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LiL Kim - Short in
size, big in musical talent, takes a break in her
latest video shoot. |
Lil Kim made an
appearance on The Surreal Life as well. Kim has starred
in The Surreal LIfe 5 this season
Lil' Kim may be small in
stature, but the only thing that's small about this hot,
hot female rapper is her height (4'11"). Having overcome
a very troubled youth and the murder of her mentor --
Notorious B.I.G. -- Lil' Kim is now one of the most
successful and acclaimed female rappers of all time.
why is she famous?
Her provocative attire may be
unforgettable (as was the case at the 2000 MTV Music
Awards, where she wore a pasted purple sticky over one
breast), but it's her music from albums like Hard Core
(1996), Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia
(2003) that keeps everyone interested.
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, Lil' Kim was a rarity among
female rappers -- one that not only concentrated on edgy
hardcore rap but also explicit sexuality, two
territories that had long been the province of male
rappers. Of course, Lil' 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 Lil' Kim was a key part of the group's hit debut
single, "Player's Anthem." Lil' 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, Lil' 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. Lil' 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.
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