Lil' Kim

Nicki Minaj 'A Very Obnoxious Person,' Lil' Kim Says

17 May 2012 13:07:47 EDT

Kim describes origin of her beef with Nicki in interview on New York's Power 105.
By Rob Markman

Lil' Kim was very forthcoming during her interview with New York Power 105's Breakfast Club morning show on Thursday (May 17), especially about her feud with Nicki Minaj.

Before Kimmy Blanco began fielding Nicki Minaj questions from show hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Angela Yee, she questioned why media outlets don't grill Ms. Minaj like they do her. "She has a way of trying to avoid the situation, and y'all let her do it," Kim charged before she hit on the root of their issue.

According to the Queen Bee, she was on pace to sign with Cash Money, the same label that made Nicki a star. "Me and Slim were friends for four years, and we decided that we were going to go into business together," Kim said of her plans with CM co-CEO Ronald "Slim" Williams. "I was over there with Cash Money — I was getting ready to be partners with them."

The deal didn't go through, but Kim did record "Grinding Makin' Money," a track that included both Birdman and Minaj. The Notorious K.I.M. claims that the track was slated for Birdman's 2009 album Priceless but didn't make the final cut. "They put the record out. I guess they didn't like the response — they saw the response and they pulled the record off, pulled it back, never put it on his album, nothing," Kim said.

In the Big Momma's mind, the single was to be beneficial to all parties. For Nicki and Cash Money, doing a song with the female rap great would help stamp a then-budding Minaj. In addition, it would put Kim back into rotation at radio, an important step in restarting her career after she was released from federal prison in 2006. But Birdman and company went cold on the track. "If that would've been a big video and a big event record, that would've been big for both of us," Lil' Kim reasoned. "But I personally think they didn't want me to stand beside her, which is stupid."

Kim went on to claim that Nicki's new record "Automatic" is strikingly similar to an unreleased record of the same name that she recorded and played for Cash Money brass three years ago.

"On her new album, she has a song called 'Automatic,' and the song is so similar to the song that I played for Slim," Kim charged. "The problem with her is she was very catty with it. I never had a problem with her — I was always, always nice with her, always. She was a very obnoxious person, but I was always nice with her."

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Notorious B.I.G. 'Locked' Lil' Kim In A Room To Prevent Jodeci Collabo

15 Mar 2012 19:11:49 EDT

'Big was very protective of me, like overprotective,' Lil Kim tells 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman

In the 1990s, there was no R&B band quite like Jodeci. While Boyz II Men, with their clean-cut image, were cut from a more traditional R&B cloth, K-Ci, JoJo, Dalvin and DeVante were the bad boys of the genre. No wonder they fit in so well with rappers, collaborating with the likes of Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Redman. They almost cooked up a collaboration with Lil' Kim as well, but the Notorious B.I.G. put a stop to that.

"Big was very protective of me, like overprotective," Lil' Kim said when she appeared on the March 7 episode of "RapFix Live."

In the early '90s, Jodeci got their start at Uptown Records, where their talent was cultivated by a then-unknown Sean "Puffy" Combs — whom fans now simply call Diddy. Under the young executive's watch, the quartet released their multiplatinum 1991 debut Forever My Lady, but somewhere down the line the relationship soured.

Kim recalled one incident where she and Diddy's Bad Boy crew had a run-in with Jodeci in a hotel. "Me and Keisha from Total were in the hallway talking to Dalvin and, I think, JoJo," she remembered. "Puffy and Big were looking for us, and when they found us, Big just started draggin' me by my coat and Puff was like, 'We don't eff with them. What are y'all doin' talkin' to them?' "

Despite the incident, Jodeci later wanted to include Lil' Kim on a remix of their 1995 single "Luv U 4 Life" and offered her a lot of money to do it, but Big, who was both Kim's musical mentor and lover, vetoed the feature. "At that time, it was the beginning of my career; I hadn't seen that much money for one record," Kim recalled.

