com, Electronic Urban Report, http://www.eurweb.com, Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com, and Wall of Sound, http://www.wallofsound.go.com/artists/lilkim/home.html.
Born Kimberly Denise Jones c. 1976 in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Linwood, a former U.S. Army sergeant and bus driver, and Ruby Mae Jones, a department store clerk.
Met the Notorious B.I.G., real name Christopher Wallace, at age 16; joined Brooklyn rap collective Junior M.A.F.I.A. and appeared on Conspiracy, 1995; released solo debut, Hard Core, 1996; made film debut in She’s All That, formed Queen Bee Records, 1999; acted in blockbuster film Scary Movie, released album paying tribute to Wallace entitled Notorious K.I.M., 2000.
Addresses:Record company—Atlantic Records, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY 10104, phone: (212) 707-2533, fax: (212) 405-5665, website: http://www.atlantic-records.com.
Rap/hip-hop artist
Provocative, explicit, street savvy, and controversial, Lil’ Kim has proven that hardcore rhyming is not just for the boys, opening up new possibilities to other women rappers. Since her 1996 debut appropriately entitled Hardcore, Kim’s influences surfaced time and again throughout the hip-hop world, most notably in the music of Foxy Brown and Queen Pen. Kim’s style, unmistakably sexy yet never submissive, raised her profile to rare heights, and despite the fact that she did not release a second album, Notorious K.I.M., a tribute to her slain mentor and lover Notorious B.I.G., until the year 2000, her image was still fresh in the public’s mind. Roles on television and in film, glitzy fashion and cosmetic advertisements, and glamorous photographs gracing magazine covers kept Kim in the spotlight.
Today, Lil’ Kim’s life of high public profile seems a world away from that of her upbringing, although the tragedies she endured as a youngster arguably influenced her music. Born Kimberly Denise Jones around 1976, the daughter of Linwood, a former United States Army sergeant and bus driver, and Ruby Mae Jones, then a department store clerk, Kim and older brother Christopher grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. As a child, she excelled in her studies at the Queen of All Saints Catholic School, but at the age of nine, when her parents divorced, Kim’s life was turned upside down. Kim, her mother and brother were forced to stay with family members and slept on various couches.
Eventually, Ruby found herself unable to care for Kim and Christopher on her own and relinquished custody to the children’s father, who instituted a set of strict house rules that Kim quickly rebelled against. Kim and her father fought and argued constantly, and at times their disputes would lead to physical violence. During one fight, according to Kim, she stabbed her father in the shoulder with a pair of scissors. In an attempt to ease tensions within the home, Linwood, who had since remarried, took Kim to see a therapist. Nonetheless, the arguments persisted, and Kim, barely a teenager, ran away from home to live with the first of several boyfriends, often selling drugs for financial support.
In the early 1990s, however, Kim’s life began to change for the better after a chance meeting with an up-and-coming rap artist named Christopher Wallace. "We lived on the same block in Brooklyn," she recalled in an Interview feature, as quoted by Atlantic Records. "I always thought he was cute, and when I first started talking to him, I felt like I’d known him for years. I was working at Bloomingdales and friends of mine said to him, ‘You know, Kim knows how to rap.’ He was like, Please! She’s too cute to know how to rap.’" Wallace, at the time about to make waves in the rap world as Biggie Smalls—later known as the Notorious B.I.G.—with his 1993 debut hit song "Party and Bullsh**," convinced Kim to try rapping.
