The next album we will we reviewing is Kim's third effort, "La Bella Mafia". This was a highly anticipated release from Kim to not only Kim's fans, but the industry as whole after what was widely considered a let down with "The Notorious KIM". For the most part, the streets and the industry was impressed. Lil' Kim went back to her roots, so to speak, and got back in touch with the streets.
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.
"Hard Core" came out when there was a desperate need for sexiness in the rap world. Although Kim was not the first female rapper to reach platinum status, she was the first to do it being a lady. Unlike other female rappers with all male crews, Kim shined without having to "kick it like the fellas". This album still stands out as her best to date. Although others come close, this is still Kim's greatest work.
The nominations for this years Vibe Awards have been announced and the one and only Queen Bee has been nominated for Album of the Year. Other nominees for album of the year are "Get Lifted" by John Legend, "Late Registration" by Kanye West, "The Documentary" by The Game, and "The Emancipation of Mimi" by Mariah Carey. Unfortunately Kim will not be attending the ceremony, due to her time in federal prison.
The bad blood continues between Lil’ Kim and 50 Cent. Though the rappers paired up for the 2003 smash “Magic Stick,†the relationship between the two quickly disintegrated, and 50 Cent dissed Lil’ Kim in performances. In a recent interview with The Associated Press â€" before she entered federal detention center to serve a year-and-a-day sentence for perjury â€" Lil’ Kim made it clear there would be no duets in the future between the two.
"The Jump Off" is the first and only video released from Kim's 3rd CD 'La Bella Mafia'. A video was shot for "Came Back For You" but was never released to video networks. Kim felt that Atlantic Records was not supporting her as they should, and she felt that she would allow us to see how well her CD could actually do with only one video. It worked, as she went platinum based on one official single.
"How Many Licks" is the second single from Kim's sophmore album 'Notorious K.I.M.'. The single was actually voted on by fans on Kim's official website and was released mid-August of 2000. Sisqo was featured on the song, but unfortunately due to label disagreements involving Def Soul, he was not allowed to appear in the video, so Kim had to go solo.
