This week, Lil' Kim turned 35. And, as always, she's still making the scene with everything she does – 15 years after making an indelible mark on the hardcore hip-hop scene with her former group, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Since then, the Brooklyn native -- legally known as Kimberly Denise Jones – has been to hell and back with endless drama, including the brutal murder of her lover and mentor The Notorious B.I.G., a high-profile prison bid, lawsuits, record company drama, TV stints and numerous rap beefs.
We caught up with the Grammy Award-winning rap diva, who said she had a lot to get off her chest. Below are excerpts of the conversation.
BV: What have you been up to?
LK: "Well, right now I'm currently on my promo tour, which I'm ecstatic about. And it's been wonderful. My fans are the best in the world! I don't want to be any other celebrity right now. I love my fans. I'm looking to release a single [this month], because I got a lot of songs that I worked on. I've been in the studio with Dr. Dre. I'm going to be on his 'Detox' album. It's 'Hardcore' Lil Kim. It's one of those records that, even if it doesn't become a single, it will always be in your playlist. Dr. Dre in return is going to do some stuff for my album. I've been in the studio with Timbaland, too."
BV: You've done 'Dancing With the Stars,' which was a major move for you. This is all after your incarceration, when you picked up the pieces. How did you do it?
LK: "Well, for me it was nobody but God. I can't even take credit for that. If I didn't have him, I wouldn't even be here with all the things I went through. But he lets me know that he's real, and I'm supposed to be here because of him."
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Lil' Kim joined forced with DMX during a show in Scottsdale, Ariz. over the weekend. The duo awed fans with a performance of the 1998 hit song 'Money, Power, Respect.' "New York is in the motherf---in' building!" DMX shouted to fans.
It was a wardrobe malfunction of the highest order: The airline had lost Lil' Kim's luggage.
For a hip-hop sex kitten who is as popular for her saucy rhymes as her outrageous outfits - the purple pastie she wore to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards particularly stands out - this meant that the start time of her sold-out concert on Monday at the Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko would have to be pushed back while she pieced together another worthy getup. Sponsored Links
After an hour, host Sterling James announced, "Lil' Kim is in the house!"
Translation: It would be another hour before the 35-year-old rapper would actually take the stage.
With the crowd properly lubricated at this point, everyone took the opportunity to start bouncing as the DJ blasted jams they were more likely to hear at the Hustler Club than a cabaret venue that normally hosts the likes of Paula West and Wesla Whitfield.
As another hour passed, he started dipping into Lil' Kim's own records while someone started flicking the house lights on and off.
Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, is in the midst of a comeback effort she launched in earnest nearly four years ago - shortly after she completed a 10-month sentence in federal prison for lying to a grand jury.
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Kim celebrated her birthday on July 11th by launching her personalized Queen Honey Bee Milkshake (containing bananas, raspberries and Nutella) at the Millions of Milkshakes store in West Hollywood.
This week, Lil' Kim turned 35. And, as always, she's still making the scene with everything she does – 15 years after making an indelible mark on the hardcore hip-hop scene with her former group, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
