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Album Review: The Notorious KIM
Today we'll touch on Kim's long awaited sophomore effort, 'The Notorious KIM'. This should have been the album to launch Kim's career into the stratosphere, but due to bad decisions and no label support, it lost steem pretty quick. A lot of fans brush this album off as fluff, something designed for pop radio, but they don't understand the importance of appealing to the masses as well. Sure, Kim could have released Hard Core Pt 2, but at that time in music, gangsta rap was not in the forefront. Music was being dominated by the Puff Daddy's and the Nelly's and the Eminem's, radio friendly music is what you needed to maintain a successful career.
This album went through many transformations before the final release, some good, most bad. The album original featured the cuts: 'Nobody Do It Better' (featuring Kim singing on the hook, NOT T-Boz opposed to what everyone thinks), 'Makes No Sense' (featuring Tanya Stephens), The Queen, Bad Girls (featuring RuPaul, the original 'No Matter What They Say') and Diamonds (the song Diana Ross would not clear for Kim), Our World (renamed Funk Flex's 'Rockin'), and Good Times (featuring Lil' Cease). If these tracks had of remained (minus maybe Bad Girls & Good Times) the CD would have definitely had a better chance, especially if Kim's choice for first single, The Queen, would have been released.
'Lil' Drummer Boy', 'Revolution' and 'Aunt Dot' showcase Kim's storytelling at it's finest. 'Aunt Dot; is a fan favorite for many reasons. One, the fact that Kim plays all parts of the song (even the credited Lil' Shanice, when slowed down is actually Kim), and two, every fan who has heard this song is begging for a part two to finish the story.
Kim produced many pop/radio friendly songs on this CD as well, including 'Custom Made (Give it to You)', 'How Many Licks?', 'No Matter What They Say', 'She Don't Love You', 'Don't Mess With Me', 'Off the Wall' and 'Right Now'. Most of these songs could have been excellent singles, and the ones that were chosen unfortunately did not live up to the hype surrounding them. 'How Many Licks' was actually a fan pick from Kim's official website, but did not do as well as expected, still pushing Kim to that platinum mark. A third single would have helped push the album along, but sadly none came.
Filler tracks such as 'Who's Number One', 'Suck My Dick', 'Single Black Female' and 'Do What You Like' could have easily been replaced by any of the unreleased tracks. 'Queen Bitch Pt II' is NOT what we expected for a sequal to one of Kim's greatest songs to this date. The principle was still the same, a freestyle-like flow, but Puff Daddy introduced himself to this song against Kim's wishes and pretty much ruined any chance it had to live up to the predicesor.
Other stand out tracks include the obligatory Foxy Brown and Shyne diss track 'Notorious K.I.M.', the emotional tribute song to the late Notorious B.I.G. 'Hold On' and the eclectic 'I'm Human'. 'Hold On' was the first time Kim revealed that she was pregnant with Biggie's child before the release of 'Hard Core' and is excellently backed up by Mary J Blige's vocals. The album closer, 'I'm Human', is considered by most to the worst song on the CD, but I advise that everyone listen to this song more closely, as Kim said on a later release "My last album, some of y'all wasn't ready for it ... I'm just so advanced I'm ahead of my time". This song showed a growth that I wish Kim would have followed through with more.
All in all, this was a solid release that could have garnered more of a response had the right singles been chose and had the album had been backed more by the label. I give it a 3/5.
Comments
the beats are ok.
the hunger/anger is there but almost every song is a diss to junior mafia.
with source saying the album is a 5 mic why didnt the label push her?
trina's album is just as good if not better.
3/5
YO ALLS I KNOW IS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PUT THE DICK GAME DOWN ON THE QUUN BEE SOMTHING SERIOUS. I BET THAT'S SOME GOOD PUSSY...
Kim CD naked truth is raw like hardcore. I think she is on the top of her game. To bad she lock'd up tho. I have to disagree Trina new album is full of trash. She str8 recorded that album in the studio basement of Oscar the grouch
This was the "gayest" I have ever seen kim. I mean what self-respecting female would let a man fuck her "in the ass and lick the nut off"? That is just fucking nasty and filty, not to mention "gay". And for all the kim stans that claim she hasn't gone at Fox, check the cd bitches. Face it, kim has yet to get over "Bang Bang".
Dead.
First off for all Brooklyn Haters like my B***h said put ur lighters up
Cant front..KIM new shit is Hott...but she's not seeing GEAN GRAE on the MiC at ALL !
ok whoever wrote this abulm review and said that the song "I'm Human is the worst is the most rerated person who wouldnt know creativity if it bit them in the butt. that song is one of the best songs i've ever heard. All of Lil' kim cds deserve a 5 out of 5 expct for 'Hardcore' because i've never heard it before.
As i take a sip of heiniken & becks, i think about the niggas & bitches that try & flex. Be clear the game needed Kim, & we owe her some dap. Spearheading the "sex-talk" movement, was a buiness decision due to Fran White & Undeas. Stand up & salute her for all she has brought to the game. Yeah, we can all throw rocks her way; but what entertainer don't we find fault with? In the end it's another sister that is doing time, let's show some "umoja" & present & unified front to the world, that we support our-girl.