Comprehensive information and links about Lil Kim

Lil' Kim , is an American rap music artist, known for her sexually explicit lyrics and the revealing outfits she wears in her public appearances and magazine layouts.

During the late '90s and 2000s, Lil' Kim has risen to become one of the most prominent female rap artists of her time. As a recording artist, her uninhibited "hardcore XXX" of rap has paved the way for many other female rap artists, including Trina, Jacki-O, and Terror Squad's Remy Ma.

Lil' Kim's antics outside the studio, however, have perpetuated the stereotype of American rappers as a violent and unlawful clique. At a February 2001 incident in New York City in which a rival of Lil' Kim was shot in the back, Kim fled the scene in her limousine and later thwarted police at her New Jersey home despite being intimately involved in the shooting.

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Early years

Lil' Kim was born in Brooklyn in New York City, New York. She received the nickname of "Lil" due to her 4 ft 11 in frame. At the age of nine, her parents separated, and until the time she became a teenager, she lived with her father. However, due to their strained relationship, she moved in with friends and spent most of the time out on the streets, surrounded by people who dealt drugs and living the street life. She then met Christopher Wallace (A.K.A. Notorious B.I.G.) who had just signed a record deal with Bad Boy Records and wanted to bring her in on his success.

Christopher introduced Kim to New York rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A., in which Kim became the only female member. In 1995, they released their debut album , which debuted at #8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and spawned the top twenty hit "Get Money."

After her success with the Junior M.A.F.I.A., Kim went solo, releasing her controversial debut album on November 12, 1996. Despite its critical acclaim among music critics, it is probably remembered most for the promotionals than anything else (one "coming soon" poster had Kim sitting in an open squatting position.) Still, the sexual ad campaign seemed to only fuel Kim's success, as became a hit, debuting and ultimately peaking at #11 on the Billboard 200 and going on to achieve double-platinum status. The lead single, "No Time" (featuring Puff Daddy), became a top twenty hit; its follow-up, "Not Tonight," proved to be an even bigger success, as it went on to reach the top ten of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

All seemed to be going well for Kim until the spring of 1997, when her mentor and love Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. Although singer Faith Evans is listed as his widow, Kim made it known that she and Biggie were in love and was visibly emotional at his funeral; she was even pregnant by him, although she had an abortion.

After Biggie's death, Kim took a break from her own music, but still made guest appearances on other artists' albums. In 1998, she toured with Puff Daddy on the "No Way Out" tour. 1999 saw the launch of her own record label, Queen Bee Records, and in 2000, Lil' Kim returned with a new look and a new album. debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified platinum. The two singles released in the U.S., "No Matter What They Say" and "How Many Licks?," both performed poorly on the charts and only made it into the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100. The record on a whole was also not received as well as her debut by critics.

It wasn't until 2001 that Kim had her first true mainstream hit. She teamed up with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink to remake LaBelle's class hit "Lady Marmalade" for the soundtrack. The single peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, making it Kim's first #1 single and her the first female rap artist to hit #1 on the chart. The song subsequently was one of the biggest hits of the year, and went on to win a Grammy for [[Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]

. The album featured the hits "Jump Off" and "Magicstick" featuring fellow controversial rapper 50 Cent.

In 2005, Kim was found guilty of conspiracy and perjury for lying to a grand jury about a shooting incident involving the entourage of rap duo Capone N Noreaga and her reported fellow BK rival Foxy Brown. She was sentenced to a year and one day at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, which she reported to on Monday, September 19, 2005. Her designated federal inmate prison number is 56198-054. The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator shows her projected release date as August 2, 2006.

Despite all of this, Kim still released her classic album, , during her sentence on September 27, 2005 which earned her 5 MICS by the source. The first female rapper to ever accomplish this feat. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 selling 108,000 copies in its first week. Unfortunately, the album quickly fell off the charts, selling only 270,000 copies according to Soundscan. The album's failure was blamed on the record label not properly promoting the album. With Kim being in jail and her label doing nothing, the album failed to live up to expectations. It's primary single, "Lighters Up," has already become a Top 10 hit on the Billboard RHip-Hop charts. A popular urban legend states that early in her career she had to be rushed to the emergency room for apparantly swallowing over 2 gallons of semen.