jakeisphat Posted September 29 Posted September 29 (edited) Junior M.A.F.I.A.: Lil' Kim becomes Hip-Hop's new It Girl (1993-1995) Spoiler Following a childhood marred by homelessness and abuse by her father, Lil' Kim resides in Brooklyn, NY, with her mother. She works as a store associate at Bloomingdales In 1993, Kim enrolls at Borough of Manhattan Community College, majoring in psychology. In her free-time, she begins performing in rap battles at parties where she is recognized by Notorious B.I.G. for her skills. She and Biggie begin dating shortly after In 1994, Kim joins Biggie's hip-hop group, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and gains recognition for her raunchy lyrics and emphasis on women's fashions The group's debut album, Conspiracy, debuts with 69,000 in first week sales, and scores several radio hits including "Player's Anthem," "I Need You Tonight," and "Get Money" Kim's verse on "Get Money" would go on to be one of her most acclaimed performances as a rap artist, her breakout led to her own record deal as a solo artist in a joint partnership with Atlantic Records and Big Beat Recordings Hard Core: Lil' Kim Revolutionizes the Hip-Hop genre (1996-1998) Spoiler In November 1996, Kim released her debut album, Hard Core The album debuts with 78,000 in first week sales and was promoted by multiple hits, such as "No Time" #18, "Crush On You," and "Not Tonight" (feat. Angie Martinez, Da Brat, Left Eye, and Missy Elliott) #6 Many radio stations ban the album for its overtly sexual lyrics, but the album becomes a Hip-Hop classic and creates a blueprint for female rappers to be openly feminine, risqué, and proud about their sexuality for the first time Kim becomes pregnant by Biggie but makes the difficult decision to have an abortion because she is not ready to be a mother In March 1997, Biggie is murdered by drive-by shooting, Kim then moves into his home with his mother where they share grief for 8 months until they have a falling out over Kim acknowledging she and Biggie's affair while he was married to Faith Evans Kim goes on musical hiatus and becomes a brand endorser for Baby Phat, Candie's, Iceberg Jeans, and Versace The Notorious K.I.M.: Lil' Kim becomes the first Rap Queen to infiltrate Pop music (1999-2002) Spoiler Kim is set to release her sophomore album in August 1999, but 12 tracks are leaked online. Kim then scraps the songs and returns to the studio for 3 weeks to record 11 new tracks to replace them Kim begins her music comeback with a famous appearance at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, going viral for exposing her left breast and sporting a nipple pasty Kim releases her sophomore album, The Notorious K.I.M., in 2000. The album's singles "No Matter What They Say" and "How Many Licks?" fail to chart, but the album gives Kim the highest first week sales of her career with 235,000 copies. The album was notable for blending Pop samples with Hip-Hop beats In February 2001, Foxy Brown's entourage engages in a shooting with the entourage of Lil' Kim outside of a radio station. The shooting was due to comments Foxy made about Kim on a diss record and in private Kim achieves her first #1 song and Grammy Award for "Lady Marmalade" with Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and Missy Elliott La Bella Mafia: Lil' Kim reaches peak wealth, finds herself stuck in the cycle of domestic abuse (2003-2004) Spoiler In 2003, Kim renews her contract with Atlantic Records in a deal worth $10,000,000, her net worth reaches $18,000,000 She releases her third album, La Bella Mafia, to first week sales of 166,000 copies, it spawns two radio hits "Magic Stick" #2, and "The Jump Off" #16 Kim then begins a relationship with Damion "World" Hardy and the GP begins to notice changes in her physical appearance Kim later discloses in an interview with The Source, that Hardy had beaten and abused her relentlessly: "I'm talking about a year ago, I got out of a relationship with a very abusive man. I've had the black eye, bloody lips, busted nose. I came out of the hospital from getting my nose done and he broke my sh*t again. I had to have MRI's because one time I was beaten so bad that I couldn't even move, and I had blood clots all in my back. I couldn't walk. One day I heard a voice actually telling me you better leave right now. I had to leave out my own damn house." "It's been times when I was in the car with my ex-boyfriend, and he punched me in my face and I was bleeding blood all over the car, all over my face and we were on our way to pick up his mom and I'm trying to conceal the blood, but she's staring like, I don't believe it. And then there were times when I had to be in public. It could have been like right before I had to be in the studio, or be on stage, and I had to pack on piles of makeup and go and smile. I had to practice my smile in the mirror, I remember sometimes people were looking at me like 'something's wrong with you.' And I'm saying 'I had an allergic reaction.'" Hardy is later indicted for 6 murders, racketeering, distribution of cocaine, conspiracy, kidnapping, and robbery. He is found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in federal prison In April 2004, Kim herself is indicted for perjury and obstruction - related to the 2001 shooting involving Foxy Brown The Naked Truth: Lil' Kim stands strong amid legal troubles (2005-2006) Spoiler In early 2005, Kim is found guilty of perjury and sentenced to 366 days in federal prison Kim signs a deal to executive produce her own BET reality show, Countdown to Lockdown, which documented her personal life leading up to her prison sentence Kim begins her sentence on September 19, 2005, at FDC Philadelphia On September 27, 2005, Kim releases her fourth studio album, The Naked Truth, to first week sales of 109,000, its lead single "Lighters Up" #31 becomes her last solo hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Countdown to Lockdown premiered in March 2006 and at the time became the most watched series in BET history She is released from prison early in summer 2006 due to good behavior