Lil’ Kim hasn’t released a studio album since 2005’s The Naked Truth, but she released the Lil Kim Season mixtape last month.
Given her sporadic musical output, the Brooklyn, New York rapper sees herself in much the same light that she sees New York Rap.
“In music, everything moves in cycles,” Lil’ Kim says during an interview with Rolling Stone. “Just be patient and wait your moment. That’s why we just had Lil Kim Season. You’re in season. You may be out of season for a little bit. Everyone comes around full circle. You have to know when the music is changing, and it’s coming full circle. I always reinvent myself. I’ve never left the scene. I’ve never missed a beat. I was always in the clubs. I was always at somebody’s show. I was always in the midst of it, so I feel like a new artist sometimes to people. That’s a blessing. New York music is definitely making its way back. It’s a blessing.”
Lil’ Kim is also set to hit the stage in her hometown as part of Puff Daddy & The Family’s two reunion concerts at the Barclays Center May 20 and 21. The latter date would have been the forty-fourth birthday of The Notorious B.I.G., her late mentor and lover. Biggie was killed in a still unsolved murder in Los Angeles in 1997.
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“We’re gonna count down till his birthday comes in,” she says of the shows, which are set to feature Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, Lil’ Kim, Mase, French Montana, Total, 112 and Mario Winans, as well as special guests Jay Z and Mary J. Blige. “It’s gonna be great. This time I think we almost got everybody. Kima, Keisha and Pam from Total haven’t really been rocking together, but they’re all gonna be there, which is super awesome.”