Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones (born
July 11,
1974) [
1], best known by the
stage name Lil' Kim, is an
American Grammy Award winning female
rapper who rose to fame in the mid 1990s. Lil' Kim is known for her hardcore, raunchy style of
rapping and her controversial sexual image and lyrics.
She is notable for several hit records after releasing four
studio album's, she has seven top twenty singles, three top-five Pop hits, and nine top ten Rap singles. She is best known for hits like "Crush On You", "Ladies Night", "The Jump Off", "Magic Stick", and "Lady Marmalade".
Jones is currently editing several episodes for season two of her reality show "Countdown to Lockdown". After serving 10 months in jail she was placed on house arrest which she was taken off of
August 3,
2006. Her new album, an anticipated re-issue of
The Naked Truth, will be released sometime this
Fall.
Early years
Kimberly Jones was born and raised in
Bed-Stuy,
Brooklyn,
New York. At the age of nine, her parents
divorced, leaving her at home with her father. The relationship between Jones and her father was frequently negative and at one point ended when Kim attempted to stab him after a physical fight between father and daughter. Jones was purportedly living on the streets when she met Christopher Wallace a.k.a. rapper
The Notorious B.I.G., who was a key figure in her personal and artistic life, particularly when Wallace had gained popularity and influence through his relationship with
Bad Boy Records.
The Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Hard Core
In late 1994, Wallace was instrumental in introducing and promoting the
Brooklyn based group
Junior Mafia which included Jones (aka "Big Momma" or "The Lieutenant") at the time, to the mainstream.The groups first and only album was titled
Conspiracy. The group released their first single, "Playas Anthem", which went atop the Rap charts. Perhaps notably for a young, female rapper, Lil' Kim wrote all 16 bars of her verse on the song. The next singles "Need U Tonight" featuring
Aaliyah, and "Get Money" were both certified gold and made the top 20 on the
Hot 100. The album debuted at No. 8 on the
Billboard 200 The album ended up being certified
goldAfter a year with
Junior Mafia, Jones began a solo career by recording her
debut Lil' album.
Hard Core was released on
November 12,
1996. The album debuted at #11 on the
Billboard 200 and #2 on the
Rap Chart's selling over 88,653 copies in the first week. The album's lead single "No Time", a duet with
Puff Daddy, reached the top 20 on the
Hot 100. The single quickly went platinum (200,000). The album later produced the 2X Platinum-selling single "Crush On You" and the platinum single "Not Tonight (Ladies Night)". "Not Tonight(Ladies Night)" saw Lil' Kim team up with
Missy Elliott,
Angie Martinez,
Da Brat and
Left Eye of
TLC. The song was released and went to #6 on the
Billboard Hot 100, and also earned Lil' Kim her first
Grammy Award nomination. Lil' Kim won many awards for her album
Hard Core. In March 1997, her mentor and secret lover Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in Los Angeles. Kim was devastated; she would often pay homage to him in her future recordings. Following this event, she sunk into deep depression and took a break from the music scene for a while.
The Notorious K.I.M.
From 1998-1999, Kim toured and modeled for various fashion and pop culture companies including
Candies,
Versace,
Iceberg,
Baby Phat, and
MAC cosmetics. In 1999, she performed on
P. Diddy's "No Way Out" tour. In the same year, she launched her own label
Queen Bee Entertainment. In late 1999, persuaded by friends to resume her career, she recorded her sophomore album, utilizing a style in hip hop known as
Pop-
Rap in many of her songs. 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. The album contained four singles "Notorious K.I.M.", "No Matter What They Say", "How Many Licks?", and "Aunt Dot". Despite the small success fo the single's the album was a smash debuting at #4 on the
Top 200 Albums ChartsMoulin Rouge
In 2001, Lil' Kim teamed up with
Christina Aguilera,
P!nk, and
Mýa to remake the soulful "
Lady Marmalade", which was made by diva
Patti LaBelle 25 years earlier. The song was recorded for the
Moulin Rouge soundtrack. The song was released in April 2001, and hit #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 and feminism, as well as for Kim, who scored her first #1 Hot 100 hit and became the first and only female rapper in history to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Lady Marmalade also garnered Kim her first
Grammy Award.
In 2003, Lil' Kim recorded a new entrance theme for then
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Women's champion
Trish Stratus titled "Time to Rock N Roll", which is used currently during broadcasts. The single was released on
WWE Anthology, a compilation of entrance theme music to various
Professional Wrestling superstars.
La Bella Mafia
On
March 4,
2003, Kim released her third album,
La Bella Mafia.kim is of african american,jamaican and puerto rican descent. 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. Then, came the single "The Magic Stick" feat. 50 Cent. The single hit number 2 on the
Hot 100, without a video ever being shot for the single. (A video for "Magic Stick" was to be produced, however a dispute between 50 and Kim on the set resulted in the project being scrapped.
La Bella Mafia debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 and #2 By the end of 2003 it went Platinum and has sold 1.1 Million copies to date. 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.Criminal conviction and The Naked Truth
On
March 17,
2005, Kim was found guilty of conspiracy and
perjury for lying to a grand jury about her friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the
Hot 97 studios in Manhattan â€" involving the entourage of rap duo
Capone-N-Noreaga and her reported fellow Brooklynite rival
Foxy Brown. She claimed not to have known that her manager (Damion Butler), and another friend (Suif "Gutta" Jackson) were at the scene, despite video footage showing all three exiting the building. Both men have pleaded guilty to gun charges since. In July 2005, she was sentenced to have to serve one-year-and-a-day in the Philadelphia Detention Center. She had requested to go to a camp center in Connecticut to be closer to her mother, but instead was ordered to report to the
Philadelphia Detention Center. Many people were outraged over this stern sentence because
Martha Stewart, who was also convicted of perjury during the same time period, was only sentenced to 5 months in a small women's camp in Alderson, West Virginia. Her lawyer stated that, "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. Throughout her entire jail sentence, Kim's representatives declared that she was busy working; she wrote over 200 songs while in prison.