Groomed For Rap Stardom Assuming the role as Kim’s mentor, Wallace, the person most responsible for enabling Kim to evolve into one of hip-hop’s most visible stars, took the 16-year-old under his wing. "We were really partners—like Bonnie and Clyde for real—and we lived our life like that," Kim said to Steve Jones in USA Today. "He taught me everything I know…. Biggie still is the greatest rapper in the world. That’s why God put him in this world, so that everybody could get a taste of what this game is all about." Despite the couple’s close bond, Wallace later married another artist from producer and record executive Sean "Puffy" Combs’ growing Bad Boy Entertainment crew, singer-songwriter Faith Evans, initiating a stormy and quite public love triangle that continued to invite speculation long after Wallace’s death. According to a 1998 People magazine interview, Kim stated that she once turned down a marriage proposal from Wallace because she didn’t feel ready, but admitted to other members of the press on numerous occasions that she resented the couple’s relationship. At the time of Wallace’s murder, he and Evans, though not divorced, were in fact separated, adding to the scandalous rumors.
Whatever the circumstances of their romance, the moment for Lil’ Kim had arrived when she hooked up with Wallace. In 1994, Notorious B.I.G. released the album Ready To Die, an overwhelming success that allowed him and friend Lance "Un" Rivera to form Undeas, an imprint label under Atlantic Records. Channeling his growing clout within the hip-hop industry, Wallace launched the Brooklyn rap collective Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes) as Undeas’ first signing. Comprised of Biggie, Kim, The 6’s (LiP Cease, Chico, and Nino Brown), The Snakes (cousins Trife and Larceny), and Solo MC Klepto, Junior M.A.F.I.A. made an immediate impact, entering the top ten of the Billboard 200 pop album chart in September of 1995 with the certified platinum album Conspiracy And as the record swiftly climbed in popularity, peaking at number two on the Billboard R&B chart, Lil’ Kim shined as the group’s breakout star. She appeared on two of the record’s standout tracks—the gold-selling single "Players’ Anthem," with the Notorious B.I.G. and Lil’ Cease, and "I Need You Tonight," with Lil’ Cease and Aaliyah—as well as the platinum-selling single "Get Money," a duet with B.I.G.
That fall, Junior M.A.F.I.A. embarked upon their first major tour, opening shows for the Notorious B.I.G. nationwide. Meanwhile, Wallace and Kim hatched plans for the rising star’s solo debut, Hard Core. Upon its release in November of 1996, Hard Core took the number 11 position on the Billboard 200, marking the highest-ever debut for a female hip-hop artist in the chart’s history. It, too, eventually went platinum and spawned several smash hits, including "Crush On You," also featuring B.I.G. and Lil’ Cease, and "No Time," a duet with Puffy, who also produced Hard Core, that spent nine weeks at number one on the rap chart and earned Kim yet another platinum award.
Sexual Exploits Sparked Debate But Hard Core also inspired heated debate. While Kim was no stranger to harsh lyrics, as evidenced by her performance on Conspiracy she pushed herself even further with her solo debut. Scantily dressed and sprawled across the album cover spread-eagle, Kim without inhibition rapped about sexual exploits in graphic detail, especially on the tracks "Queen Bi***" and "Not Tonight." Not since H.W.A. and Bi***es With Problems in the early 1990s had a female rap artist taken accounts of sexual appetite to such limits. Moreover, many believed that as one of the most visible women in hip-hop, Kim, regardless of her undeniable talent for rhyming, set a difficult standard for others with her sexed-up image. Following Kim’s popular success, as well as that of her one-time friend Foxy Brown, other female rappers felt it necessary to adopt glamorous, provocative attire and boast about sexual experiences in order to sell records.
All the while, Kim was a hot topic of conversation among music critics, who credited her with ushering in a new era for commercial rap—one where women adopted the same hard rhythms and explicit lyrics as their male counterparts. "Kim is a revolutionary figure in the sense that she’s a woman who is articulating the same perverted thoughts that men have been rhyming about for years," concluded one reviewer for CMJ, while Spin stated that "Kim is possessed of so much natural panache and audacity that she packs the attack of a 50-foot woman." Suddenly, Kim stood at the top of her game, but would soon receive devastating news that would change her life forever.
