Kimberly Denise Jones began rapping while expelled from home in her teens, at first freestyling with her friends before writing her own full length raps soon afterwards. It was while she was living on the streets and on her friends couches that she struck up a friendship with an up and coming rapper called Christopher Wallace, whose stage name was The Notorious B.I.G. In 1994, when he was still becoming the legend we know him to be today, he drafted the 19 year old Kim and two of their childhood friends into a hip-hop group called Junior M.A.F.I.A, who released “Conspiracy”, their debut album, the following year. The album, largely thanks to Biggie's involvement and promotion, was a Gold-certified success that made a star out of the 20 year old Kim, who capitalised on the exposure by guesting on a number of hit R&B albums and releasing her debut solo album “Hard Core” in November 1996.
While the Junior M.A.F.I.A album was a success, “Hard Core” was a revelation, and Lil' Kim was suddenly one of the biggest names in hip-hop. One top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 later in the form of “Crush On You”, and Kim was suddenly a pop star to boot. Of course, being the mid-to-late 90's, being a hip-hop star came with its fare share of controversy, but whatever rise Kim would get out of people, sometimes people within the upper echelons of her own record label, it would never derail her sales or her radio play. After forming her label Queen Bee Entertainment in 1999, her dominance was certified by the release of her second solo album “The Notorious K.I.M”, an album that was certified Platinum four weeks after its release.
Like the vast majority of artists that hit the big time in such a spectacular manner, Kim was unable to stay at that level of commercial success. However, unlike many artists on a commercial downturn, she was still able to release Gold-certified albums while garnering the best reviews of her career for albums like 2005's “The Naked Truth”, and her 2008 mixtape “Ms. G.O.A.T”. Her live shows also remain some of the most acclaimed in all hip-hop, so any self-respecting rap fan would be mad to miss out. For all of that, Lil' Kim comes highly recommended.
From when I used to sing along obnoxiously to "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me" back in high school, the Pussycat Dolls (or the PCD) have been the number one, slinkily sexual, aggressively in-your-face girl band for me. Formed from a former line up of burlesque dancers, the PCD arrived on the scene back in 2003 as a genuine musical force. While the group sadly fell apart due to tensions over Nicole Scherzinger being focused on as the main lead, back in those days they rode high on their particular brand of r'n'b and pop.
In this perfectly choreogrpahed gig, they gave the 'Doll' energy only they could be known for, gyrating washboard abs and seductive hair flicks in perfect time. I swear Nicole looked me right in the eyes.
"Buttons" was delivered with all the sassiness the early Noughties demanded, while "Stickwitu" provided a mellow counterpoint.
"When I Grow Up" encapsulated this group's soaring ambition – "when I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies." This promise has been totally realised for the Dolls, who even have their own line of Doll figurines as merchandise. Finishing with the rousing "Jai Ho" from the smash Hollywood hit 'Slumdog Millionaire' I can only wish the Dolls the best in their separate destinies.
philippa-dunjay
In hip hop terms, Lil Kim ticks all the boxes; over the course of a twenty year career, she’s sold millions of records, been involved in more feuds than many of her male counterparts, served prison time, and crossed over into the mainstream with some high-profile guest appearances, particularly on the cover of ‘Lady Marmalade’ that featured on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack back in 2001. She hasn’t released a full-length album since 2007 - The Naked Truth dropped whilst she was still behind bars - but has remained in the public eye since her release from jail thanks to a high-profile rift with Nicki Minaj, with both taking shots at each other on vearious verses, most notably Minaj on Kanye West’s ‘Monster’. Kim has returned to the live circuit, too, playing twnty-two shows across America back in 2012 on the Return of the Queen tour. The shows, which typically opened with classic cut ‘Queen Bitch’ and were closed out with ‘Whoa’, were carrer-spanning affairs, and featured a slew of special guests across the country - Missy Elliott, Eve and Cassidy included. She hasn’t played in the UK since her incarceration, but continues to be active live, touring New York state with Juelz Santana to promote Obamacare.
Joeg_67
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