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
.
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LIL' KIM TICKETS
|
Early life
Lil' Kim was born Kimberly Denise Jones on July 11, 1975, in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the
New York City borough
Brooklyn.
[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.
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
.
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
and was certified Gold by the
RIAA.
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.
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.
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 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."
[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 . 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.Kim is also working on her 2009 album 'Vintage'.
[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.
[18] 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. She was released on July 3rd, 2006, after serving approximately 10 months.
[18]
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
- Hard Core
(1996)
- The Notorious K.I.M.
(2000)
- La Bella Mafia
(2003)
- The Naked Truth
(2005)
Filmography
Television
- Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 8)
(2009)
- Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious
(2008)
- Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll
(2007)
- Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown
(2006)
- Moesha
(as Diamond)
- The Parkers
(as herself)
- The Game
(as herself)
- ''American Dreams as Shirley Ellis (October 12, 2003)
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
- 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) (nominated)
- *2002: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Lady Marmalade"
- *2003: Best Female Rap Solo Performance for "Came Back for You" (nominated)
- *2003: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Can't Hold Us Down" (with Christina Aguilera) (nominated)
- *2003: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Magic Stick" (with 50 Cent) (nominated)
- *2008: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let It Go" (with Keyshia Cole & Missy Elliott, ) (nominated)
- 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")
- *1999: 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
(nominated)
- BET Awards
- *2006: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)
- *2008: Best Song "[Let It Go (Keyshia Cole song) |Let It Go" (nominated)
- American Music Awards
- *2003: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
- *2005: Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (nominated)
References
- Lil' Kim > Biography
- Lil' Kim
- Junior M.A.F.I.A. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles
- &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
- Lil' Kim > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
- &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
- Lil' Kim > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles
- Li'l Kim Comes Under Fire From Political Activist
- Puffy, Dru Hill, Mase, Busta, Lil' Kim To Hit The Road
- Queen B 101: College Lessons in Stardom
- The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America
- Def Jam: Fight for NY - Cheats
- http://television.aol.com/dancing-with-the-stars/tag/lil+kim/
- http://mynorthwest.com/?sid=116177&nid=332#
- http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1572187_28572.html
- http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/03/71798/
- "Lil' Kim's Bodyguard Sentenced MTV News [1] Accessed March 17, 2009
- "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [1] Accessed March 17, 2009
- "Lil' Kim's Bodyguard Sentenced MTV News[1] Accessed March 17, 2009
- "FDC Philadelphia" page, Federal Bureau of Prisons site [1]
- "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [1] Accessed March 17, 2009
- "Lil' Kim Released From Prison" MTV News [1] Accessed March 17, 2009
- 'Dancing With the Stars' Week 2 Recap