One of the first sounds heard on Hard Core 2k14 is a man being interviewed about what Lil Kim’s infamous 1996 Hard Core poster means to him. The picture is treated with the same somber magnitude as people recalling where were they were when JFK when shot. Most Hip Hop fans over age 25 will have some sort of vivid memory of the first time they saw a scantily clad Kim squatting on the poster included with the original Hard Core album. At a time that predated streaming Internet porn and weekly celebrity nude leaks, it’s not an overstatement to say Kim’s artwork brought about the early dawning of puberty for some. For the man in the introduction, it was a picture in such hot commodity that fellow inmates were even stabbed over it. For Kim, it is a pixelated confirmation of her worth to a genre she has been working within since the early ‘90s. She is one of the only emcees to have won perfect ratings from two well-respected publications (VIBE and The Source). The original Hard Core has been certified as double platinum. Additionally, she has been the recipient of Grammy and MTV Video awards, and is responsible for four top 20 Billboard singles. So it’s not difficult to realize why Kim has been a relevant and appreciated artist for so long.
When Kim sticks to the lane that brought the above accolades instead of pandering to the latest radio crazes, the rewards are evident. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between on Hard Core 2k14. Kim recounts the details of her storied career to establish credibility while simultaneously following trends to a rather startling degree. This unsubtle notion seeps into the music, ironically coming into transparent focus with the song “Trendsetter.” A fairly impressive, alternating cadence is wasted on lackluster, synth-powered production. The issue is complicated by an off-key Future-esque, sung chorus. Kim’s success has never been powered by her singing chops, but 2000’s “No Matter What” serves as proof she can sing a hook with her natural voice if done properly. But both “Trendsetter” and the Cassidy-assisted “Whatever You See” fall flat due to Kim venturing out of her vocal range and experimenting with the type of note bending best left to a more gifted songstress.
Redundancies aside, a revamped template of what she rhymed about in the ’90s (Louboutin heels and cartel references) serves Kim and her listening audience well, such as when she’s dropping her standard two-syllable cadence over dark keys on “Kimmie Blanco.” Kim spits like the self-assured veteran she is with the following:
“You hustle all wrong, you only chase the fame / Plant a few seeds, that’s how I catch you bird brains / La Jarana of the game, like I’m from Medellin / I put hits out, Long Kiss Goodnight ya’ / You’re all welcome to the problems, we invite ya’…”
It’s familiar territory of high-end label name drops, C-level metaphors and good, old-fashioned shit talking. But it speaks to Kim’s skill set that 18 years after her debut, the formula still has appeal when executed properly (“Real Slick”). Sonically, Kim is at her best with an at least serviceable beat to provide a pocket for her husky baritone. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of such moments.
She misses the mark on “Dead Gal Walking” by overdosing on her trademark faux Jamaican patois, and “Haterz,” once again finds Kim sacrificing her identity to “big up” her sister NIcki Minaj in a blatant mimicking act. According to Kim, the now-squashed beef stemmed from Nicki modeling her style after a demo tape she heard of Kim. Whatever the facts of the dispute, “Haterz” is dragged even further down by B. Ford and his equally bad Big Sean impression. On “Work The Pole,” Kim revisits the now-dated hashtag flow: “I make you take it back…Delorean.” Flow appropriation is nothing new (see Migos or even the legendary Biggie’s work on “Notorious Thugs”) but Kim’s attempts don’t add anything to her material. And the go-to flow from ’96 actually works better when she is focused on remaining true to the style that propelled her to stardom in the first place.
very good, niggaz in da hood luh kim’s music
“banking on the underrated skill set that made her a star” – that ‘skill’ died along with Biggie. Not exactly a secret he wrote her shit. Everything she had out post BIG was trash. Fuck, everything after the Junior Mafia album was trash.
Hardcore was Kim’s best album, and The Naked Truth was her second best. I do agree that a lot of Kim’s shit didn’t deserve 5 mics. Hardcore and TNT were more like 4/5 at best and the rest of her material was more like 2.5/5, maybe 3/5
Bar 1/5
Not the best but I still love me som Kim!!!
why can’t you just say it was a landmark moment without invoking JFK, someone who died in a humiliating manner, you crass clowns
Since when are vibe and source reliable sources for ratings you dumb fuck! The Source has been a joke since 2000 and Kim never deserved 4/5 and 5 mics for her albums. Kim is decent and nothing special.
Which 41 year old woman use the name Blanco? Griselda Blanco was a known killer and drugdealer. So you call yourself KIMMY BLANCO! Bitch you should be a rolmodel for your daughter so stop acting like a killer, a pornstar, a whore, a huslter etc. You aint 18 anymore but a grown up woman.
