I heart Nicki Minaj. Her verses on Yo Gotti’s “Down in the DM” give me life. It’s like she rapped my thoughts when she said “cause 99.9%, of these fuckboys can’t fuck me.” Nicki speaks to the 2016 fly girls who are unapologetically bad. She speaks sex and entrepreneurship. She boasts about material things and love. She raps about the value in exclusivity and ambition. “But my pussy so exclusive, limited edition. You know niggas love pretty bitches with ambition,” Nicki spits on Fabolous’ “Doin It Well.”
Nicki Minaj is the rapper for the Lil’ Kim fans who grew up. Lil’ Kim’s first album, Hard Core was raunchy and I had no business listening to it when it was released in 1996. I will forever agree with Kim’s stance that if “you ain’t lickin’ this, you ain’t stickin’ this.” But what happened when a Hip Hop and Lil’ Kim fan grows up?
I like braggadocious rhymes. I like rapping like I’m the baddest to have ever done it. But Kim failed me as a fan. I loved Hard Core, of course as well as The Notorious K.I.M and La Bella Mafia. In 2005 Kim released her fourth album, The Naked Truth which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and sold 109,000 copies in its first week. The album was released as Kim was serving a year long federal prison sentence for three counts of conspiracy and one count of perjury for lying to a Federal grand jury about her and her friends’ involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the Hot 97 studios in Manhattan, New York.
While Kim was in jail and even after her release, there was a huge void readymade for Nicki Minaj. Where was a Kim fan to turn when Kim wasn’t making any music? It’s really a question of where did all the female rappers go? According to Ana DuVernay, who directed the 2010 documentary My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop, in the late 1980s and early 1990s there were more than 40 women signed to major labels. In 2010 there were just three.
While Lil’ Kim was silenced, I yearned for a dope female emcee who I could relate to. I like my female rappers street and sexy because it’s possible to be both which is why I can’t get jiggy with Angel Haze, Siya or Gifted Gab. Trina is sexy without skill and Shawnna just couldn’t take off under DTP. Jean Grae is cool but not my particular taste. Iggy Azalea is a non-Hip Hop factor and Azealia Banks is way too hipster for my liking.
Lil’ Kim Versus Nicki Minaj
But was I supposed to eagerly accept Ms. Minaj when she initially looked like a Lil’ Kim knock-off? At the beginning of Nicki’s career, she was blatantly copying Kim’s formula of rapper and video vixen, which led to the arguably inevitable Nicki versus Kim beef. “The problem with her is, she was very catty with it,” Kim said of Nicki in 2012. “But from the moment that I met her, I was always cool with her. But after that, it almost seems like, when they realized, ‘OK, we need Kim. We want to study her swag.’ That’s what it kind of felt like because I was around for a long time.”
And as someone who grew up listening to Kim and seeing the first fusion of sexy and street, I sided with Kim. Though, I couldn’t deny Nicki’s verse on Kanye West’s “Monster.” It went harder than Hov’s. But “yeah, my money’s so tall that my Barbiez got to climb it,” was a dig at Kim (as far as I was concerned) that left me screw faced. When “Monster” came out, Nicki was still the new kid on the block and Kim was still the “Black Barbie.”
Plus, I couldn’t call Nicki the new “Queen” when she was releasing “Super Bass” and “Starships.” I even agreed with Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 when he said “Starships” is “the most sellout song in Hip Hop history.” At that moment, Nicki went so far pop that I definitely couldn’t crown her as next. Since then, Nicki’s career has gone global. And surprisingly, The Pinkprint is the female rap album I’ve needed in my life.
I had to ask myself whether female rappers can age in the rap game? Between Kim’s jail time and motherhood, it’s been a conflicting period for an aging Kim fan. Kim’s music post The Naked Truth has been mediocre. Kim’s 2011 Black Friday mixtape played as a reminder of who Lil’ Kim once was, sure, but even with features from Jadakiss, Yo Gotti and Cassidy Hard Core 2K14 was unsalvageable. Kim’s most recent track, a remix to Desiigner’s “Panda” featuring Maino is solid but I miss the Kim that didn’t do trends because she created her own lane.
Nicki arrived with nearly no competition and continues to dominate. She was able to crossover and come back and because of that I can no longer deny Nicki’s talent or staying power. With Kim’s lack of material and penchant for delivering wack mixtapes, unfortunately, Kim’s reign as “Queen” has been over for years. Lil’ Kim will always have a soft spot in my Hip Hop heart. She definitely set the stage for Nicki Minaj. It’s Women’s History Month and I’m woman enough to admit that while it’s hard to see a legend fall, I will never deny another woman’s hard work and talent. In life, the princess inevitably becomes the Queen.
Carla Thomas ia a Los Angeles-based writer, stylist and content creator. Visit her website, MadStyleAndGrace.com.