"So Big comes to where I was stayin' and he's like, 'You ain't goin' nowhere, I'm gonna go out there to see what's goin' on,' " Kim remembered of Biggie's interference while laughing. "He locks me in the room; he was like, 'Oh you ain't gonna go do no song with them.' "

Join MTV News as we celebrate the Notorious B.I.G's life on the 15th anniversary of his death. From now through March 25, we will be rolling out exclusive and commemorative content from Biggie's closest friends, collaborators and his biggest fans. To join the conversation on Twitter, hit @MTVRapFix using the hashtag #biggie15.

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12 Mar 2012 14:06:40 EDT

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Lil' Kim Is In 'Kanye West Mode'

07 Mar 2012 21:52:52 EST

Kim tells 'RapFix Live' she doesn't 'give a ish' what people think about her, and she won't say whether 'If You Love Me' is about Maino.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

There is no female MC with a career trajectory quite like Lil' Kim's.

When she first debuted alongside the Notorious B.I.G.'s Junior M.A.F.I.A. in 1995 on their hit single "Player's Anthem," Kim was a sexy temptress with lyrics as captivating as her looks. Kim grew to be a soloist and, after Biggie's untimely demise, she became the Queen Bee of Junior M.A.F.I.A. There have been a number of ups and downs in her career, but today, the Notorious K.I.M. feels that she is at her artistic peak.

"Creatively, as an artist, I think I'm in my Kanye West mode; you do whatever you wanna do and don't give a ish what nobody got to say about it. It's all about taking chances," she told Sway when she appeared on Wednesday's "RapFix Live."

If Kim's daring new single "If You Love Me" is any indication, then it's safe to say that she is in her 808s & Heartbreak period, the album on which Kanye traded in his rap bars for Auto-Tuned melodies. Ms. La Bella Mafia released the song this past Valentine's Day on iTunes. While she doesn't completely abandon her rap bars, she's singing on the song's hook. "If you love me, you would say it in front of the world," Kim croons.

Kim, who is working on a new album, revealed to Sway that the track was based on real-life experience. "It's a true story. Somebody had allegedly made a record to me," she teased without saying who that somebody is.

Sway pushed further and asked Kim if the record was in response to Maino's "That Could Be Us" single. In the past, the two have been linked romantically, but Kim wouldn't reveal who "If You Love Me" was really about. "I plead the fifth," she said, laughing.

"There is a lot in my life, in my personal life, as far as dealing in relationships, that people don't know," Kim said, "and if they found out, they'll be like, 'What? You were with who?' "

What do you think about Lil' Kim's latest music? Let us know in the comments!

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Lil' Kim Returns To 'RapFix Live'

05 Mar 2012 18:32:02 EST

Catch the Queen Bee, who just released a new single, 'If You Love Me,' on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com.
By Rob Markman

It's time to bumble with the bee again: Lil' Kim is coming back to "RapFix Live." In March 2011, the Notorious K.I.M. graced the "RapFix" couch for the very first time, and on Wednesday (almost exactly a year later), Kim will make her return.

Last time she sat down with MTV News' Sway Calloway, the Queen Bee talked about the evolution of her career — from her early days with the Notorious B.I.G.'s Junior M.A.F.I.A. to her rise as one of the game's most-respected artists, regardless of gender.

Lil' Kim has been making headlines for years, with everything from her platinum plaques to her prison sentence keeping her as a topic of conversation throughout her whole career. Last year, she released her Black Friday mixtape, taking aim at Nicki Minaj, who she believed had been taking subliminal shots at her.

The beef wasn't the only topic during Kim's memorable "RapFix" interview: She also talked about her admiration for Lady Gaga, her relationship with Oprah Winfrey and the influence the late Notorious B.I.G. had on her art and life.

On Valentine's Day, she released a new single, "If You Love Me," on iTunes. On the uptempo track, Kim sings, "If you love me, you would say it in front of the world" on the song's hook while she raps about her dream relationship.

Catch Lil' Kim on "RapFix Live" Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. Send your questions for the artists @MTVRapFix!

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Too $hort, Lil' Kim Tried To Make 'Musical Sex' On 'Call Me'

26 Jan 2012 12:52:56 EST

'We tried to, like, have sex on the song,' Too $hort tells 'RapFix Live' of his and Lil' Kim's 1997 collabo.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Too $hort has built quite the reputation with the ladies in his 30-plus years in rap. Songs like "Freaky Tales" and "I'm a Player" expertly showcase Short Dog's ability to seduce women with his raps, so when his record label requested that he work with Lil' Kim on the 1997 single "Call Me," Kim's then on-and-off boyfriend the Notorious B.I.G. was more than a little concerned.

