MUSIC REVIEWS
Lil' Kim - Naked Truth
David Allun Jones
As Notorious BIG’s right-hand woman, Lil’ Kim was the perfect accomplice to his transformation from corner hustler to wealthy rhyme boss. Shrouded in furs and jewels with a steely, mob lady demeanor, Kim rocked the largest names in fashion before she herself had even become a large name. But for all the riches that eventually came their way, it was apparent that in their minds they had always been the pimp-est folks on the block. Unfortunately while this image only fueled Biggie’s iconic status, following his death, Lil’ Kim seemed unable to represent both the hood and catwalks of Milan. The slow metamorphosis into the “Black Pamela Anderson” made her a Hollywood red carpet staple and as she began hanging out with the likes of Donatella Versace, she also awkwardly attempted catering to this newfound fan base who might not have been the biggest rap fans.
Her solid, XXX-rated freshman entry Hard Core exposed her as the new queen of the new generation of female emcees, but that album was also handled with the guidance of Biggie. On her next album, Notorious KIM, she didn’t have Frank White’s presence around for aid and the dichotomy of the high fashion and gritty streets of Brooklyn just didn’t quite gel, leading to silly pop confections that chiseled away at her credibility, leaving many to wonder if the end of her mentor’s life also meant the end of her relevance. But with one verse playing the Dolce & Gabbana ice queen on the remix to Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm” and it was clear that Kim had finally struck a perfect balance, keeping the fashionista element of her persona as mostly visual entertainment while her music rocked as hard as the dudes. And just when it seemed she had reached her peak with the sturdy, though underrated, La Bella Mafia, Kim does one better with her most inspiring effort yet, on her fourth album, Naked Truth.
It’s been a tough year for Kim. Weeks before the album’s release, the Queen Bee began a year-long sentence based on perjury charges and boy is she a little miffed that people she thought were family would betray her on the stand. Kim spits nothing but venomous anger towards her former Junior MAFIA associates alongside several others (from the legal system to longtime nemesis Foxy Brown to 50 Cent toum, Star Jones). With an extreme focus and lyrical strength never seen at this level, Kim lays her emotions bare with a street-honed soundtrack adding to her intense poetic ruthlessness (“Words misconstrued and used against you/ Then you get screwed when it’s time to sentence you/ World’s cavin’ in it’s a shitty situation/ A year and a day/ Three years probation/ Public humiliation/ Poor representation/ Guilty by association”).
Track after track Kim spits straight fire, and even when she throws listeners a curveball and experiments with different flows (a rude girl chant vocal on “Lighters Up” or LL’s “Goin’ Back To Cali” flow on “Kitty Box”), starts spelling out her rhymes (“Spell Check”) or getting her sing on , it’s all done with a fierce precision that’s undeniable, as a strong supporting cast (Snoop, The Game, TI) only heighten the album’s appeal without overshadowing the main attraction.
Not since the golden days of MC Lyte and Queen Latifah as a female emcee managed to hold up so well alongside her male contemporaries, and the recent drought of rap-presses, save for the otherworldly envisions of Missy Elliott, makes Naked Truth’s artistic triumphs on a straightforward rap level all that much more of an event. Though it’s unfortunate that her present situation most likely influenced the solidarity of Naked Truth, with Kim spitting each line like it’s her last, Kim has definitely made an album that will keep the East Coast alive in a Southern-dominated era and prove to be the basis for which all other female emcees are judged upon.
