Born Kimberly Denise Jones 46 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, Lil Kim sure had a rough childhood and ended up on the streets as a teenager when her dad kicked her out. But a chanced meeting with B.I.G would change her story and eventually make her Queen Bee, the first ‘Queen of Rap’. As she marks another birthday today, July 11, we take a look back at her journey through the years.
This is how Lil Kim rose to the top…
The B.I.G connection
In 1994, the late Christopher Wallace, known by his rap stage name as the Notorious B.I.G. (AKA Biggie) and Kimberly met at a street corner where she proceeded to rap some lines to him. He was sold. At the time, Wallace was still a struggling rapper but in no time gained popularity through his relationship with Bad Boy Records, founded by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Lil Kim birthday age songs 2020
Biggie would lead his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A., a team of himself and longtime friends, including Lil’ Kim, to chart success. The group’s first album, titled Conspiracy was released in 1995, and shot Lil Kim along with the group to stardom.
Kim began her solo career by making guest performances on R&B albums and recording her debut album, Hard Core, which was released in November 1996. She went on to release four mixtapes and four more studio albums. The latest, titled ‘9’ was released just last year, in 2019.
An entanglement? Lil Kim birthday age songs 2020
In 1996, during the recording of her debut album, Lil Kim became pregnant with Biggie’s child, a pregnancy she ended up terminating. In an interview with The Source, speaking on the situation, she said “I already knew the kind of relationship that Biggie and I had, and I knew that [having a child] was something that couldn’t take place…”
Three days before his death in 1997, Biggie called to tell her he loved her. However, in a 2010 radio interview, Kim revealed that Biggie used to assault her even citing an example where he choked her until she passed out. Lil Kim birthday age songs 2020
Kim however stays supporting and paying homage to Biggie even up until last year where she along with members of the Junior M.A.F.I.A attended the first annual B.I.G. dinner in Brooklyn, hosted on his birthday in honor of the rapper.
Net Worth and Awards
Even though she filed for bankruptcy in 2018, according to unverified estimates, as of 2020, Lil Kim is worth $18 Million. Through the span of her career, she has been nominated a total of 88 times for major awards including the Grammys, MTV VMA’, BET Awards and MOBO Awards, to mention just a few. She has won an impressive 41 of those awards so it’s clear that she isn’t called the Queen Bee for nothing. A sis is winning plaques and money!
Her Style
Since her emergence on the music scenes, Lil Kim has become a symbol of all that is audacious. At 4’11”, her rap game and style was indeed larger than life. She was hard to miss in a male-dominated industry as her signature scantily clad looks made her a fashion icon in her own right. In her prime, you could always expect her to show out draped in fur, 6 inch heels and in-your-face designer clothing.
Lil’ Kim’s style was unmatched even as it was bright and barely-there. She stole the scenes and made it totally okay to out-wrap the boys and maintain your sexy. We can all agree that Cardi B and Nicki Minaj have the Queen Bee to thank for some of their success. Lil Kim birthday age songs 2020
Check out some of our favorite looks of Lil Kim in recent years…
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty ImagesTo celebrate her birthday, we’ve curated 7 of Lil Kim’s top songs––in no particular order––that you can celebrate her with right now. Forget the pandemic reality for a moment; we’re partying like it’s the ’90s!
Happy birthday Queen Bee!
Here are 7 Lil Kim songs to groove to…
#1. No Time
#2. No Matter what they say
#3. Crush on You
#4. Lady Marmalade
#5. Found You
#6. Go Awff
#7. Money, Power and Respect
Photo credit: Getty Images Lil Kim birthday age songs 2020. Lil Kim outfits.
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