On March 9, 1997, the Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death as he left a music industry event at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, possibly a reaction to the 1996 shooting death of Death Row rap star and actor Tupac Shakur that may have resulted from a growing rivalry between Combs’ Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records. Luckily, both murders led to a thawing of tensions within the hip-hop community rather than more violence. But as a member of Combs’ growing empire and participant in the prior dispute between the two labels, Kim was devastated by B.I.G.’s assassination, a shattering blow that continued to haunt her for years to come. "Trust me, after B.I.G. died, the drama did not stop," she told Jones. "I just try to deal with it and hope that it turns out all right."
Aside from personal suffering, another consequence of Wallace’s death was a falling-out with Undeas Recordings CEO Rivera. While struggling to cope with her loss and waiting for a new record deal to come along, Kim maintained a high profile by contributing to recordings by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott ("Hit ’Em Wit Da Hee"), the Lox ("Money, Power, and Respect"), Puff Daddy ("It’s All About the Benjamins"), Jay-Z, Mobb Deep ("Quiet Storm" remix), Funkmaster Flex, Black Rob, Jermaine Dupri, and even rocker Tommy Lee’s Methods of Mayhem, as well as to the film soundtracks for Booty Call, Don’t Be a Menace While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, and Nothing to Lose, the later featuring a remix of "Not Tonight" re-titled "Ladies Night" with Angie Martinez, Da Brat, TLC’s Left Eye, and Missy Elliott.
Acting Roles and Endorsements Additionally, Kim forged a career in other areas of the entertainment business, pushing the young star further into the consciousness of American pop culture. In 1999, she debuted on television in the season finale of Pamela Anderson’s series VIP, landed a role in the film She’s All That, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., and secured advertising endorsement deals with MAC Cosmetics as spokesperson for Viva Glam III lipstick (with proceeds going to the MAC AIDS Fund), Candies shoes, and Iceberg jeans, then returned to the music industry in 1999 as CEO of her own label, Queen Bee Records, an Atlantic imprint. Soon thereafter, the label launched with the release of a debut album from Lil’ Cease, The Wonderful World of Cease-A-Leo, featuring the Cease/Kim collaboration "Play Around." Also that year, Kim earned two Soul Train/Lady of Soul awards and presented honors to other artists for the VHI Fashion Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards, and the Source Awards.
The following year, Kim contributed a song to the Bad Boy tribute album to Notorious B.I.G. entitled Born Again, inducted Earth, Wind & Fire into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during ceremonies held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, and appeared in the summer of 2000 on the big screen again in the blockbuster film Scary Movie, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Then in late June of that year, four years after her solo debut, Kim released Notorious K.I.M., the title and executive producer credits a tribute to Wallace. Although songs like "How Many Licks," featuring singer Sisqo, recalled the same explicit nature of Hard Core, Kim realized she needed to tone down her lyrics in order to receive more airplay on commercial radio.
Solo Career Took a New Direction "With this album I knew I had to be creative and versatile," she explained to Jones. "I didn’t go away from (explicit material) too much, though…. I felt the need to kick it like the fellas do, but from a female perspective." For example, on the track titled "Hold On," performed with Mary J. Blige, Kim discusses her life with Wallace and reveals that she terminated a pregnancy by him a year before his death. Not only did she want to express her feeling for her former lover with the song, but also wanted to pay tribute to women everywhere by identifying with some of their same sufferings. Moreover, Notorious K.I.M. proved Kim’s ability to pen rhymes on her own. Since her stunning debut, many had credited Wallace for molding lyrics for her, saying that she was not an MC in her own right.
Able to assume all the credit for her songs and in complete control of her own musical direction, Kim—now a businesswoman and budding actor in addition to a revolutionary force in hip-hop—intended to take her status beyond that of rap’s most provocative performer. One day, she hopes to rise to the status of icons such as Diana Ross and Tina Turner, two of pop’s greatest divas, without forgetting the people who enabled her to succeed. "People may call me a diva, but I don’t like the word because it is associated with stink-nasty attitudes, and I don’t have that," said Kim. "I’m not always real nice, but I am nice to my fans because they have nothing to do with what I’m going through."
