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Lil' Kim

 
Who2 Biography: Lil' Kim, Rapper / Convict
 
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  • Born: 11 July 1975 (?)
  • Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
  • 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.

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Artist: Lil' Kim
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Lil' Kim

Similar Artists:

Porsha, Gangsta Boo, The LOX, Mase, Mic Geronimo, Eve, Organized Konfusion, Remy Ma, Jacki-O, Shawnna, Khia, La' Chat, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, High Class, Lauryn Hill, Diddy, Prestige, Missy Elliott, Skin Deep, Total, Jermaine Dupri, DMX, D'Angelo, Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G., Da Brat, The Fugees, Nas, Aaliyah, Foxy Brown, Redman, Master P, AZ

Followers:

Sylk-E. Fyne, Kween Kash, Riskay, Trina, Mia X

Performed Songs By:

G. Brown, Christopher Wallace, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Missy Elliott, J. Brown, L. Lopez, K. Jones, Sean "Puffy" Combs, R. Bell

Worked With:

Stephen Dent, Kelly Price, Carlos "6 July" Broady, MJG, Jay-Z, Nasheim Myrick, Doug Wilson, Phil Tan, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige

Formal Connection With:

Junior M.A.F.I.A., Shaft, Larceny, Lil' Cease
  • Born: July 11, 1975
  • Active: '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rap
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "Hard Core," "La Bella Mafia," "The Notorious K.I.M."
  • Representative Songs: "The Jump Off," "Not Tonight," "Queen B@$#h"

Biography

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, All Music Guide
 
Black Biography: Lil' Kim
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rap musician

Personal Information

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.
  • Time, March 12, 2001, p. 101.
Other
  • ABCNews.com, abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/ap20031014_474.html (October 14, 2003).
  • E! Online, www.eonline.com (March 18, 2005).
  • E! Online, www.eonline.com (July 8, 2005).
  • CNN.com, www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/06/lil.kim.sentence.ap/index.html (July 8, 2005).
  • 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.

— Brenna Sanchez and Ashyia N. Henderson

 
Wikipedia: Lil' Kim
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Lil'Kim

Background information
Birth name Kimberly Denise Jones
Also known as Lil Kim, Queen Bee
Born July 11, 1975 (1975-07-11) (age 34)[1]
Origin Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genre(s) Hip hop, Dirty rap, East Coast Rap
Occupation(s) Rapper, songwriter, actress, model
Years active 1994–present
Label(s) Queen Bee, Atlantic

Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1975), better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and singer who was part of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Jones was born and raised in Brooklyn and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. From the influence of fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., she began her music career in 1994 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 chart-topping hits "No Time" and "Crush on You". Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), were also largely successful.

In 2005, Lil' Kim served a yearlong 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 to poor sales and modestly charting singles. Lil' Kim returned to the public spotlight in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

Contents

Early life

Lil' Kim was born Kimberly Denise Jones on July 11, 1975, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York.[1] She is of African American and Native American descent.[2] At the age of 9, her parents separated, and her father raised her until he expelled her from home. After all the drama at home, she decided to live with friends, family or on the streets. While struggling through her personal life, Kim met rapper 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.[1]

Music career

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. [1] Three hit singles came from Conspiracy: "Player's Anthem" (peaked at #7 on the Billboard [Hot 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 Billboard Hot 100, #4 R&B, #2 Rap).[3] 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).[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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 Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart[1] and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[4] The following single, "Crush on You", reached #6 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the rap chart.[7] 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.[4] 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.[8]

The Notorious K.I.M. (2000)

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.[9] In the same year, she launched her own label Queen Bee Entertainment and even though she hadn't 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 selling 160,000 copies in its opening week. It was certified platinum by the RIAA.[4] 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.

La Bella Mafia (2003)

In 2003, 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.

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 101 -- The Life and Times of Lil' Kim". 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."[10] David Horowitz criticized the course as "academic degeneracy and decline".[11]

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.[12]

The Naked Truth (2005)

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 two 5 mic ratings in her career. The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 charts, giving Kim her Third Top 10 debut on the charts. The Naked Truth didn't sell as well as her previous works, selling less than 400,000 copies. Kim has said that her jail 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 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The single also reached #76 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. On March 9, BET premiered the show Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, which was filmed before Kim headed to jail. 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.

On June 6, 2006, Lil' Kim The Dance Remixes was released.

Ms. G.O.A.T. Mixtape (2007)

Kim released a mixtape in late 2007 with the help of G-Unit member DJ Whoo Kid.Ms G.O.A.T. provided Kim her first chance to speak to her fans since being released from prison. Note many were surprised that Kim partnered with G-Unit after taking subliminal shots at 50 Cent on her Naked Truth LP.

Recent activity

She is currently planning to create her own autobiographical film and working her 5th studio album, which is titled Vintage and is to be released in the coming months.

Lil' Kim appeared on the eighth season reality show Dancing 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,[13] putting her at fifth place from all thirteen contestants that season.

On March 10, 2009, the song "Girls" by the Korean singer, Se7en featuring Lil' Kim was released through digital stores for his U.S. debut single. This song was produced by Darkchild. Lil' Kim also appeared in the music video that was released on the same day.[14][15][16]

Prison sentence and release

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 friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan.