"I paid for the tickets for Kim and her manager to come to Atlanta and I went to pick them up to take them to the studio and who gets off the plane? No Lil' Kim, it was Biggie," Too $hort recalled with a laugh when he appeared on Wednesday's episode of "RapFix Live."

Though $hort and B.I.G. had built a good rapport before the Brooklyn great was slain in 1997, prior to recording with Kim, they didn't really know each other. Too $hort remembers B.I.G. coming off the plane on a pair of crutches that he was forced to use after he was involved in a car accident. The two sat down to talk, and according to $hort, the Notorious one inquired about the Oakland rapper's intentions with his artist and sometime love interest. "So what's goin' on with you and Kim? What's happenin'?" Too $hort remembered Biggie asking.

After $hort explained to Big that he only was interested in recording with Kim for his single, the "Juicy" rapper approved the collaboration. "He wanted to know what was goin' on with his little thang before he let it happen," $hort said. "So I explained it to him... and sure enough she showed up on the next flight. We got in the lab and we worked it out." Kim, who titled her 1996 debut album Hardcore, had become known for her sexually explicit lyrics, just like Too $hort, but the first version of "Call Me" didn't quite meet expectations, $hort revealed. "Believe it or not, we did the song and everybody said, 'Man, it's not dirty enough,' " $hort laughed.

Eventually they re-recorded the dirty version that fans have come to know. "We tried to, like, have sex on the song," he said. "It wasn't physical sex, but we tried to make musical sex. I think we achieved it."

Did you catch Too $hort on Wednesday's "RapFix Live"?Share your thoughts on the interview in the comments!

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Nicki Minaj And Lil' Kim Are 'RapFix' Favorites For A Reason

13 Sep 2011 16:52:24 EDT

Before appearing on Wednesday's 'RapFix Live,' Maino talks to Sway about the femcees' appeal, in Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Celebrity Favorites: Maino
Do the ladies run this mutha? After being deprived of rap femininity for a few years, it seems that women are once again a hot topic in the hip-hop conversation.

Take Wednesday's "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show, for instance. Not only is Trina making an appearance, but in two separate pre-show fan polls, Nicki Minaj and Lil' Kim are leading otherwise male-dominated categories. Minaj is currently leading for Best "RapFix Live" Freestyle, and the Queen Bee is the leading vote-getter in the Best "RapFix" Moment poll.

It's especially interesting considering that the two ladies were tangled in one of the biggest rap beefs of the year as well. Maino knows both Kim and Nicki, and when he appeared on Sway's Shade 45 morning radio show, he broke down the talents of both.

"I told her years ago that if I believed in any new female, I really felt like she actually had it because she rapped very feminine, she had a lot of style with her," Maino said of his early interactions with Nicki. "I saw her coming years ago, way before her name was even Nicki Minaj. I saw her actually being able to do it."

When Maino first came into the game with his debut single "Rumors," Lil' Kim was an early supporter, helping him navigate his way through the industry.

"Kim is legendary, man; household name that's gonna last forever," he said. "I just don't think that she maintained the work ethic to maintain what we wanted her to have, and that's to be in the spotlight continuously. Some people are not built for that 10-year run of nonstop working, like a Jay-Z."

The "Hi Hater" rapper said that, with today's fans, the only thing that matters is current hits, and while Kim has a powerful catalog, she needs some new bangers to return her to rap prominence.

"She took time off. When you take time off, you kind of hurt yourself, because in this game, they judge you by today," he said before offering advice to his onetime collaborator: "Get back to making hot music, because at the end of the day, that's all it is."

Catch Lloyd Banks, Maino, Trina and the Outlawz on the "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show on Wednesday, September 14, at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com!

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Big Sean Says Lil' Kim Should 'Hop On A Track With Another Big'

23 Mar 2011 21:15:22 EDT

'She's one of the greatest rappers of all time, straight up,' MC says during 'RapFix Live' after seeing Kim's kind words about him.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Kanye West isn't Big Sean's only notable co-signer.