Sources Periodicals Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 29, 1999. Billboard, December 5, 1998. Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1997; May 10, 1997; May 16, 1997. USA Today, June 30, 2000. Village Voice, February 9, 1999.
After making her presence known on Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s debut album, Conspiracy, Lil' Kim launched a solo career in 1996 with the release of her first record, Hard Core. As the album's title implies, Kim was a rarity among female rappers -- one who not only concentrated on edgy hardcore rap but also explicit sexuality, two territories that had long been the province of male rappers. Of course, Kim's near-pornographic sexuality and hard-edged rhythms made her an anomaly within hip-hop, but Hard Core proved that she was no novelty, as it garnered positive reviews and strong sales.
A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Lil' Kim was raised by her parents until they split up when she was nine years old. Following their separation, she lived with her father, yet he threw her out of the house when she was a teenager. As a teen, she lived with her friends and, occasionally, on the streets. Eventually, she and her rhyming skills came to the attention of Biggie Smalls, who helped her cultivate her career. Smalls helped her become a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A., and Kim was a key part of the group's hit debut single, "Player's Anthem." Kim also made a big impression on the remainder of Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s 1995 debut album, Conspiracy.
Following the release of Conspiracy, Kim appeared on records by Mona Lisa, the Isley Brothers, Total, and Skin Deep. For her debut album, she worked with a variety of producers, including Sean "Puffy" Combs, High Class, Jermaine Dupri, and Ski. The result, entitled Hard Core, was released in late 1996. Kim's marketing campaign for the album was quite provocative -- she was dressed in a skimpy bikini and furs in the advertisements, as well as the album covers -- but instead of resulting in a backlash, the album became a hit, debuting at number 11 on the pop charts. The first single from the album, "No Time," a duet with Sean "Puffy" Combs, became a number one rap single. The long-awaited Notorious K.I.M. followed in 2000, and then came La Bella Mafia in 2003.
Two years later Kim was in court defending herself against a perjury charge. She was eventually convicted of lying to a federal grand jury about her knowledge of a 2001 shooting outside of New York's influential radio station Hot 97 FM. Kim had claimed she wasn't aware that her manager and a friend were present, but surveillance cameras proved the two were there. In September of that year, the new album The Naked Truth appeared while its "Lighters Up" single was dominating urban radio. Documenting the rapper's preparations for incarceration, the BET reality show Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown first aired in March 2006 and became the most watched series debut in the network's history.
On July 3, 2006, she was released on good behavior after serving ten months of her 12-month sentence. Kim exited the prison in a silver Rolls-Royce. She quickly returned to the music scene in 2007, participating in a number of remixes, collaborations, and concert appearances with the likes of Diddy, Keyshia Cole, Missy Elliott, and 50 Cent, among others. The following year, Kim released Ms. G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), which was produced by Mister Cee, Lance Rivera, the Trackmasters, and DJ Whookid. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974[1]), better known by her stage nameLil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A..
Jones was born and raised in Brooklyn, living much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. As a teenager, Kim would rap for fun, being heavily influenced by other female MC'S like MC Lyte and Lady of Rage. When word got to The Notorious B.I.G. that she could rhyme, he made Jones perform a freestyle for him on the spot. Impressed with her, he took her in and she began her music career in 1995 with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose debut album Conspiracy generated three hit singles. In late 1996, her solo debut album Hard Core was released. Hard Core was certified double platinum and spawned three consecutive #1 rap hits that included: "No Time" "Not Tonight (Ladies Night remix)" and "Crush on You", a record for a female rapper. Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), both were certified platinum by the RIAA, making Kim the only female rapper besides Missy Elliott to have at least 3 platinum albums. Kim solidified her star power in 2001, when "Lady Marmalade", a song Kim was featured on, went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That made her the first female rapper to earn a #1 on that chart. In 2005, she served a year long prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends' involvement in a shooting four years earlier. During her incarceration, her fourth album The Naked Truth was released. Lil' Kim returned to the public spotlight in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars.
