By Christopher Rosa
If your first thought is Beyoncé when you hear Queen B, we’re not mad, but before Yoncé there was the original Queen Bee—Lil’ Kim. Reminisce with us about a time when the first lady of no f*cks to give took a hammer to hip-hop’s glass ceiling and crushed the ’90s.
It seems like just yesterday Kim was making headlines for wearing pasties to major award shows and leading the “four badass chicks from the Moulin Rouge.” But that was 13 years ago. Now, at the age of 40 (happy birthday!) her life is drastically different. Kim recently gave birth to daughter Royal Reign (who just made her Twitter debut), and she’s become a fixture on the hip-hop beef circuit by feuding with other artists. However, Kim’s legacy as a rap icon can’t be touched. She earned her stripes in the ’90s as a fresh face to the game who used her natural talent, sexuality, and determination to become a record-breaking superstar. In a nutshell, Lil’ Kim ruled the ’90s.
Don’t believe us? We pulled together 10 feats that Kim accomplished in the decade of the Spice Girls and grunge rock. Credit must be given where its due: She changed the scope of hip-hop, especially for female artists.
10. She was Notorious B.I.G.’s protégé, seen — erm, explicitly — on the interlude “F–k Me” from his album Ready to Die (1994).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVB5_-Vlq9g
Lil’ Kim, a ’round-the-way Brooklyn girl, was a relative newcomer when she did this 90-second skit on B.I.G.’s debut album. Her legacy of overt sexuality began right away. Set to what sounds like a squeaking bed, you can hear Kim (literally) moan what is essentially a raunchy menu. Hmmm… hungry now?
9. She was a business maven.
Lil’ Kim was a Candie’s girl in ’98.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
8. She was the only female in B.I.G.’s group Junior M.A.F.I.A.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvahpROFPhA
Pint-sized Kim was able to go toe-to-toe (or rap-to-rap) with every dude in the group (including the larger-than-life Christopher Wallace). Kim’s flow was fresh, and Junior M.A.F.I.A launched her into a stratosphere of stardom only few achieve.
7. The verses she laid down on Conspiracy (1995) are some of the greatest rhymes ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Jfh_ZfSgs
Junior M.A.F.I.A’s first album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1995, and Kim’s raw verses and deep vocals had much to do with it. Songs like “Get Money” and “Player’s Anthem” showcase Kim’s iconic unapologetic style that was all over her first solo effort, Hard Core (1996).
6. She crossed over into acting flawlessly, notably in the cult comedy She’s All That (1999).
While she won’t be getting an Oscar any time soon (it’s alright, she’s got a Grammy to console her), Kim transitioned to film without the crash-and-burn result so many musicians-turned-actors experience. She had a solid supporting role in the Freddie Prinze, Jr. classic She’s All That, along with cameo roles in Longshot and Zoolander.
5. Her fashion was iconic.
Kim’s ever-changing style made her a trailblazer in the ’90s. [Photo Credit: Getty Images]
4. The “Ladies Night” remix of her 1997 smash “Not Tonight” put the “AY!” in “Slay.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQwdzKm7hk
“Not Tonight” is great, but the ’97 remix captures a musical moment that will live forever. One of the coolest all-female collaborations ever, the disco-fied rap hybrid also features Da Brat, Missy Elliott, former Hot 97 personality Angie Martinez, and the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
3. Her first album, Hard Core, featured promo art that solidified her as a sex symbol.
The iconic promo shot.
[Photo Credit: Undeas, Big Beat]
(P.S.: The shot makes a wonderful appearance in the seminal classic Meet The Parents.)
2. Even better than the Hard Core album art were the music records it destroyed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7M0LP3Nb2Q
Hard Core had both style and substance, and the results were written in platinum (2 million copies as of ’01, to be exact). The album debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in 1996, the highest for a female rapper at that time. It also spawned three consecutive No. 1 Hot Rap hits — “No Time”, “Not Tonight (Ladies Night remix)” and “Crush on You” — breaking records for a woman in her genre. Hard Core got an “A” from Entertainment Weekly and 4.5/5 stars for Rolling Stone, so the critics loved it, too.
1. She wore the craziest outfit in MTV Video Music Awards history.
Lil Kim at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.[Photo Credit: Getty Images]