Know what your talking about dumb ass blanco mean white kimmy white
Big called his self frank white ( like the king of new york) so it mean kimmy white ass
@ Dj Shadowmack:
learn to read you dumb fuck! Being 40 and compare yourself to a gangsta is shit for dumb fuckers.
I love ur out fit kimmy
KIM is #1 bitches!
The lack of proper grammar and spelling by a few of you and really speaks volumes on her true fans. It always makes me laugh at being able to point out the white fans from the black fans and it really is quite funny. Anyone wanna chimp out?
Hey dumb ass are u aware most of her success was after his death?!?! Grammys, number #1s, 3 billboard top ten albums, only female rapper to have a hot 100 song with no video, oh yea and being featured on some of the most well known hip hop songs of all time. Yea your right she’s trash. I mean shes ONLY be relevant for 20 years. Anyone can do that.
you make several good points, but relevant for 20 years?
I’d say 10, maybe 12 tops. She really hasnt done anything to stay relevant since her last album dropped which was 9 years ago, aside from reality TV, beefing with Nicki, and bad plastic surgery.
Wait she looks like a damn transvestite in the image from the video here holy crap! She looks fat too, but her face is jaked up. shes a butter face.. not even that cause her body isn’t even good anymore. a fat transvestite who’s music career had one decent album
Yeah umm stop referring to the 90’s era of Hip-Hop because it’s over. Every time there’s a shitty song or a song that someone just labels that isn’t as good as most they mention 90’s rap which was just repetitive shit honestly, nearly every artist sounded the same, only difference is autotune wasn’t used back then. They talk about money, bitches and shit since the start of the genre.
fuck common sense not every song in the 90’s was the same! go listen to lil wayne dumb ass. 90’s hiphop shits on todays hiphop.
and this song is awful, sounds like the budget for the producer was a meal at mcdonalds. if anyone thinks this is even close to being a decent song listen to ANY song from the 90’s era of hip hop and it’ll be 100x better than this garbage
She’s hideous.
She is the best…… and the mix tape is hotttttt…..
Love it period Kim will always be that bitch
Kim at her best
Dope
Still a BADD Bitch DOE………….Still standing. LOVE IT Miss you LiL’Kim.
This shittt is FIRE – AS USUAL KIMMY keeps it Street, Hood, HOTTT yet very BOSS BITCH in Charge. From the DICK Sucking of the Work the POLE track to the Label Droppings of “Trendsetter” for the streets on the Suicide song to the nikki diss IDENTITY THEFT.
the Bitch is back and she means business theSource.com
Lil Kim is Fierce Explosive and RAW …….RollingStone.com
Finally Put out more music like this MTV.COM
WHOLE ALBUM IS Gucci Baby…………………..Kewon
She trending with no album no and single-ALL HAIL The QUEEN BEE -KIMMY BLANCO- MS.White- Honey Girl- Lil’Kim MY FAVS 5,6,8,9 XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
#HardCoreMixTape by @LilKim is now available to download on at http://LilKim.com ! RT & Share!
I love the mixtape!! I love how she switches her flow up and is bringing a new sound to the new generation
Clearly the ppl below me are Lil Kim fans and hate Nicki. Thats all it is. This mixtape is TRASHHHHHHHHHHHHH. OMG what is wrong with u ppl? This is trash. Lil Kim is trash.
Clearly this poster is a barb with nothing to do.
i love transvestite
Great loved it
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I checked with the BBB and was told that it is all legit. How they can sell gift cards, laptops, cameras, and all kinds of goodies that we all want for 50-90% off, I dont know I do know that I bought my son an ipad there for less than $100 and my husband a $250 Low gift cards for $48. Why would I even think about shopping anylace else ?
Whoever wrote this article obviously is deff and does not know what real hip hop is. Lil Kim Queen Bee rocked it! Still got it! #lilkimqueenbee
This mixtape was garbage. Im a fan and I think this is crap. The only OK songs are Real sick and Identity theft..
Her stand are boosting her head up, making her think its ok to drop TRASH. This mixtape was garbage. Plain and simple. With 2 or 3 decent songs. You need a major label and then to retire.. Because you’re ruining your legacy..
damn she fucked her face up smh i can’t look
The mixtape is soo dope… Kimberly still spitting good bars!!!
Not great, but good compare today’s BS
Its just the beginning ……lilkim did good since her last
I want much more there were no skates at all on the CD to the room much better
Lil’ Kim deserves credit and respect! But people don’t give you credit until your dead and gone! Shes criticized more for her appearance though she helped make Hip Hop what it is…. she opened the door for almost every female rapper after the 90’s. She has been relevant for over 20 years in the Rap game…. she changes her style and is more than a rapper. Shes a super legend! Show some love and respect. Shes the Queen Bitch!