Jones was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the New York City borough Brooklyn to parents Linwood Jones and Ruby Mae.[2] At the age of 9, her parents separated, and her father raised her until he expelled her from home when she was a teenager. Thus, she lived with her friends and even on the streets. While struggling through her personal life, Kim met The Notorious B.I.G., who was a key figure in both her personal and artistic life, particularly when Wallace had gained popularity and influence through his relationship with Bad Boy Records.[3] As a teenager, Jones attended Brooklyn College Academy, the same school were fellow rappers Nas and Foxy Brown attended. She dropped out of high school as a teenager, and worked as a cashier for department store Bloomingdale's for a short period of time.
Music career
Early career with Junior M.A.F.I.A.
In 1994, B.I.G. was instrumental in introducing and promoting the Brooklyn based group, Junior M.A.F.I.A., which included Lil' Kim. The group's first and only album was titled Conspiracy.[3] Three hit singles came from Conspiracy: "Player's Anthem" (peaked at #7 on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart), "I Need You Tonight" (#43 R&B, #12 Rap), and "Get Money" (#17 on the BillboardHot 100, #4 R&B, #2 Rap).[4] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Conspiracy Gold on December 6, 1995, marking sales of 500,000 units. "Player's Anthem" was Gold, and "Get Money" went Platinum (sales of a million units).[5]
Hard Core (1996)
After a year with Junior M.A.F.I.A., Jones began a solo career by making guest performances on R&B albums and recording her debut album, Hard Core, which was released in November 1996. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[6]Hard Core was RIAA-certified double platinum on March 14, 2001 after having been certified Gold on January 6, 1997 and Platinum on June 3, 1997.[7] The album's lead single "No Time", a duet with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs (who would later change his stage name to "P. Diddy" and then "Diddy"), reached the top spot of the BillboardHot Rap Tracks chart[3] and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[5] The following single, "Crush on You", reached #6 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the rap chart.[8] A remix of the album's track "Not Tonight" saw Lil' Kim team up with Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez, Da Brat and Left Eye of TLC. The song was part of the soundtrack to the Martin Lawrence movie Nothing To Lose, nominated for a Grammy Award, and certified Platinum.[5] In one stockholders' meeting of Warner Bros. Records, activist C. Delores Tucker criticized the label "for producing this filth," referring to perceived graphic sexual content in Kim's lyrics, and labeling them "gangsta porno rap".[9]
The Notorious K.I.M. (2000-2002)
From 1998 to 2000, Kim continued her road to stardom under the management of B.I.G.'s best friend, Damion "D-Roc" Butler's "Roc Management", touring and modeling for various fashion and pop culture companies including Candies, Versace, Iceberg, and Baby Phat. In 1998, she performed in P. Diddy's "No Way Out" tour.[10] In the same year, she launched her own label Queen Bee Entertainment and even though she had not had an album of her own released, she was seen on dozens of remixes and guest appearances on other artist's records. On June 27, 2000, Kim released her second album The Notorious K.I.M. The album marked a new image and revamped look for the rapper. Despite the limited success of its singles, the album reached #4 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA.[5] It was on this LP that the well-known hip-hop feud between Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown blossmed.
In 2001, Lil' Kim teamed up with Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Mýa to remake "Lady Marmalade", which was originally written about a bordello in New Orleans and performed by the group Labelle (which included diva Patti LaBelle) 25 years earlier. The song was recorded for the Moulin Rouge! film soundtrack, released in April 2001, and stayed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. The song also went to #1 in 50 countries around the world. This was a big accomplishment for female rap, as well as for Kim, who scored her first #1 Hot 100 hit and became the first female rapper in history to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Lady Marmalade" also garnered Kim her first Grammy Award.
