Lil Kim -- Bella Mafia: first thoughts?

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She's on the cover of Nylon's special music issue this month, which may be of intererst to some of you, especially Philip Sherburne's round-up of raunchy rap.

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 31 May 2003 16:43 (twenty years ago) link

Magic Stick grew on me when it became a single.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Sunday, 1 June 2003 01:29 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...

The album is crazy....she hits u with one two back to back....every song is crazy....and here 3rd single Can u hear me now with missy is off the hook....she even took a jab at 50cent who is also on her Cd...."I got Madallions the size of a HALF a dolla"....get it...nope...well think about!

― Marcus Reid, Thursday, 17 July 2003 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

nine months pass...

hey does n e one know what twista's word per min. is??? please e-mail me if u know. notsmart2004@yahoo.com

― colin mclennan, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:48 (twenty years ago) link

two years pass...

so whenever i want me some kim i always default to the notorious KIM these days, but that youtube clip of mathew jonson dropping 'the jump off' vocals into one of his sets made me dig this album out, and - though i think i def prefer both notorious and the naked truth - this has some fucking awesome stuff on it.

thug luv
the jump off
magic stick
heavenly father
can you hear me now?

GOLDEN.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Sunday, 7 January 2007 22:17 (seventeen years ago) link

the moment in 'thug luv' when twista and kim switch to doubletime is INC-RED-I-BLE.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:24 (seventeen years ago) link

even though i can't imagine anyone else replying, i think my time is def spent more profitably talking to myself here than on any of the ones about the british music press (taking cue from jay-z, "a wise man told me don't argue with fools, cos people from a distance can't tell who is who").

this album seems so restrained in comparison to all other kim albums - her vocals are deeper in the mix, there's far less smut, and as sterling point out at the time many of the beats don't blow you away immediately (though initially-underwhelming ones like 'magic stick' and 'the jump off' definitely improve with time). but over the whole album the persona kim constructs of this mourning mafia widow is very convincing. yeah it's not that different to her usual self but it seems particularly focused here.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:33 (seventeen years ago) link

The beat on "The Magic Stick" is ace though!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:44 (seventeen years ago) link

you're missing the two best songs! "Get In Touch With Us" featuring Styles and "Came Back For You."

And Notorious KIM is your default Kim album? Seriously? That's easily her worst!

1. Hardcore
2. La Bella Mafia
3. Naked Truth
4. Notorious KIM

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:49 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah it is ace! but it's not as immediate as, i dunno, 'how many licks?' or 'suck my dick' or 'whoa' or 'lighters up', it's quite subtle and restrained in that loping, slow-burning kind of way (which means that after a few listens it's even better!)

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:50 (seventeen years ago) link

And Notorious KIM is your default Kim album? Seriously? That's easily her worst!

it's got 'how many licks?' and 'suck my dick' and 'aunt dot' and 'i'm human' and 'no matter what they say' and 'she don't love you' and 'who's number one' and that pat benatar one on it! hip-pop!

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 11:51 (seventeen years ago) link

Lex i love all of those songs! Aww I wanna put on The Notorious K.I.M. now.

But "Aunt Dot" is the one I've still gotta put on a mixtape sometime.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Ah, you're into her poppier side. I think Kim's at her best when she's being a gully, hardcore, badass -- "All About the Benjamins," Mobb Deep's "Quiet Storm," "Get In Touch With Us," "Queen Bitch" (my fave Kim song). Her poppier stuff is good too, I like her whole diva, designer label side and stuff, but it gets a bit tired after a while. The smutty stuff was awesome on Hardcore, afterwords it was just tedious. Do you like Hardcore?

I'm excited to see how her time in jail will influence her music.

and yeah "Aunt Dot" is the best song on Notorious KIM IMO.

"fuck barney and lambchops -- I don't love them hoes!" lmao.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:04 (seventeen years ago) link

"aw, i like you, little big person! rule number one: no cursing"

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Seriously that album (Notorious K.I.M.) is like a highpoint of carnal technicolour pop. I brought that along to a New Years Party 2000->2001 and danced to "How Many Licks" as well as "Oops I Did It Again" and "The Real Slim Shady" and other randomly great pop music of the era. I was so in love with pop that night.

I haven't actually listened to Hardcore much, owing to, well, the lack of Kim on it.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:07 (seventeen years ago) link

i like the intersection of the nasty badass rhymes with the designer hip-pop beats best - yeah i love hardcore too but this is why 'how many licks?' (and accompanying awesome video) is my favouritest kim song ever.

my friend anna-marie and i have it basically all off by heart. the first verse!

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:08 (seventeen years ago) link

I knew the first and second verse off by heart.

This goes out to all my n****s in jail
Beatin' they dicks to the XXL
Magazine... D'ya like how I look in the aqua green?
Get ya vaseline!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:09 (seventeen years ago) link

12am i'm on my way to the club
after three bottles i be ready to fuck

(the way she draws out the vowel sounds on the last syllable is DIRRTY)

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:12 (seventeen years ago) link

i think kim's nastiest single line may be on 'gimme that' off the naked truth though - when i first heard "kitty-kat so mean it turns dudes into rapists" i went !!!!!!!!!!!!! for about an hour. and there's that fun line about "only bitch in the world who got two pussies" as well.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 8 January 2007 12:19 (seventeen years ago) link

ten months pass...

So, um, KIM IS BACK! New single:

http://concreteloop.com/2007/11/new-music-from-lil-kim

LOL @ "beat the pussy up like it stole somethin'". Also, her verse on the Gucci Mane "Freaky Gurl" remix is CLASSIC. She killed it..

― The Brainwasher, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 09:02 (sixteen years ago) link

Is there a follow-up song to Aunt Dot? I *LOVE* that song but its ending is kind of abrupt and I dont know enough Kim to figure out where next to look..

― Finefinemusic, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 20:45 (sixteen years ago) link

seven years pass...

incredible piece

http://www.wonderingsound.com/feature/lil-kim-hard-core-body-politics-personal-essay-record-club/

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 25 November 2014 15:51 (nine years ago) link

oh so any minor bullshit can fuel the worst music writing thread for weeks on end and this amazing bit of writing gets 0 attention in 4 hrs, oh ilx

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 25 November 2014 20:04 (nine years ago) link

Yeah this is fantastic, the connections drawn between Fiona Apple and Kim feel intuitively right to me

(It's 7.40am here fyi)

― Tim F, Tuesday, 25 November 2014 20:42 (nine years ago) link

hey lex I read it and liked it fwiw

― sleeve, Tuesday, 25 November 2014 21:02 (nine years ago) link

although "liked" is probably the wrong word for such a powerful piece

― sleeve, Tuesday, 25 November 2014 21:02 (nine years ago) link

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