It's Lil Kim's Birthday!!
Born and raised in Brooklyn, and in 1994, she was discovered by The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her in to Junior M.A.F.I.A.. Their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles and was certified gold.
Lil' Kim's debut album, Hard Core was released in 1996, and was certified double platinum. It spawned three successful singles: "No Time", "Not Tonight (Ladies Night)", and "Crush on You", and had the highest debut in the US for a female rap album at the time.
Her albums, The Notorious K.I.M, and La Bella Mafia, were also certified platinum, and in 2001, Lil' Kim reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with "Lady Marmalade" alongside Mýa, Pink, and Christina Aguilera.
Her singles "The Jump Off" and "Magic Stick", reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Kim's 2nd-highest-charting single as a lead artist.
Lil' Kim has been referred to as the "Queen of Rap", as well as "Queen Bee", as she has sold more than 15 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide, and 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.