During Lil' Kim's recent appearance on MTV News' "RapFix Live," one of the up-and-coming MCs she said had plenty of potential was the G.O.O.D. Music/ Def Jam artist. "There's a new rapper. I don't know if he's a rock star yet, I don't know if he's really gotten that chance, but his name is Big Sean," Kim told MTV News. "I like him. I think he's dope."

It was Sean's turn on Wednesday's (March 23) "RapFix Live." During his sit-down interview, the flashy Detroit rapper was humbled after seeing the video of the Queen Bee speaking highly of his talents.

"That's crazy, man," Sean told MTV News' Sway Calloway. "That's a legend right there. She's one of the greatest rappers of all time, straight up. Somebody told me that she said that, but that's my first time actually hearing her really say that. It's an honor. That just really goes to show me I'm just doing something right, through all the hate. Through all the people telling me, 'Man, you'll never do whatever, whatever, man,' stuff like that keeps me going."

With props from Lil' Kim, Sean said he intends to inquire about a possible collaboration with the Brooklyn rapper.

"Lil' Kim's a real G, man," Sean said. "She need to come holla at me. Hop on a track with another Big. ... I need her phone number to hit her up."

For now, Big Sean's debut album, Finally Famous, is due in stores May 3.

Would you like to hear a Sean and Kim collabo? Let us know in the comments!

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Notorious B.I.G.'s Junior M.A.F.I.A. Crew 'Get Money' Video, Frame By Frame

09 Mar 2011 16:21:22 EST

Lil' Kim recalls the Notorious B.I.G. and takes us behind the 1996 clip, which spoofed late rapper's love-life dramas.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Ade Mangum

In 1996, Lil' Kim was the standout member of the Notorious B.I.G.'s Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew. The Big Momma had stolen the show on their lead single "Player's Anthem," from the collective's album Conspiracy, and was again the main draw on their third single, "Get Money." Rapping alongside B.I.G. himself, the Queen Bee held her own and previewed the extravagant lifestyle that would play out in the video.

The Notorious B.I.G. died an untimely death on March 9, 1997, the year after the video's release, but it remains a part of his and the Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s musical legacy. When Lil' Kim visited "RapFix Live" last week, she spoke to MTV News about the memorable clip, walking us through it frame by frame.

Directed by Lance "Un" Rivera, the clip echoed some of the real-life legal drama Big was wrestling with at the time. In the opening scene, set in a courtroom, Big sits at the defense table, seemingly oblivious to what the lawyers and judge are discussing.

"I remember when we really had to go to court for him, for a situation that Biggie had, and we really had to sit in court with him," Kim told us. "I remember him falling asleep in front of the judge. And he was literally snoring in front of the judge. And the judge looked at his lawyer and was like, 'Excuse me, can you wake your client up?!' "

In '96, Big was in and out of court on drug and gun possession charges.

The East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop feud was in full swing by this time as well, though Big did his best not to stoke the flames. In the "Get Money" video, he pokes fun at his personal turmoil instead. The woman in the blonde wig in the clip looks suspiciously like Biggie's then-wife, R&B singer Faith Evans (fans know that Faith and Kim have never been on the best of terms). The actress portraying the faux Faith was the (still-married) rapper's girlfriend at the time, Charli Baltimore.

The video was shot at a New York City club and in a large home that Kim revealed was once owned by actor Wesley Snipes. Cameos in the video include DJ Clark Kent, Salt-N-Pepa, Mary J. Blige and even adult-film star Vanessa del Rio, who is seen thoroughly enjoying a massage and being fed fruit by buff men.

"A lot of people don't know who she was [but] she's a famous porn star from back in the days and she was mad cool," Kim said.

Kim threw in one last factoid about the late, great Brooklyn rapper that fans might not have known. At the end of the "Get Money" clip, she's seen driving off in a shiny red car that's decorated with a bow. "People don't know, at the end of this video Big was supposed to have brought me that car, that was my gift," Kim laughed. "So, ya know, I came off at the end."

What's your favorite Notorious B.I.G. video? Share with us in the comments!

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