| Biography |
Born in New York, Kimberley had no intention of rapping her way out of the 'hood. Until her mother left her father, her childhood was normal, as were her ambitions. After to-ing and fro-ing between both parents, Kim returned home to her father where their contentious relationship ended in Kim stabbing him before leaving home for the last time. Her departure led her to a life on the streets that gossip mongers today suggest included prostitution and drug-running. Wisely vague about these times, Kim today contends that she 'did what she had to do' to survive. To her credit, she managed to organise some stability when she enrolled in college and got a job in a department store. Walking home one evening, she walked past 'The Major Of New York' who asked her if she rapped. His name was Biggie Smalls (AKA The Notorious B.I.G), and within months, Bloomingdales was history.
Under Biggie's tutelage, Kim began to see rap as her freedom train. After Biggie blew up as the second signing to Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs' then new Bad Boy recording label, he kept his promise and invested the money raised from selling his publishing back to Puffy in setting up Undeas Entertainment where he released the debut album from a nine-strong rap group called Junior M.A.F.I.A.. Kim was the group's sole female member. Their glorious single, 'Players Anthem' remains their defining moment and Kim simply shined upon it.
Unlike Lauryn Hill, Kim wasn't going to wait years before releasing her solo album. She and Biggie, buoyed on by the popularity JM had attained, set to constructing her debut, 'Hardcore' (it was supposed to be entitled 'Queen B*tch' but the leading US stockist would have refused to sell it). Kim didn't hide behind her skills on her release. Instead she stood up, head held high, on the subject of using sex as a form of currency. She bragged about the sort of sex she needed, demanded, was prepared to give and why women 'like her' felt that way. She also, on the dedications, clarified suspicions that she and Biggie had been involved, by calling him her best friend and professing her love. This despite the fact that he was married to singer Faith Evans.
Now, three years after Biggie's murder, Kim has finally got around to releasing the follow-up to 'Hardcore'. 'The Notorious KIM', inspired in part by her creative and emotional beau, and remains consistent to her sex and money ethos. Yes, the lyrics are jarring in their frankness and yes, the American media still can't stomach her moral standards, but since 'Hardcore', she's become a high-fashion icon - modeling clothes for Alexander McQueen and Versace and the visual link between rap and couture. But amongst all of that, Kim is still, as any article on female rap will contend, one of the best emcees in the world.
|
|