Lil Kim was born Kimberly Denise Jones July 11th, 1974. In spite of her relatively young age and eponymously small stature (4 foot 11 inches) she is a groundbreaking giant as a female gangsta rapper whose lyricism has even been made the subject of a credited course at Syracuse University. She nearly invented one brand of female rapper as a fierce, hyper sexual figure openly interested in men with dollars to provide. Unknown to the public until catastrophic events revealed all, Lil Kim had a complicated relationship with mentor and lover the Notorious B.I.G. including during his seemingly solid marriage to soul singer Faith Evans. Therefore, the explosive East Coast – West Coast rap saga that took the lives of two of the most popular rappers of the mid nineties, Tupak Shakur and Lil Kims lover Biggie Smalls (B.I.G. aka Chris Wallace) will always include her name. The self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Hip Hop managed to rise from these ashes without the mentor to win five Grammys, 3 MTV video music awards, 2 VH1 Awards, and be nominated for or win 17 others. Her talents are undeniable. Where controversy erupts is over her extreme plastic surgery – she acquired huge breast implants, blonde weaves, and blue eye contacts to the dismay of some of her fans. Shes recently gone to jail for committing perjury by lying to a grand jury about a friends involvement in one of the infamous radio station shootings that have many black activists concerned about the violence, imagery, language, and the campaign to protect criminals in the Hip Hop community. Nonetheless, Lil Kims influence and fan base remain as enormous as her accomplishments.
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