Longtime followers of Lil Kim know that the self-proclaimed “Black Madonna” hasn’t had it easy. Nevertheless, her triumphs, and even her downfalls, have helped to pave the way for countless other ...

Beyond the music, Hard Core sparked an aesthetic and cultural shift. The now-iconic promotional poster—Lil’ Kim squatting in a leopard-print bikini—was plastered across New York City and became one of ...

The tides changed when Lil’ Kim came bursting through the misogynistic doors of hip-hop with her debut album Hardcore in 1996. Of course, we had been privy to her talented hip-hop predecessors of the ...

Furthermore, Ja also revealed that he’s aiming to have Kim perform her classic 1996 debut, Hard Core, in its entirety in a future edition of his Vibes concert series, under which he taps seminal acts ...