Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), better known by her stage name Lil’ Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Lil’ Kim’s debut studio album Hard Core (1996) was certified double platinum in March 2001. Since its release, it has sold more than six million copies worldwide and spawned three successful singles: “No Time,” “Not Tonight (Ladies Night),” and “Crush on You.” Hard Core had the highest debut in the US for a female rap album at the time. Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003) were also certified platinum. In 2001, Lil’ Kim reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the single “Lady Marmalade” (a remake of LaBelle’s 1974 single), alongside Mýa, Pink, and Christina Aguilera. Other notable singles from this period include “The Jump Off” and “Magic Stick,” the latter of which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her 2nd-highest-charting single as a lead artist.

In 2005, Lil’ Kim served a one-year prison sentence for lying to a jury about her friends’ involvement in a shooting four years earlier. During her incarceration, her fourth album, The Naked Truth, was released to positive reviews from critics. A reality series covering her sentence, Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown, premiered on BET in 2006. She then released her first mixtape, Ms. G.O.A.T. (2008) and returned to the public eye in 2009 with an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Throughout the 2010s, she continued to release music and perform sporadically, collaborating with artists such as Faith Evans, Remy Ma, and Fabolous. Her fifth studio album, 9, was released in 2019.

Lil’ Kim has been referred to as the “Queen of Rap,” as well as her alias “Queen Bee” by several media outlets. She has sold more than 15 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Her songs “No Time,” “Big Momma Thang,” and “Not Tonight (Ladies Night)” were each listed on Complex’s list of the 50 Best Rap Songs By Women. In 2012, she was listed on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music list at number 45, the second-highest position for a solo female hip-hop artist. Aside from music, she is also known for her risk-taking and luxurious approach to fashion which has inspired many artists; she has been cited as a fashion icon. She has been noted for helping women embrace their “sexuality and femininity” in a way that was a stark contrast at the time from other female artists.

Jones was born in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, the second child of Linwood Jones, a former U.S. Marine. She has an older brother, Christopher. As a child, Jones attended Queen of All Saints Elementary School in Brooklyn. When she was nine years old, her parents separated, and Jones was raised by her father, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. At fourteen, she left home, began living on the streets, and ended up dropping out of high school.

As a teenager, Jones met Christopher Wallace, known professionally as the Notorious B.I.G., who was a key figure in both her personal and artistic life, particularly after Wallace gained popularity and influence through his relationship with Bad Boy Records, founded by Sean “Puffy” Combs. Jones attended Sarah J. Hale Vocational High School for two-and-a-half years. Many of her friends also went there, and they would all often skip school together. Since she was not completing her schoolwork, the decision was made for her to transfer to Brooklyn College Academy to finish her remaining year and a half of high school. This was the same school that fellow rappers Nas and Foxy Brown attended.

In 1994, B.I.G. was instrumental in introducing and promoting the Brooklyn-based group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Jones, who had adopted the stage name Lil’ Kim, was a member of the group. The group’s debut album, Conspiracy, was released to mediocre reviews and moderate sales on August 29, 1995, but debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 69,000 copies in its first week of release. Wallace wrote and ghostwrote most of the album’s material. Three hit singles came from Conspiracy: “Player’s Anthem,” “I Need You Tonight,” and “Get Money.” The RIAA certified Conspiracy a Gold album on December 6, 1995. “Player’s Anthem” and “Get Money” were certified gold and platinum respectively. Lil’ Kim’s increasing popularity as a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A. allowed her to start a solo career shortly after the Conspiracy album was released. By late 1995, she began working on what would become her debut album, Hard Core.

After a year with Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lil’ Kim began her solo career by making guest performances on R&B albums and recording her debut album, Hard Core, which was released in November 1996. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, the highest debut for a female rap album at that time, and number 3 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week of release and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA on March 14, 2001, after having been certified gold on January 6, 1997, and platinum on June 3, 1997.

The album’s lead single “No Time,” a duet with Combs, reached the top spot of the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. The following single was “Crush on You,” a remixed version of the track that appeared on Hard Core. A remix of the album’s track “Not Tonight” saw Lil’ Kim team up with Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez, Da Brat, and Left Eye of TLC with the song peaking at 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was part of the soundtrack to the Martin Lawrence movie Nothing to Lose, nominated for a Grammy Award, and certified platinum. She became the first female rapper to have three consecutive number ones on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart.