Information AboutLil' Kim |
For the New York Yankees reporter of the same name, go to the entry for Kimberly Jones (reporter) Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11 , 1975 ), more popularly known as '''Lil' Kim''' and the nickname '''Queen Bee''', is an American rap artist, known for her bold lyrics, boundary-pushing attire, and her Grammy Winning Role in the 2000 Smash Hit "Lady Marmalade". She is currently serving out her one year and a day conviction on counts of perjury and consipiracy at the Federal Detention Center(FDC) in Philladelphia, Pa. During the late '90s and early 2000s , Lil' Kim rose to become one of the most prominent female rap artists of her time. As a recording artist, her uninhibited, hardcore style of rap has paved the way for many other female rap artists, including Trina , Lil' Kia and Terror Squad 's Remy Ma . BIOGRAPHY Early years Lil' Kim was born in Brooklyn in New York City , New York to Linwood & Ruby Mae Jones. She received the nickname of "Lil" due to her petite 4'11" frame by the Notorious B.I.G. At the age of nine, her parents separated, which marked the beginning of a tumultous and often difficult lifestyle, even resorting to prostitution at one point. However, while in her late teens, her rhyming skills came to the attention of rapper Christopher Wallace (A.K.A. Notorious B.I.G. ) who had just signed a record deal with Bad Boy Records . The Junior M.A.F.I.A. & ''Hard Core'' Wallace introduced Kim to New York rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. , in which Kim became the only female member. In 1995 , they released their debut album ''Conspiracy'', which debuted at #8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and spawned the top twenty hit "Get Money." After her success with the Junior M.A.F.I.A., Kim went solo, releasing her controversial debut album '' Hard Core '' on November 12 , 1996 .''Hard Core'' was a hit, debuting at #11 on the Billboard 200 and going on to achieve Double-Platinum status. The lead single, "No Time" (featuring Puff Daddy ), became a top twenty hit; its follow-up, "Not Tonight," proved to be an even bigger success, as it went on to reach the top ten of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. On the heels of Kim's successful debut was the murder of Wallace, her mentor and lover, in 1997, which was said to have devastated Kim. ''The Notorious K.I.M.'' After Biggie's death, Kim took a break from her own music, but still made guest appearances on other artists' albums. In 1998 , she toured with Puff Daddy on the "No Way Out" tour. 1999 saw the launch of her own record label, Queen Bee Records , and in 2000 , Lil' Kim returned with a new look and a new album. '' The Notorious K.I.M. '' debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling nearly 230,000 copies in its opening week. Lil'Kim had the record for the most albums sold in the first week by a female rapper at the time. The album and was later certified Platinum , and has now sold 1.5 million copies to date. The two singles released in the U.S., "No Matter What They Say" and "How Many Licks?," both showed Kim's veratility, but only made it into the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 . The record on a whole was also not received as well as her debut by critics. It wasn't until 2001 that Kim had her first true mainstream hit. She teamed up with Christina Aguilera , Mya and Pink to remake Patti LaBelle 's classic hit " Lady Marmalade " for the '' Moulin Rouge! '' soundtrack. The single peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, making it Kim's first #1 single and her the first female rap artist to hit #1 on the chart. The song subsequently was one of the biggest hits of the year, and went on to win a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals . She also recorded a new entrance theme for then WWE Women's champion Trish Stratus titled "Time to Rock N Roll", which is used currently for her entrance theme during broadcasts. The single was released on WWE Anthology, a compilation of entrance theme music to various superstars which also featured the likes of Saliva and Naughty By Nature . ''La Bella Mafia On March 4, 2003, Kim released her third album, '' La Bella Mafia ''. Highly rated (4.5 mics) by music magazine The Source , La Bella Mafia featured the hits "The Jump Off (featuring Mr. Cheeks)" (a Top 20 hit) and "Magic Stick," a duet with fellow controversial rapper 50 Cent , which peaked at #2 on the charts. The latter achieved airplay success despite the fact that no music video was released for the single. ''La Bella Mafia'' debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling nearly 170,000 copies in the first week. By the end of 2003, it went Platinum, eventually selling 1.1 million copies. Kim was nominated for five Source Awards and won two, ("Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, and "Female Single of the Year"). This album also got two Grammy Award nominations: Best Female Rap Solo Performance ("Came Back For You") and Best Rap Collaboration ("Magic Stick"). She was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with singer Christina Aguilera for the song "Can't Hold Us Down", from Christina's album Stripped . Criminal Conviction & ''The Naked Truth'' On March 17 , 2005 , Kim was found guilty of conspiracy and Perjury for lying to a grand jury about her friends' involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan — involving the entourage of rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga and her reported fellow Brooklynite rival Foxy Brown . She claimed not to have known that her manager (Damion Butler), and another friend (Suif “Gutta” Jackson) were at the scene, despite video footage showing all three exiting the building. Both men have pleaded guilty to gun charges since. Kim was fined $50,000 and sentenced to a year and one day at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, which she reported to on September 19 , 2005 . She is currently promoting a reality show filmed before she began serving her one-year-and-a-day sentence in a Philadephia federal detention center. Despite her conviction Kim released a fourth album, '' The Naked Truth '', during her sentence on September 27 , 2005. It earned her a 5 mic rating from ''The Source'' , making her the first female rapper to ever accomplish this feat. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 but did not sustain this position. It was Kim's worst selling album to date, selling only 326,000 units (Soundscan) In February 2006, Atlantic Records held a press confrence about the dissapointing sales of the album, saying they would re-release the album this fall and saying that the re-release[http://www.answers.com/topic/Naked-Truth-Behind-Bars" will include songs Kim had wrote in prison. It has been rumored that the re-release, ''The Naked Truth: Behind Bars'' will be released this November, marking the 10 year anniversary of her debut ''Hardcore''. Video for the album's first single, "Lighters Up" was #1 on BET 's "106 & Park" for 2 weeks. "Lighters Up," was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The second single, "Whoa" was released on February 17, 2006. On March 9th, BET premiered the show ''Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown'', which was shot before Kim headed to jail. The show became the highest rated premiere in BET history, with 1.7 million viewers. Kim is scheduled to be released from the Federal Detention center (FDC) Philladelphia in July of 2006, which will mark 80% of her 366 day sentence, as required by Federal sentencing guidelines. Lil' Kim also recently established the Lil' Kim Cares Foundation, a charity organazation which distibuted toys to less fortunate children during the 2005 Christmas season and continues to serve charitable purposes. The official website for the foundation is lilkimcares.com. DISCOGRAPHY Albums
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