Before the emergence of Nicki Minaj, a certain Lil Kim, often referred to as the queen of rap or hip-hop goddess, was considered the best female rapper ever. The Brooklyn-born New Yorker, who was discovered by her New York rapper colleague The Notorious B.I.G., is best known for songs like “No Time”, “Big Momma Thang” and “Not Tonight (Ladies Night)”.
In her day, and to some extent to this day, Lil Kim was also known for her sexually provocative sense of fashion that influenced those who came after her. Read on to learn more about her early beginnings and her career.
Lil Kim Bio
Lil Kim was born on July 11, 1974, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, as Kimberly Denise Jones. She is the second of two children of her parents, Ruby and Linwood Jones, who raised her together until they separated when she was about 9 years old. Mrs. Jones was subsequently raised by her former father in the U.S. Navy until the two of them fell out and she was kicked out of her home.
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At that time, Kim, who had attended Queen of All Saints Elementary School in Brooklyn, dropped out of high school. She had attended Sarah J. Hale Vocational High School before transferring to Brooklyn College Academy.
While living on the streets, Kim began to focus on building a rap music career. She was able to do this thanks to her relationship with rapper The Notorious B.I.G., which was a rising sensation at the time. At about the age of 19, she stopped using her birth name and took the nickname Lil Kim when she joined forces with other up-and-coming artists to form the rap group Junior MAFIA. With the help of B.I.G., who wrote most of their music, the group released their first album, Conspiracy, in 1995.
The RIAA-certified Junior MAFIA gold album spurred Lil Kim to embark on a solo rap career. In November 1996, she released her first solo album entitled Hard Core, after causing a sensation with a series of top-class R&B songs. The commercial success of the album drove her to new heights when she founded her own record label and started working as a model.
In 2000 she released her second album, The Notorious Kim, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 charts and sold 229,000 copies in the first week of its release. Her third album, “La Bella Mafia”, released in March 2003, was also a remarkable success, debuting at number 5 on the Billboard 200 list and selling 166,000 copies in the first week of its release.
In 2005, Lil Kim was sentenced to one year in prison after being convicted of conspiracy in three cases and perjury after a shooting in 2001. During her time in the Philadelphia Federal Penitentiary, Lil Kim ensured that she would continue to play an important role in the rap music scene by planning the release of her fourth album during her time behind bars. The album, entitled “The Naked Truth” debuted at #6 and sold 109,000 copies in its first week. Since that time, due to contractual obligations and court orders, Kim has not been able to release any more albums, although she has released a number of mixtapes.
Daughter
In June 2014 Lil Kim gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Royal Reign. The baby was born out of her relationship with the Honduras-born New York rapper Mr. Papers. The couple has since ended their relationship and it has been reported that they are involved in a custody dispute over their daughter.
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Lil Kim Net Worth
There are conflicting reports about Lil Kim’s net worth, which is reportedly $18 million. The rapper, who sells several platinum records, is said to be worth that much, but in 2018 she filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in New Jersey. She is reported to owe more than $4 million to the government, banks, and lawyers.
Plastic Surgery
When Lil Kim makes public appearances in recent years, she always appears different from the way she appeared the last time she met, which is due to the fact that she went under the knife more than a few times. The “Magic Stick” rapper seems to have worked on her jaw, eyes, cheeks, nose, and skin so that she is almost unrecognizable from the moment she entered the scene.
In her defense, however, Ms. Jones was forced to work on her nose after it was broken a few times by an ex-boyfriend.
Other Details
Lil Kim is 149 cm (4 feet 11 inches) tall and weighs 55 kg (121 lbs). Her body measurements are 36-26-34.
She has tried her hand at acting, either by appearing as herself or by playing a role. Films in which she has acted include She’s All That (1999), Gang of Roses (2003), and Superhero Movie (2008).
