Lil’ Kim - The Naked Truth

More Than a Woman

I was curious. Kim has been holding it down for female rappers since she dropped Hardcore. She held her own in a game dominated by men, but how many of you cats put her joint in the whip and rode around to it? She was respected. Not as an artist, but as a female artist. She repped BK. She rocked ice. She pimped the Gucci frames. But she wasn’t B.I.G., she was Lil’…and she was a girl.

I’m still curious. Fresh off of a federal case, in which she was convicted and sentenced to serve a year and a day, she dropped The Naked Truth. What does she have to give to her fans before she spends a whole 366 in the Bing? What made them give her 5 whole microphones? I was curious. I never found the answer.

She did surprise the hell out of me with that single though. She had a new voice and a sing-songy flow that you had to nod to. Whoa is crippled by the 1980s pop sound that isn’t exactly considered retro or cool at the moment. We knew it was coming, but it’s All Good (a BIG sample on the album). On I Know U See Me Kim shows off her ability to sound like…T.I. It’s okay though because it displays her versatility to get slow and smooth like a southerner. Then she turns right around and sounds like Eminem on Quiet. Subliminals? Despite her imitations, she switches up flows constantly, which is to be commended.

The Naked Truth is definitely her magnum opus. In fact, it was a lot better than many of the albums that have come out this year. And that, believe it or not, is not a testament to the futility of the “game” but a genuine compliment to her work. It shines as a complete album. Kimberly Jones has absolutely stepped her flow game up and I applaud this record. It shows her growth as an MC. Lil’ Kim has been blessed and hurt with the gift and the curse of being the minority in her field. You have to be NICE to succeed as a woman in rap, but then again you’ll always be the woman in rap. She’s in a rut where she will only be compared to other women in the game when the truth is she’s better than some of the dudes.

Hot Trax: Spell Check, Lighters Up, All Good, We Don’t Give a Fuck