Lil' Kim also performed in two international hit singles. "In the Air Tonite", a remix of the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight" and duet with Collins, was released as a single from the Collins tribute album Urban Renewal. "Kimnotyze" is the lead single of record producer DJ Tomekk's compilation album Beat Of Life, Vol 1. It was released in Switzerland, Austria and Germany only. The song was successful, becoming Lil' Kim's third consecutive Top 10 hit in Germany after her number 5 hit "Lady Marmalade".
In 2002, Lil' Kim recorded a new entrance theme for then World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Women's Champion Trish Stratus entitled, "Time to Rock 'n Roll", which was used during broadcasts, until Stratus' retirement. The single was released on WWE Anthology, a compilation of entrance theme music to various professional wrestling superstars.
La Bella Mafia (2003)
On March 4, 2003, Kim released her third critically acclaimed album, La Bella Mafia. Highly rated (4.5 mics) by music magazine The Source, La Bella Mafia spawned the hit "The Jump Off" featuring Mr. Cheeks, which climbed to number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single "Magic Stick", feat. 50 Cent, hit #2 on the Hot 100 without a video ever being shot.
La Bella Mafia debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200. Kim was nominated for five Source Awards and won two ("Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year", and "Female Single of the Year"). This album also got two Grammy Award nominations: Best Female Rap Solo Performance ("Came Back For You") and Best Rap Collaboration ("Magic Stick"). She was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with singer Christina Aguilera for the song "Can't Hold Us Down", from Aguilera's album Stripped.
Greg Thomas, an English professor at Syracuse University, began teaching "Hip-Hop Eshu: Queen B@#$H Lyricism 101". Kim herself was a guest speaker at the school. Professor Thomas considered Kim's lyrics "the art with the most profound sexual politics I've ever seen anywhere."[11]David Horowitz criticized the course as "academic degeneracy and decline".[12] Lil' Kim also made an appearance on the multi-platform videogame Def Jam: Fight for NY. Kim provided voice-overs for her part in the storyline, where the player may fight an opponent to have Lil' Kim as his girlfriend.[13]
The Naked Truth (2005-2008)
Kim released a fourth album, The Naked Truth, on September 27, 2005, while serving a federal prison sentence (see below). It earned her a 5 mic rating from The Source, making her the only female rapper to ever receive a 5 mic rating. The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 charts, giving Kim her Third Top 10 debut on the charts. The Naked Truth did not sell as well as her previous works, selling less than 400,000 copies. Kim has said that her prison sentence left her with no time to promote the project. There have been many rumors about a re-release of Truth but to no avail.The music video for The Naked Truth's first single, "Lighters Up" was number one on BET's 106 & Park for two weeks. "Lighters Up", was a Top Ten hit on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The single also reached #67 on the German Single Chart, #12 on the UK Top 75 and #4 on the Finland Single Chart. The second single, "Whoa" was released on February 17, 2006. It reached No. 22 on Airplay. The Dance Remixes extended play was also released in 2005. Kim also made appearances on the show Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For The Next Doll and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious in 2007 and 2008. Ms. G.O.A.T., an acronym for "Greatest Of All Time",[14][15] is the debut mixtape by Lil' Kim. It was officially released on June 3, 2008[16] and was produced by Mister Cee and DJ Whoo Kid, DJ's from New York City.[17] Among critics, the album has received generally positive reviews.[18][19][20] It has been called a representation of Lil' Kim's return to the streets.[21] Tito Salinas of All Hip Hop says "Lil’ Kim shows that her time behind bars did not rust all of her swag away" on Ms. G.O.A.T.[19] On the other hand, Ehren Gresehover of New York Mag says that although one of the tracks "The Miseducation of Lil' Kim" is not bad, he wished that it was Lauryn Hill who was making a comeback instead.[22]
5th Studio Album (2011-present)
