Lil' Kim

Lil' Kim
Birth name	Kimberly Denise Jones
Born	July 11, 1974 (1974-07-11) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, model, actress
Years-active	1994-present
Label	Big Beat, Atlantic, International Rock Star
Associated acts	Sean Combs, Junior M.A.F.I.A., The Notorious B.I.G.

Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper, model and actress. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, living much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from her home.

Artistry And Influences:

Jones began rapping in her teenage years,Lil' Kim cited as her rap influences MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa and Roxanne Shanté. She was also influenced by Slick Rick, The Notorious B.I.G., Eric B. & Rakim, Queen Latifah,Diana Ross and Mary J. Blige. Lil' Kim also cited Madonna as an influence, and stated she modeled her own career in that of Madonna, labeling herself as the "Black Madonna".

Jones' 1996 debut studio album, Hard Core, was certified double platinum by the RIAA and spawned three consecutive No. 1 rap hits: "No Time", "Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)", and "Crush on You", the first for a female rapper. Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. in 2000 and La Bella Mafia in 2003, were certified platinum, making her the only female rapper besides Missy Elliott to have three platinum albums. In 2001, she was featured on the single "Lady Marmalade" alongside Mýa, Pink and Christina Aguilera which went to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female rapper to reach the position on that chart. In addition, she won two MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002. In 2005, she 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. She returned to the public eye in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Jones’ most recent album “9” was released in 2019. She is yet to release more music

Legacy and Influence:

Several media outlets have cited Lil' Kim as the "Queen of Rap", and as the alias she uses, "Queen Bee". Newsweek has called her the "First Lady of Rap", with editor Allison Samuels writing in 2000 that she has "transcended the male-dominated world of rap to become one of America's sassiest, most engaging icons".

Lil' Kim's music catalogue features undertones of sex-positive feminism and the importance of female pleasure, instead of the man as the "dominant priority," through explicit lyrics about sex. Dazed considered her "the first high-profile female rapper to flip the script on female objectification in the rap industry". For NME's editor Jordan Bassett, she "out-filthed the male rappers at every turn."

According to BBC News, Hard Core (1996) was the most successful debut album by a female hip hop artist at the time; the album saw her "inhabit the territory of sexual edginess and hardcore rap, traditionally the preserve inhabited by male artists." In 2000, Los Angeles Times writer Isaac Guzman expressed that the her debut solo album created a path for a new wave of female rappers, with her at the forefront of her generation, and established her as "the raunchiest, hardest, sexiest, most glamorous woman in all of hip-hop."

During that time, several new female hip hop artists modeled themselves after her stylistically. Placing Hard Core at number 80 on their list of "Best Rap Albums of the 90s", Complex stated, "when Lil Kim released her debut album—women in hip-hop finally had options, paths to follow and models [...] she was the raunchiest woman you ever heard on the mic." The Village Voice writer Joan Morgan considered that the album "transformed her into a cultural icon", and opined that it put an emphasis on sex appeal, looks, and packaging as a priority for female rappers. A Camera Obscura publication noted her as one of the late twentieth-century "self-marketers of female trouble" in music, along with Janet Jackson and Tina Turner.

Aside from music, Lil' Kim is also known for her risk-taking and luxurious approach to fashion that inspired many artists; she has been cited as a fashion icon, as well as one of the most influential rappers of all time by various media outlets. Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley called her "the black Madonna."Lil' Kim has been cited as an inspiration for designers such as Marc Jacobs, Versace, and Giorgio Armani, according to Vogue. In 2020, XXL wrote that "twenty-five years later, no rapper is more influential to the new female rhymers".

Some artists who have credited Kim as influence include Rihanna, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion,Kash Doll, Bree Runway, Teyana Taylor, Doja Cat, Rosalía, Hitmaka, Casanova, Spice, Zaytoven, Stefflon Don, Flo Milli,Saweetie,Erica Banks.

• 1996: Hard Core
• 2000: The Notorious K.I.M.
• 2003: La Bella Mafia
• 2005: The Naked Truth
• 2019: 9