Lik’ Kim CD Review

Lil’ Kim, the raunchy hip-hop diva, hits us with her third album La Bella Mafia, where she exemplifies her hardcore yet feminine aura through sixteen tracks.
Lil’ Kim was discovered by Notorious B.I.G. in 1995 and became a member of his hip-hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. With authentic, raw talent coming from her 4’11″ frame, Lil’ Kim got her shine on with her solo debut album Hardcore. Her album reached double platinum status and established her as the reigning queen of hip-hop. She’s sold sex and used it as a weapon, showing everyone you can be sexy and still demand respect.
Her recent album begins with an intro by the Notorious B.I.G. This sets the tone reminding us that Kim is still not over Biggie. He is not only still in her heart, but also in her music.
The album touches mostly on subjects dealing with “haters,” misconceptions and money. She silences her haters with “Can’t F**k with Queen Bee” which is basically saying no other female rapper is on her level. The song, sampling the Deneice Williams hit “Free” is blazing across radio stations as you read.
There’s the potential club song “Shake Ya Bum Bum” which features LiL Shanice, who exemplifies a female version of Lil Bow Wow. The first single from the album ,”The Jump Off” which in my opinion is really not the jump off just a wanna be club hit. But others beg to differ; it has been at the 21 spot on Billboard Hot 100 for the last 7 weeks. It is also holding down the number one spot on BET’s Rap City Top 10 Countdown.
There is also comedy on the album. In the same style as songs like “Jealous Guy”(Mase, Harlem World) and “Player Hater” (Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death) Lil’ Kim shows us her singing ability on a song for the haters. It is the raspy rendition of A Woman’s Threat (R Kelly TP-2.com). Lil’ Kim proves she cannot sing but can at least keep us laughing.
“Thug Luv” was definitely a highlight on the album, but still more was expected from this Twista collaboration.
“Magic Stick” with hip-hop’s new reigning thug 50 Cent is by far the best song on the album.
Of course, what would a hip-hop album be without a religious effort? “Heavenly Father” speaks on her relationship with old group members in the M.A.F.I.A., with such lines as ‘keep the fam together/ God knows I tried /but things ain’t been the same since B.I. died.”
Overall, if you’ve been feeling Lil’ Kim since her days in Junior M.A.F.I.A or was a little disappointed in her last album effort, then you will definitely appreciate this album. She proves that despite a couple of minor disappointments on this effort, she is still the “Queen Bee” of hip-hop.