Lil’ Kim

About the Lil’ Kim

Kimberly Denise Joneswas certified double platinum in March 2001. Since its release, it has sold more than six million copies worldwide and spawned three successful singles: “No Time,” “Not Tonightand La Bella Mafiawere also certified platinum. In 2001, Lil’ Kim reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the single “Lady Marmalade”and returned to the public eye in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Throughout the 2010s, she continued to release music and perform sporadically, collaborating with artists such as Faith Evans, Remy Ma, and Fabolous. Her fifth studio album, 9, was released in 2019.

Lil’ Kim has been referred to as the “Queen of Rap,” as well as her alias “Queen Bee” by several media outlets. She has sold more than 15 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Her songs “No Time,” “Big Momma Thang,” and “Not Tonight (Ladies Night)” were each listed on Complex’s list of the 50 Best Rap Songs By Women. In 2012, she was listed on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music list at number 45, the second-highest position for a solo female hip-hop artist.

Aside from music, she is also known for her risk-taking and luxurious approach to fashion which has inspired many artists; she has been cited as a fashion icon. Her collaboration with celebrity nail artist Bernadette Thompson for the 1999 “Money Nails” design she wore is credited with bringing intricate nail art into mainstream fashion and has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. Lil’ Kim has been noted for helping women embrace their “sexuality and femininity” in a way that was a stark contrast at the time from other female artists.