Contract War: Lawsuit restricts Kim from releasing albums, Kim turns to television/endorsements (2007-2011) Spoiler In 2007, Kim files a lawsuit to end her contract with Atlantic Records because she wanted to evolve from making music that was strictly raunchy, the label also wanted to prevent her from working with producers that were not Atlantic artists During this time, an injunction from the lawsuit restricts her from releasing any studio albums for purchase, so Kim makes her money as a judge on Pussycat Dolls Present: Search for the Next Doll, and as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars She also becomes a brand endorser for Three Olives Vodka Grape and later, Ciroc Coconut She releases her final single with Atlantic in 2009, but it fails to chart Kim then engages in a widely publicized rap war with Nicki Minaj, and releases a diss mixtape called Black Friday to negative reviews Label Independence: Kim settles lawsuit, attempts to appease fans with mixtapes/tours (2012-2017) Spoiler In 2012, Kim finally settles her lawsuit with Atlantic by buying out her contract and decides to move forward as an independent artist She gives birth to her first child in 2013, naming her Royal Reign Jones While independent, she releases two mixtapes: Hard Core 2K14 and Lil Kim Season (2016) to praise from fans, Kim also went on two tours during this period: The Return of the Queen Tour in 2012, and the Bad Boy Reunion Tour in 2015. 9: Kim signs to independent label, releases first album in 14 years amid financial struggles (2018-2019) Spoiler In 2018, Kim files for bankruptcy, mostly due to unpaid tax liens from the IRS, she later withdraws her bankruptcy petition after restructuring her finances and settling with the IRS for an undisclosed lump-sum payment Kim decides to sign an independent record deal with Entertainment One, and releases her fifth album, 9, in 2019 but the album fails to chart and is criticized by fans for abandoning Kim's signature rap style and opting for auto-tune and "mumble rap" Hiatus (2020-Present) Spoiler While Kim initially reported that she would be releasing 9: Part II, which would return to her signature rap style and include features from Remy Ma, Missy Elliott, and Paris Hilton, she later abandons the project when her label is bought out by The Blackstone Group The company rebrands the label as MNRK Music Group and announces the label will primarily focus on television and film instead of music, leaving former eOne artists in limbo Kim announces in 2021 that she will be publishing a memoir with Kathy Iandoli called The Queen Bee, through Headline Publishing Group, but the book is delayed 3 times. In 2023, Kim tells fans that there is a dispute between she and the publisher and the book is pulled from online retailers prior to release. Since then, Kim has only made appearances on songs by indie artists and has focused on performing at concerts In September 2024, Kim signs a joint deal with Day After Day Productions and Emancipated Icon Entertainment Group for global touring engagements Edited October 12 by jakeisphat 5
Domination Posted September 29 Posted September 29 (edited) The Queen! Also I just want to say that 9 is actually a good album and Bag/Pray For Me are career highlights hihi! Edited September 29 by Domination 1
Jimmy. Posted September 29 Posted September 29 I need whatever issues are stopping her book from being released to be resolved ASAP. 1
Pavement Princess Posted September 29 Posted September 29 Notorious KIM is one of my favorite albums ever. I love Kim I truly do.
crf13 Posted September 29 Posted September 29 An amazing discography! Hard Core through The Naked Truth are skipless albums!!
BrattyBottom Posted September 29 Posted September 29 One of the best studio album discographies in hip-hop
Apolonio ₃₄ Posted September 29 Posted September 29 1 hour ago, Jimmy. said: I need whatever issues are stopping her book from being released to be resolved ASAP. Someone stated that even she doesn't know why the book hasn't been released. She can never catch a break.
allforyou Posted September 29 Posted September 29 Her first 4 albums are so good, she was truly the Queen of Rap for a good decade. Even her first two mixtapes are cute (expecially the first one), unfortunately everything after that lacks in quality and 9 is straight up bad (if she wants to release music again and it's in that level of quality, she can keep it). It's a shame she didn't drop an album in 2007-2008 after she got out of jail, she could've really secured another hit record.
mons†er Posted September 29 Posted September 29 Notorious KIM and La Bella Mafia will always be my 2 favorite Kim albums.
jakeisphat Posted October 12 Author Posted October 12 Quote Day After Day Productions and Emancipated Icon Entertainment Group have announced the joint signing of Lil' Kim and Teddy Riley for worldwide touring engagements. The partnership marks a significant milestone for both artists' bookings globally as they embark on new chapters in their careers. Emancipated Icon, recently formed by Emancipated Talent's CEO Rich Murphy and Icon Entertainment CEO Greg Walker, has established a strategic partnership with Day After Day, founded and led by veteran agent Seth Shomes. Together they will represent Lil' Kim, a legendary figure in the hip-hop world who has captivated audiences with her unique style and iconic hits including "Not Tonight (Remix)," "Crush on You," "Lady Marmalade," "Magic Stick," "The Jump Off" and "Lighters Up." Lil' Kim said, "I am thrilled to be represented by Richard Murphy and Greg Walker of Emancipated Icon Entertainment Group, alongside Seth Shomes of Day After Day Productions. With their expertise and dedication, I am excited to take my touring shows around the world, ensuring that my artistry resonates in every corner of the globe. Together, we are committed to creating unforgettable experiences for my fans and pushing the boundaries of entertainment." https://www.billboard.com/pro/lil-kim-teddy-riley-sign-day-after-day-emancipated-icon/
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