10 Ways Lil’ Kim Crushed the ’90s

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).