Lil' Kim Biography

Date of Birth
11 July 1974

Birth Name
Kimberly Denise Jones

Nickname
Queen Bee

Height
4' 11" (1.50 m)

Mini Biography

Kimberly Denise Jones, was born on July 11, 1974, to parents Linwood Jones and Ruby Mae. She is of Native American and African American descent. Standing just 4 feet 11 inches tall Kimberly Jones seems much less than being just your average girl in the hood, but when "Lil' Kim" was introduced to the world she became known for her provocative over-the-top outfits, glamorous blonde hair-dos, pornographic attitude, sexy man-crazed looks, and a groundbreaking triumph that eventually secured her place as one of the few female rappers in a male-dominated industry. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Kimberly was born into a broken home, by age 9 her parents had filed for divorce, leaving her and older brother Christopher under the custody of their father. A rebellious child living under the strict rules of her dad, Kimberly and her father had constant fights, and eventually she ran away from home. As a teenager she lived with friends, drug-dealing boyfriends, and, occasionally, on the streets. After meeting her mentor and life saver Christopher Wallace, (Notorious B.I.G/Biggie Smalls), she began to clean up her life and it was Christopher who helped her develop a career in music. By then Kimberly had taken in the slogan "Lil' Kim" after her height and curbing her name to just Kim. With the help of Christopher she became the only female member of the short lived rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their 1995 debut album Conspiracy debuted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered the hit singles "Player's Anthem" (#13) and "Get Money" (#17). Following the release, Lil' Kim appeared on records by Mona Lisa, the Isley Brothers, Total, and Skin Deep. And it was obvious that it was time for her to come out with her own solo album, and that's just what she did in 1996, with the release of "Hard Core". Lil' Kim's marketing campaign for the album was quite challenging - she was dressed in a skimpy bikini and furs in advertisements, as well as the album covers - but instead of resulting in criticism, the album became a hit, debuting at # 11 on the pop charts. The first single from the album, "No Time" a duet with Sean "Puffy" Combs, became a #1 rap single and #20 on the pop charts. A top ten single followed with "Not Tonight" (#6). But while Lil Kim's career was blossoming, her life was shattered along with the music world when her father like figure Notorious B.I.G. was murdered on March 9, 1997. Following that incident, Lil' Kim took a hiatus from recording her own music, but she still kept busy with a string of other projects. She was one of the featured performers of Puff Daddy's highly successful 1998 "Bad Boy Tour", and built her own business with the launch of Queen Bee Records, with Lil' Kim herself as CEO. Her long-awaited "Notorious K.I.M." was released in the summer of 2000 under the Queen Bee record label and debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. By then, she had lost weight but still kept the sexual techniques and provocative antics coming for fans that were hungry for more. She had also taken a shift into films debuting in the 1999 teen flick "She's All That" and playing Tina Parker in the 2002 comedy "Juwanna Man". In 2001 Lil Kim gained her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in a remake of Patti Labelle's hit "Lady Marmalade" that collaborated her with singers Mya, Pink, and Christina Aguilera, the success awarded them a Grammy in 2002 for Best Pop Collaboration. Her third full-length album "La Bella Mafia" was released in 2003 debuting at #5 on the pop charts and earned her two more hits with "The Jump Off" (#17) and "Magic Stick/feat.50Cent" that shot to #2. Her album The Naked Truth released in September 2005 debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Top 200 Album's chart and sold 109,000 copies during the first week of its release.

Trivia

She is the only female in Junior M.A.F.I.A.

She is constantly being criticised by the media because of her music, style, attitude and image.

Her best friend was The Notorious B.I.G..

Role was cut from Scary Movie (2000).

Remade the LaBelle hit "Lady Marmalade" along with Mya, Christina Aguilera and Pink for the Moulin Rouge! (2001) soundtrack.

Use to work at a Bloomingdale's store in New York.

When "Lady Marmalade" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001, she became the first solo female rapper to claim that feat.

Ranked #34 on VH1's 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists.

In 2001 she collaborated with Phil Collins on a re-recording of his classic song "In the Air Tonight".

Is good friends with Christina Aguilera.

Was a student at Brooklyn College Academy High School

Wears a variety of colored contact lenses.

There's an accredited Syracuse University course titled "The Life and Times of Lil' Kim."

According to Spike Lee, she turned down the role of "Evelyn" in his film. She Hate Me (2004), because she thought it would ruin her image.

Good friends with Victoria Gotti.

Owns over 800 wigs at 2,000 dollars each.

Often makes references to The Notorious B.I.G. in her music.

Her fourth album, 'The Naked Truth', is regarded as a hip-hop classic. Hip-hop fans have even called it "the greatest album of all-time from a female rapper". It is also the first album from a female hip-hop artist to receive five mics (equivalent to five stars; the highest possible ranking) from popular hip-hop magazine, "The Source".

Ranked #71 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

She is African American.

Was The Notorious B.I.G.'s girlfriend at the time of his death.

Is portrayed by Naturi Naughton in Notorious (2009).

Her parents are Trinidadian.

Personal Quotes

Only me and him will ever know what that relationship was really like. (On her relationship with Biggie Smalls)

I believe strongly in my work and need time, because I put 100 percent in everything I write and everything I do. My modeling, my music, my acting, everything that I'm getting ready to get into, I put 100 percent into. I want whoever is going to back me with it to put 100 percent into it.

Where Are They Now

(December 2005) She's currently serving a 366 day sentence for perjury.

(July 2006) released from prison on Monday, July 3rd. She was originally going to remain in custody until August, but her sentence was shortened for good behavior.

(November 2007) Released a buzz single, "Chillin' Tonight", to promote her fifth album, which is scheduled for release early 2008.

(January 2008) It was announced towards the end of January that she has parted ways with Atlantic Records. She now plans to release her upcoming album independently.

(August 2008) Working on her fifth studio album, tentatively titled 'Vintage'. The album will hit stores early in 2009.