She isnt a legend. She is decent. Biggie wrote her first album and she used more ghostwriters so why is she a legend? She is a strugglin 90’s rapper who is 41 years old and rapping about her pussy and diamonds and drugs. Come on she is done. She needs to act like a grown woman for gods sake she is a mother!
You pathetic idiots want kim to go back to the 90’s sound so bad lol Like Jay Z Said” Niggas want my old shit, buy my old album”
so idiot you saying she most copy other artists and sound wack like those dirty sout rappers
Queen Of Rap !! NO FEMALE MC CAN SEE KIM
Queen of crap! Another rapper who souns uninspiring and only raps for money so she can fix her fucked up face.
Fuck that pussy ass anonymous fag
mixtape of da yerar!!!!
niggas in da bronx luh thiz mixtape
THIS ALBUM IS A REAL DEAL.
kim iz a real nyc bitch
if ya don’t like this mixtape you are faggot
You must be a faggot for liking it then? Most of Lil Kim fan boys are known queers.
fireeeeee
This Mix Tape Is Way Hotter Then People Are Giving Credit 2…..I Must Admit This Mix Tape Is Also.Lazy For As Many Delays This Mix Tape Have Suffered People Expected More Bars More Promotion Videos Or At least A Real.Album After The Buzz Died Down….Cheap Or.Lack.Of Promotion Is What Killed This Project & It’s Sad Because Kim Being A Vet And Have Been Doing This For Years I.Would Have Thought She Would.Have Fought Harder I Believe Being Independent Isn’t Really Working Out…..A Magjor Label Is Needed Cause If Not The Public Will Never Get The True Queen Of Rap Back
Lil kim is a beast fuck the haterzs
indeed she is a beast. The beauty is gone and now she is a BEAST
Lil kim is still the best, fuck wot u haterzs think #queenbeebackbitches
Cant get past her grotesque surgical mishaps. BDD is a terrible thing to present to the youth. The insecurity behind such brutality of her once beautiful face. Yuck yo.
no
nicki at least has longevity
I love KIM fuck nicki
This is a good comeback. Just wish the promotion was better. Everyone should get the chance to hear it. I don’t expect to hear old kim. If so, I would listen to her old album. I like her versatility and that she can still pull it off.
real sick well done lil kim
Great….yasssss
Underwhelming. How unfortunate.
This is what I was waiting for thank u kim
Great queen
This review was spot on. You hit every point I had been thinking as I listened to the album. Lol at the Big Sean and Nicki Minaj comparison, I had a wtf face on during that. The strongest song for me was Migos;she at least seemed like she tried. All in all it is a terrible effort from Kim. I know that she is capable of releasing some serious bangers so this release is disappointing.
Agree. Review was spot on. Trend following is serviceable if done well, but the production was super mediocre.
Hot..Must Listen !!! … Sounds like LiL Kim from Biggie Days…
Forgot to cast vote.. 4 out of 5
It hurts me to see how badly Kim fell ever since I could no longer ghostwrite for her.
Queenn
I loved the whole bodt of work
Loved It!
AHAHA I love lil kim. period,i cant believe people would ever compare her that hard to anyone… she is like Michael Jackson, cuz th way they compared everyone to Michael, is how they r doin kim… so she really must b doin something right..cuz jst look at all the fear and awe she puts in people, and keeps us all hanging on watchin for every and anything she does. kim always had and has fans, shoot I was always into kim cuz she is REAL like me… so I know where she is coming from, I love kim to death… she represents power… and strength, and what kills me is a lot of people say… kim this and kim that, but the truth is, you all cant even afford to look the way she do, how how is she ugly?.. come again, I think kim is a huge icon, and do u really think she cares who all thse FAKE ass people are, kim been livin top of the line for decades, so …. think bout I, and oh yea, it hurts people to say she slayed foxy too…lmao, please foxy couldn see kim at all. she was tryna sound like her. I been around for a sec, so believe me… I know whats what, and nicki minaj is a joke, yall see she over and done with, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I wonder why… I kno why, caus all she did was mimic kim… everything EVERYTHING nicki does, kim literally already did it, and missy did it too, so who is nicki?.. to all yall new comers I can see why yall raise her, but check your history… and get real
love kim
Love it can’t wait for studio album
Love it. The throne has, does, and always will belong to this woman. She is a lyrical genius. No bubblegum pop found here.
I don’t think the album should have been called “hardcore” by any means. Any bad reviews the album got was strictly because of the name or from the Babz. but contrary to what the article says she did a great job of trying out the new trends which i usually hate. I was surprised in a good way at the level she brought, some songs should have had more kim and less guest features. but migos, haterz, dead gyal walking ( in a suspect jamaican accent, lol), and stadium, and identity theft. are songs to look out for in my opinion. I like kimmy blanco, but the song wasn’t recorded right.
REAL QUEEN TF