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.[17] However, video footage from a security camera placed all three at the scene, exiting the building. This directly contravened testimony before the grand jury.[18]

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.[19]

In July 2005, Kim was sentenced to a one-year-and-a-day, thirty days home detention upon release from custody and three years of probation. She requested to serve her time at prison camp in Connecticut in order to be close to her mother, however, she was ordered to report to the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia[20] instead where she served the entirety of her sentence.[21]

Regarding her sentence, an attorney for Kim stated, "A year and a day is actually less than a year sentence, because according to federal sentencing guidelines, if there's an extra day, time is credited to you". A parole bill was filed that reduced her sentence.[citations needed] She was released on July 3rd, 2006, after serving approximately 10 months.[22]

Dancing with the Stars performances

Kim and Derek Hough were partnered on season 8 of Dancing with the Stars. Their first performance took place on March 9, 2009. During Week 1, she performed a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song "Nasty", which earned praise from the judges. Week 2, she and Hough performed a Quickstep to the Marilyn Monroe staple "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."[23] In week 3, they performed a Samba to "Remedio P'al Corazon", once again receiving praise, and prompting judge Len Goodman to call her "bionic booty." During week 4, they performed the Argentine Tango, garnering them the first 10 score of the season from Bruno Tonioli, despite mild criticism from Len Goodman regarding a lack of sensuality.

In week 5, Kim and Hough performed a Viennese Waltz which earned good feedback from the judges, and which earned Kim and Derek the encore performance spot on the results show. In week 6, they danced the jive which earned them the highest scores for the night.

In week 7, Kim and Hough performed a Rumba, where Kim was criticized for having toned down her performance too much, commenting that they wanted to see her usual sexy persona back on the dancefloor. This knocked the couple down to fifth place with the judges. However, in week 8 Kim and Hough rebounded with their Paso Doble earning the highest score for the night. In addition on week 8 she was part of "Team Tango".

In week 9, she was eliminated from the show despite high scores from the judges.

Week # Dance/Song Judges' scoring
Carrie Ann Inaba Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Nasty" 7 7 7
2 Quickstep/"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" 8 7 8
3 Samba/"Remedio P'al Corazon" 8 8 9
4 Argentine Tango/"Tanquito Militar 9 8 10
5 Viennese Waltz/"I'll Be" 9 8 9
6 Jive/"Jailhouse Rock" 10 8 10
7 Rumba/"Lost Without U" 9 8 9
8 Paso Doble/"El Gato Montes" 9 9 10
Team Tango/"Womanizer" 9 9 10
9 Waltz/"When I Need You" 8 9 8
Salsa/"Por Arriba, Por Abajo" 9 9 9

Discography

Main article: Lil' Kim discography

Filmography

Television

Films

Year Film Role
1999 She's All That Alex
2001 Zoolander Herself
2002 Juwanna Mann Tina Parker
2003 Those Who Walk in Darkness Soledad
Gang of Roses Chastity
2004 Nora's Hair Salon Herself
You Got Served Herself
2005 Lil' Pimp Sweet Chiffon (voice)
There's a God on the Mic Herself

Awards

 This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2008)
(Find sources: Lil' Kim – news, books, scholar)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2008). "Lil' Kim > Biography". http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wjfqxqugldse~T1. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  2. ^ "Lil' Kim". 2009. http://www.last.fm/group/Lil+Kim. Retrieved on 2009-04-08. 
  3. ^ "Junior M.A.F.I.A. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gvfyxqrgldae~T51. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Gold and Platinum - Junior M.A.F.I.A.". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Junior%20M.A.F.I.A&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=25. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  5. ^ "Lil' Kim > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wjfqxqugldse~T5. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  6. ^ "Gold & Platinum (Lil' Kim)". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Lil%20Kim&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=25. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  7. ^ "Lil' Kim > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wjfqxqugldse~T51. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  8. ^ "Li'l Kim Comes Under Fire From Political Activist". MTV News. 1997-05-19. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431197/19970519/lil_kim.jhtml. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  9. ^ "Puffy, Dru Hill, Mase, Busta, Lil' Kim To Hit The Road". MTV News. 1998-02-06. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426803/19980206/rhymes_busta.jhtml. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  10. ^ 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 on 2009-03-30. 
  11. ^ Horowitz, David (2006). The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America. Washington, D.C.: Regnery. p. 333. http://books.google.com/books?id=CYqZjtVp00AC. 
  12. ^ "Def Jam: Fight for NY - Cheats". GameFAQs. GameSpot. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/code/920170.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  13. ^ http://television.aol.com/dancing-with-the-stars/tag/lil+kim/
  14. ^ http://mynorthwest.com/?sid=116177&nid=332#
  15. ^ http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1572187_28572.html
  16. ^ http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/71798/
  17. ^ "Lil' Kim's Bodyguard Sentenced MTV News [1] Accessed March 17, 2009
  18. ^ "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [2] Accessed March 17, 2009
  19. ^ "Lil' Kim's Bodyguard Sentenced MTV News[3] Accessed March 17, 2009
  20. ^ "FDC Philadelphia" page, Federal Bureau of Prisons site [4]
  21. ^ "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [5] Accessed March 17, 2009
  22. ^ "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [6] Accessed March 17, 2009
  23. ^ Watts, Jenisha (2009-03-17). "'Dancing With the Stars' Week 2 Recap". Essence. http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/entertainment/articles/dancing_with_the_stars_week_2_recap/. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 

External links

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Lil' Kim
Studio albums
Compilations
Solo Singles
Guest Singles
Television Series
Lil' Kim Associates
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