Kimberly Jones, known to her fans as Lil' Kim, is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress.Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and spending most of her young life in poverty, she started her music career with a group known as Junior M.A.F.I.A in 1995. Like most young up-and-coming hip hop artists, Lil' Kim mixtapes helped to pave her way to fame and fortune.
Her debut album with the Junior M.A.F.I.A group was called Conspiracy and resulted in three chart-topping singles, which led to the release of her solo album in 1996 entitled Hard Core. This hip hop album went platinum twice, and contained hits that topped the charts, such as "Crush on You" and "No Time." The following albums she released were La Bella Mafia in 2003 and The Notorious K.I.M in 2000, with both being very successful as well.
Though mixtapes helped with her rise to fame, her meeting and interaction with The Notorious B.I.G. was key in both her artistic and personal life. When Notorious B.I.G. gained popularity and major influence among the hip hop community, Lil' Kim was along for the ride. From 1997 through 2000, Lil' Kim continued her road to stardom under the management of B.I.G.'s best friend.
During this rise to fame, many Lil' Kim mixtapes were released that truly showed off her hip hop beats. Some of these include titles such as, Lil Kim Vs. Foxy Brown, All Hail the Queen, Real Music, and Female Spitta Series. As with most artists attempting to make it in the business, all of these were available for free on the various mixtapes torrents sites online.
Today, after serving over a year in prison for lying to Federal prosecutors about her friends' involvement in a shooting, she is back to make her mark on the rap world. She continues to release the Lil' Kim mixtapes that made her famous and even appeared on Dancing With the Stars to help clear her name and image. Only time will tell just how much of an impact this diva will have on the rap culture.
Ari Allon
