Lil’ Kim Gives the ”Naked Truth” Before Prison
Before Lil’ Kim heads to the big house, she plans to get a few things off her ample chest.
The diminutive hip-hopster plans to issue her fourth solo album, Naked Truth, on Sept. 13, just six days before she reports to a federal prison in Connecticut to begin serving a yearlong sentence for her conviction on federal perjury and conspiracy charges.
Kim, aka Kimberly Jones, was found guilty in March of lying to a grand jury about a 2001 shootout outside New York radio station Hot 97 that involved members of her Junior M.A.F.I.A. posse and rival rap crew Capone-N-Noreaga.
During her legal ordeal, the Grammy-winning “Lady Marmalade” performer retreated to the studio and laid down Naked. The lead single, “Shut Up,” debuted last week at number 66 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and number 73 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list.
On the track, the 30-year-old Queen Bee offers a stinging rebuke to her critics.
“You ain’t paying my bills/So you ain’t sayin’ nothing/Ain’t keepin’ it real then you need to stop frontin’,” Kim rhymes. “Get your facts straight or shut up, bitch.”
The raunchy rapper worked with a number of notable producers on Naked Truth, among them Kanye West, Scott Stroch, Hot Runner, Red Spyda and 7 Aurelius.
A final track listing has yet to be released–Kim’s reportedly still in the studio recording additional material–tunes confirmed to have made the final cut include “So Quiet,” “Spellcheck” and “Welcome to Brooklyn.”
Naked Truth, due out on Queen Bee/Atlantic, is the follow up to 2003’s La Bella Mafia, which sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan and reached number four on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart on the strength of smash hits “Magic Stick,” “The Jump Off” and “Thug Luv.”
A protege of the late Notorious B.I.G., Kim first staked out a solo career with 1996’s Hardcore, which went double platinum. The success of her next CD, 2000’s The Notorious K.I.M. solidified her reputation as hip-hop’s top female star.
Now, she will become the first female hip-hop star to do time.
Josh Grossberg
E!Online