Lil Kim fans have been ripping Ebony Magazine for her heavily photoshopped new cover, but the photographer says these edits were sanctioned by the rapper herself.
The famed magazine debuted multiple covers for their Hip Hop 50 issue on Monday (September 18). In addition to Kim, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Rick Ross and 50 Cent all had their own covers as well. However, it was only the former’s that was heavily scrutinized for its seemingly extreme airbrushing.
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“Whoever did the editing need to be fired,” one person wrote. “As a publication, you should know what’s unacceptable. this cover is not it and doesn’t represent Kim or the magazine well,” another said.
As similar sentiments poured in, Ebony’s photography director, Keith Major, addressed the critics in an Instagram comment.
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“Man, she wanted to be in control of the retouching so this is what we got,” he wrote to a commenter, according to Page Six.
You can view the cover below, as well as a video Ebony has since posted in a possible attempt to quell the speculation.
Scrutiny is certainly nothing new for Lil Kim. The Brooklyn native has lived several lives in her long and storied career — and she’ll soon be telling them all in her new memoir.
In late July, Kim posted a photo of a manuscript of her upcoming memoir The Queen Bee and revealed that it’d finally been turned into the publisher.
“It’s been a long journey beehive, edits are finally done [raised hands emoji],” she wrote. “Thank you to my bestie/soulmate @themarcjacobs for doing my forward.”
According to a press release by the publisher, Hachette Books, The Queen Bee will be released in September 2025. In addition to a foreword by Marc Jacobs, the book was co-written by longtime music journalist Kathy Iandoli.
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The book will detail “her complicated high-profile relationships, the misogynistic industry she fought to change through sex positivity, the challenging double standards of self-image and beauty in the spotlight, and the momentous act of loyalty that ultimately landed her in prison,” per the press release.