Despite her conviction, Kim released a fourth album,
The Naked Truth, during her sentence on
September 27,
2005. It earned her a 5 mic rating from
The Source, making her the first and only female rapper to ever accomplish this feat. The album debuted at #6 The album is still in stores but has sold only 350,000 copies. The album will be re-released this coming Fall with bonus tracks and 2 DVD's.
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 second single, "Whoa" was released on
February 17,
2006. It even 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 1.9 million viewers, 1.7 rating, 1.4 million households. A second season is currently in the works showcasing Lil' Kim in her post-prison lifestyle. The show is not to air until Late September and is reportedly titled Countdown To Out Of Lockdown.
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. It features 10 remixes of her most popular songs. The album has sold nearly 20,000 copies to date.
On July 3, 2006, Kim was released from the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center. Hundreds of fans and supporters gathered around the prison as she made her release, holding a "Welcome Home" balloon and a dozen roses. After she waved to her fans and gave speeches to news reporters, Kim then left in a 2007 Rolls Royce Phantom with a driver, telling the crowds, "Thank you, I love you all". According to her assistant, Kim was welcomed home by 5 parties, including a
VIBE magazine party. She was placed on
house arrest for 30 days. As of
August 3, 2006, Kim is free in regards to her sentencing, but must remain under
probation for
three years.
Her latest album,
The Naked Truth, is rumored to be set for re-release in November 2006, marking the 10th anniversary of
Hard Core. The album's first single is said to be "Quiet", featuring
The Game. An accompnaying video was to be shot for it immediately after Kim was released from house arrest. Reps for Kim said they are expecting to do an
Access Granted episode for it on
BET. It is possible that the re-release will contain unreleased tracks Kim recorded for
The Naked Truth, including "The Game's in Trouble", and duets with Korean singer
Bi (aka Rain to Americans), and former
rival Faith Evans, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Lil' Kim recently started a foundation called Lil' Kim Cares. It is a charity project that gives help to anyone who contacts the foundation through email at lilkimcares.com. At Christmas 2005, Kim's charity, along with her good friend Zab Judah's charity, donated toys, clothing and food to underprivileged families in Philadelphia.
From 2000-2002, Lil' Kim and singer
Mary J. Blige became spokeswomen for MAC Cosmetics and raised a record-breaking $4 million for people living with AIDS.
Albums
* 1996:
Hard Core* 2000:
The Notorious K.I.M.* 2003:
La Bella Mafia* 2005:
The Naked Truth* 2006:
The Dance Remixes* 2006: ''
The Naked Truth (Re-Issue)Singles
DVD/video releases
*2000:
Best of Lil' Kim*2005:
Meaning of Family *2006:
The Brooklyn QueenShe's All That (1999)
Longshot (2000)
Zoolander (2001) (Cameo)
Juwanna Mann (2002)
Those Who Walk in Darkness (2003)
Gang of Roses (2003)
Nora's Hair Salon (2004)
You Got Served (2004)
Lil' Pimp (2005) (voice)
There's a God on the Mic (2005) (documentary)
Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown (2006)
*
Grammy Awards**1997:
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ladies Night (Not Tonight remix)" (with
Missy Elliott,
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes,
Da Brat, and
Angie Martinez) (nomination)
**2002:
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Lady Marmalade" (WON)
**2003:
Best Female Rap Solo Performance for "Came Back for You" (nomination)
**2003:
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Can't Hold Us Down" (with
Christina Aguilera) (nomination)
**2003:
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Magic Stick" (with
50 Cent) (nomination)
*
MTV Video Music Awards**1998: Viewer's Choice for "All About The Benjamins" (with P. Diddy and others)
**2001: Video of the Year for "Lady Marmalade"
**2001: Best Video from a Film for "Lady Marmalade"
*
My VH1 Awards**2001: Favorite Video ("Lady Marmalade")
**2001: Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just My Video? ("Lady Marmalade")
*
Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards**1997: Best Video by a Female - Rap/R&B ("Crush On You")
**1998: Best Video by a Female - Rap/R&B ("Not Tonight [Remix]")
*
Source Awards**2003: Female Artist of the Year
**2003: Female Single of the Year "The Jumpoff"
*
Teen Choice Awards**2001: Choice Song of the Summer ("Lady Marmalade")
*
MOBO Awards**2003: Most Stylish Artist of the Year
*
Radio Music Awards**2001: Song Of The Year Top 40 Pop Radio-"Lady Marmalade"
*
TMF Awards-Belgium**2001: Video of The Year-"Lady Marmalade"
*
TMF Awards-Netherlands**2001: Video of The Year-"Lady Marmalade"
*
ALMA Awards**2002: Outstanding Song- Motion Picture Soundtrack "Lady Marmalade"
*
ASCAP Music Awards**2002: Song Of The Year-"Lady Marmalade"
*
MTV Japan Awards**2002: Best Choreography "Lady Marmalade"
*
MVPA Video Awards**2002: Best Styling In A Video-"Lady Marmalade"
*
VIBE Awards*2005: Album Of The Year
The Naked Truth (nomination)
*
BET Awards**2006: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nomination)
*
Official site*
Lil' Kim on the
Internet Movie Database
