Lil’ Kim was instrumental in creating a template that permeates every female rapper to touch the microphone since her. In 1994 she was discovered by Notorious B.I.G. and invited to join Junior M.A.F.I.A. The group’s lead singles “Players Anthem” and “Get Money” helped put her on the map. Her debut album, Hard Core,” was released in 1996 and has sold six million copies to date. She released The Notorious K.I.M. in 2000 and La Bella Mafia in 2003, both of which were certified platinum. She would team up with Mya, Pink and Christina Aguilera for the single “Lady Marmalade,” a remake of the Labelles’ song of the same name. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. To date, Kim has sold more than 15 albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Thus, her Queen B moniker became apropos over time. After a stretch where most of her works were collaborative, featured alongside Faith Evans, Remy Ma and Fabolous, her fifth studio recording, 9, was released in 2019.