Link: Official Lil’ Kim Site
The Inside Pulse:
OK, kids, let’s be honest”¦Kimberly (Lil’ Kim) Jones has had a long and successful career in the rap game without ever putting out a good album. Her 1996 debut, Hardcore, was almost entirely ghost-written by her boyfriend, B.I.G. and Kim wasn’t quite ready for the reigns of a solo album. In 2000, she aligned with Diddy for Notorious K.I.M., which was compromised in quality by rampant bootlegging. Finally, in 2003, she dropped La Bella Mafia, which, while better than her first two albums, was still an uneven effort marred by questionable creative decisions, such as the unoriginal sampling on some tracks and something called “Lil’ Shanice” on another. So, with a highly publicized 366-day federal prison bid staring her in the face, Kim comes at us with The Naked Truth. With 10 years in the game, it would take no less than an Amazonian effort to reverse her vacant reputation, which has been solidified as “style (way) over substance”. Do you believe in miracles?
Positives:
While the jury is still out with regards to who, exactly, is writing Kim’s cuts, her delivery and flow have never been better than this. The opening track, Spell Check takes K-Solo’s concept on Spellbound and flips it nicely under a playful Red Spyda beat. Speaking of fun, Scott Storch kills it on the boards for Lighters Up, where Kim’s actually convincing with an island lilt. On All Good, an entire track is built around three words from Biggie’s classic Juicy. Even the disses are a kick. Quiet takes direct aim at longtime nemesis Foxy Brown and features The Game, in a subtle shot at 50 Cent. Shut Up, Bitch is more aggressive, as Kim address almost all of the most popular criticisms against her. And, spits fire while doing it.
Negatives:
This is still a Lil’ Kim album. Many of her verses are peppered with brand names, Biggie’s name or big ups to Brooklyn. At this point, it can’t really be a criticism, since we all know it’s coming. The answering machine skits are all, without exception, insipid. And, on a few tracks, such as Slippin’, Kim brings her courtroom drama into the album. The constant blaming of everyone from Junior M.A.F.I.A. to the “Hip Hop Police” to the white man for her legal woes would hold a little more weight if Kim hadn’t confessed to the crime after she was convicted.
Cross-Breed:
A decade of Lil’ Kim hype is finally fused with an album-length realization of talent.
Reason to Buy:
Well”¦let’s just go ahead and say it. This is unquestionably the finest album of Kim’s career and, on its own, one of the best releases of the year. None of the negatives above do much to hurt the music and the diversity of styles, beats and flows (yep, even her Eminem impersonation) have a sonic seamlessness from one track to the next.