On March 10, 2009, the song "Girls" by the Korean singer, Seven featuring Lil' Kim was released through digital stores for his U.S. debut single. Kim appeared in the music video that was released on the same day. "Girls" was produced by Darkchild. On March 24, 2009, Kim released the song "Download" featuring R&B singers T-Pain and Charlie Wilson. It was written by Lil Kim and T-Pain and produced by Trackmasters. The song samples "Computer Love" by Zapp. Peaking at #21 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It eventually made it to the top 10 US Urban Radio airplay and the top 30 UK Single Charts at #22. In December 2010, Kim filmed music videos for the second and third singles from her fifth studio album releasing in 2011.[23][24]
Kim confirmed in January, 2011 that she would be releasing her next album which is currently untitled in 2012.[25] Kim is working with producer Dr. Dre and 50 Cent on her album.[26] Kim is expected to make a guest appearance on a track from 50 Cent's upcoming studio album as well as Dr. Dre's 2011 album Detox and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' album Still Cool.[27] Kim released a mixtape titled Black Friday on February 14, 2011. In a recent radio interview at 99 Jamz, Kim stated that her upcoming book, "The Price of Loyalty", is on hold to coincide with the release of her fifth studio album, to be release in the next coming months.[28] It was announced by Kim that the upcoming and lead single to her next studio album, is titled "Looks Like Money", and is produced by Rockwilder.[29] On June 19, Kim preformed along side G-Unit member Shawty Lo and hinted a possible working relationship with G-Unit Records. Kim is also featured along with Rick Ross on a track titled "Anything (To Find You)", by R&B singer Monica, off her upcoming album "New Life", but her verse was removed due to contractual issues. On November 28, 2011 Lil' Kim released a new buzz single called "I Am Not the One" which is available on iTunes. Kim has announced that she will be releasing an EP.[30]
Other ventures
Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown
On March 9, 2006, BET premiered the show Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, which was filmed before Kim headed to prison. The show became the highest rated premiere in BET history, with 1.7 million viewers. In May 2006, Debbie Harry released a Lil' Kim tribute song called "Dirty and Deep" in protest of her conviction. The song is available free from the Deborah Harry Home Page.
Dancing With the Stars
Lil' Kim appeared on the eighth seasonreality showDancing with the Stars, which began airing on March 9, 2009. She was paired with professional dancer Derek Hough until the dance couple was eliminated on May 5, 2009,[31] putting her at fifth place from all thirteen contestants that season. During the second week of the season, judge Len Goodman said that she "must have a bionic booty," a nickname that resulted from her performance of the selected dance that evening.
Legal issues
On March 17, 2005, Kim was convicted of three counts of conspiracy and one count of perjury for lying to a Federal grand jury about her and her friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan.[32] During the trial of her co-manager, Damion "D-Roc" Butler, and her bodyguard, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a former member of the hip-hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A, she testified not to have known they were at the scene.[33] However, video footage from a security camera placed all three at the scene, exiting the building. This directly contravened testimony before the grand jury.[34] Butler and Jackson have since pled guilty to gun charges. Jackson was sentenced, in U.S. District Court, to twelve years in federal prison as part of plea bargain in which he admitted to firing at least twenty rounds during the incident. The length of the sentence was said to have been influenced by his previous gun-related convictions.[33] In July 2005, Kim was sentenced to a one year and a day in prison, thirty days home detention upon release from custody, and three years of probation. She served the entirety of her sentence at the Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia in Center City, Philadelphia. She was released on July 3, 2006, after serving approximately 12 months.[34] Kim, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Register #56198-054, was released from BOP supervision on August 2, 2006.[35][36]
^Wolf, Buck (2004-11-09). ["Hip-Hop Eshu: Queen B@#$H 101 -- The Life and Times of Lil' Kim" "Queen B 101: College Lessons in Stardom"]. ABC News. "Hip-Hop Eshu: Queen B@#$H 101 -- The Life and Times of Lil' Kim". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
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