This article is trash and is nothing more than attempt to down play The Queen Bee Lil’ Kim. “Aging Lil’ Kim fan” , “Lil Kim fans who grew up” “Kim failed me as a fan” This article reeks of bias it’s not even funny. Nicki is dead, move around. She died as soon as she decided to become another woman’s clone/shadow. Kim did it first AND better, and all of Kim’s old stuff shits on EVERYTHING Nicki has put out, old or new.. LMFAOOOO at this article attempts to put Nicki on ANY Hip-Hop pedestal with Kim. So disrespectful SMH.
U crazy Nicki killing men on verses Kim lyrics ain’t shit compared to Nicki s
Shut up
The problem is none of the artists she named other than Jean is Hip Hop. The rest are all bad lil kims. Where are the Mc lites @ she can talk about different topics not just look @ my booty. Rapsody is the best female rapper out, she has skills and subject matter.
Yeah! it seems as if the writer is not too versed on female emcees. As you stated how can you leave out Rapsody?? and lets not forget about Nitty Scott MC, Boog Brown and Natee 3D
ADD fans check out Mobb Deep’s Quiet Storm remix vid and take a look at Kim’s mannerisms et al.
I will never forget how I’ll that verse was…Like, Lil’ Kim murdered you on your own shit status lol!
…… as “Queen” has over?
Dont care bout female rappers at all but nikki is far too much of a sellout to ever take serious she had a chance to be respected n then dropped them singles she seen as a joke by hip hop heads. I would listen to lil kim mob deep quiet storm or Get In Touch With uS feat. styles p over minaj’s whole catalogue
Dame big ass
You got a big butty l like you and I’m 33 like you
Girl that is nasty????
It’s getting old with keep saying Nicki Minaj isn’t “real hip hop” when the majority of the time she delivers solid bars. There are other arguments in hop hop that need our attention. No other female rapper ever has accomplished the accolades Nicki has. Regardless of how wealthy and “global” she has become, it’s now becoming unfair to say she doesn’t have memorable and scene-stealing verses. There’s definitely a reason why twitter trolls say if Nicki is featured on a song it is her song. Kim paved the way, ok we can all accept that already, and I love Missy Elliot, but if it wasn’t for her memorable hooks and iconic instrumentals, are we really going to sit here and say Missy had the best lyrical content? Nicki did her pop songs and while a lot of us hated them, they shot her into mainstream super stardom. A female rapper had to do that. We cant knock her for her hustle when there’s male rappers giving half-assed bars. I just overall want the argument of female rap to stop already, and let us address the successful female rappers as just that, rappers. They deserve that much. If we don’t do that, instead of acknowledging them and their contributions to our culture, we’ll just continue ridiculing them into obscurity.
anyone who makes a track like starships has burnt all bridges to be taken serious in hip hop so FOH That track was softer n more commercial than katy perrys catalogue and funny thing is when nikki made them trash tracks she didn’t even come close to selling what lady gaga, perry and taylor swift sell lol and then nikki blamed her fans for not supporting her she can die for all i care
What about Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Diamond, Gangsta Boo, Tink, MC Lyte, Rapsody… Cam and China… Jungle Pussy, Sasha Go Hard, Katie Got Bandz, Little Simz, Dreezy, Snow Tha Product so much more.
I feel like people pigeon hole Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj like they were the only female rappers alive. and then there is Iggy and Banks.. but still.. Missy Elliott is often forgotten for being a female emcee that can lyrically kill many male emcees with an artistic flow very few can touch.
I think if you are looking for female rappers there are plenty out there that do not get enough attention that are full of talent.
Missy Elliot lyrically where ? She Was the female Heavy D. She made Dance-Singy track. Agreed with you, that not enough get attention but most of female you’ve mention either faded out or is recently new.(Except Trina continued to hustle but she was never lyrically. That’s why she never really popped out). Lauryn Hill been deaded us for her own Reason. Nicki Minaj was inspired by Kim, Jay, Wayne, and foxy. With That combine you’ll get the ” IT” factor. Nicki tweaked it with her own style. Punchlines, Flow,Delivery, vocals,Animation, Wordplay, unorthodox, witty, and only thing she’s missing is Freestyle.(she stopped that). A lot of the new girls don’t got that. I’m not a Nicki fan but I’ve seen what she’s done. I respect it
I can’t believe u ‘hip hop’ heads are squabbling over 2 black female rappers who obviously hate being black..I can’t wait for Rhapsody to drop and show women how to act like women..not fukin black barbies..
All this very true.
Huh
Um… No.
The real story is that Kim was about to become partners w/ cash money instead they paraphrased a lot of nickis music at that time and gave her Kims new sound she planned on revealing to the world ,w/Kims sentencing she was legally forbidden to release music for profit, that has been recently lifted hence the reason she is currently back w/ puffy .. DO YOUR HOMEWORK PPL ..the tables are certainly about to turn