The Notorious K.I.M.

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The Notorious K.I.M.
Studio album by
Lil' Kim
ReleasedJune 27, 2000 (2000-06-27)
Recorded1998–2000
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length77:13
Label
Producer
Lil' Kim chronology
Hard Core
(1996) 		The Notorious K.I.M.
(2000) 		La Bella Mafia
(2003)
Singles from The Notorious K.I.M.
  1. "No Matter What They Say"
    Released: June 13, 2000
  2. "How Many Licks?"
    Released: October 28, 2000

The Notorious K.I.M. is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Atlantic Records and was her first album on her new label Queen Bee Entertainment. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 235,000 copies in its first week, achieving Lil' Kim's highest peak and biggest first-week sales, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A commercial success, The Notorious K.I.M. was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 2, 2000. It was the best-selling female rap album in 2000 with sales of over 1.5 million copies in the United States. To date, The Notorious K.I.M. has sold 3 million copies worldwide.

The album spawned two singles that attained moderate Billboard chart success. Lead single "No Matter What They Say" peaked at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The second single "How Many Licks?", featuring R&B artist Sisqó, performed similarly, reaching the bottom half of the Hot 100.

Production and title[edit]

In a 1999 interview with BlackBook magazine, Kim stated that she was thinking about naming the album Queen Bitch, the title of a song from her debut album Hard Core, but decided against it as fellow rapper and friend Missy Elliott had used "She's a Bitch" and Kim did not want anybody being confused or thinking there was a problem between the two.[1] In dedication to The Notorious B.I.G., The Notorious K.I.M. was in a "memorial" to the late rapper. "I felt Biggie's spirit while I was working on this album. I thought it was a perfect name for the album. Also, I am known in a notorious way, my style and lyrics. I've been known in a notorious way over the years", Kim told Jet magazine.[2]

This album to me is more creative and more versatile than my last album. I think that's what people have been looking for. My whole image, to me, the reason why I came out with 'Hard Core,' the sexy thing, was to make me different from every other female rapper that was out. That's exactly what I'm trying to do now, is make myself different, because now we have a lot of rappers doing the same thing that I did when I came out the first time. What I'm trying to do is separate myself again from the rappers that are out now.

—Lil' Kim, MTV News[3]

In a 2000 interview, Kim explained to MTV News that she attempted to collaborate with the original producers of Hard Core, but she was not satisfied with the final results. "Some of the producers that I worked with, they just didn't know what I wanted, so I worked with new producers this time, and I kind of told them what I wanted," Kim told MTV.[3] Production for the album was handled primarily by Mario "Yellowman" Winans, Fury, Richard "Younglord" Frierson, Rated R, Rockwilder, Darren "Limitless" Henson, Shaft, Kanye West, and Timbaland.

Artwork[edit]

The artwork used for the album was shot by David LaChapelle. The album cover was originally intended to be a picture of Kim nude and covered in Louis Vuitton logos, but the then editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, Ingrid Sischy, saw the picture at a gallery exhibit of LaChapelle's work and insisted that it be used for the magazine.[4][5] Before the album's release, the image was used for the cover for the November 1999 issue of Interview.

Delay[edit]

In the summer of 1999, 12 songs from The Notorious K.I.M. were widely available through Internet file-sharing services and bootleg outlets. As a result, Kim went back into the recording studio and recorded 11 songs in three weeks. The set's release was delayed from several scheduled dates – August 17 and November 9, 1999, and April 25, 2000 – due to bootlegging and legal problems involving her record label. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Kim explained, "I wanted to put out the best album possible for my fans, and I needed more time in the studio to do this." Sean "Puffy" Combs also explained, "I am a perfectionist and so is Kim, and we will only put out an album when it's right."[6]

Singles[edit]

The Notorious K.I.M. spawned two singles. The lead album's first single, "No Matter What They Say" made it to the bottom half on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with a peak position of number 60, Kim's least-successful single at that time. It reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 6 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single from the album, "How Many Licks?", featured Sisqó, and underquoted this success with peak positions of numbers 75 and 36, respectively, on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. A third single, "Hold On", featuring Mary J. Blige was serviced to US radio only.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Robert Christgau(dud)[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
NME8/10[10]
RapReviews7.5/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Slant Magazine[13]
The Source[14]
USA Today[15]

The Notorious K.I.M. received mixed to positive reviews from most professional music critics. Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani comments that the album "combines essential hip-hop elements – sex, guns, drugs, and cash – with a strange sense of vulnerability," and states her song "Hold On" is a "touching tribute to the late rapper". Cinquemani states "despite ventures into solemn territory and gangsta rap, the album continues down Kim's path of female sexual liberation."[13] Entertainment Weekly journalist Tom Sinclair gave the album a B+, stating "The Notorious K.I.M.'s barrage of aural sex is complemented by strong, often lush production, and surprisingly witty samples and interpolations.[9] Devon Powers of PopMatters called the album "overdone", stating "what Kim has overdone on this album is the camp – she's almost become a caricature of herself" and says "even her props to Biggie lose their sentimentality for being too easily commercial and convenient".[16]

In the AllMusic review for the album, Jason Birchmeier stated that "Biggie had played a large role in the success of Hard Core, and his absence here is gaping."[7] Jam Music critic Mike Ross stated that the album "failed to live up to its hype".[17] Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield gave the album 3 stars, called the album "too weak and retro", and also said that the vocal samples of The Notorious B.I.G. "just make you mourn the man and his moment, neither of which is ever coming back." Despite the album's flaws, critics remained impressed with her raunchy lyrics and attitude. Sheffield states "Lil' Kim still has an admirably tough and nasty mouth on her, and it's good to hear a Queen Bee sting.[12]

Commercial performance[edit]

The Notorious K.I.M. debuted atop the US Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[18] and at number four on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 235,000 copies – almost triple the sales of Lil' Kim's debut album, Hard Core (1996), which sold 78,000 copies.[19] The album ultimately spent a little over 25 weeks on that chart. While it became Kim's first album to reach the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, it also scored her her highest peak position on the Billboard 200. Due to the success of the number-one single "Lady Marmalade" (which featured Mýa, Pink, and Christina Aguilera), the album re-entered the Billboard 200 on June 1, 2001 for another 12 weeks, accumulating a total of 37 weeks on the chart. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 2, 2000,[20] and as of October 2007, it had sold over 1,416,000 copies in the United States.[21]

Elsewhere, the album opened at number 67 on the UK Albums Chart and spent 11 weeks on the charts. It also peaked at number 70 in France and number 85 in Netherlands. In Canada, it debuted at number 11 and spent eight weeks on the RPM Top Albums/CDs chart.[22] In July 2001, it received a gold certification by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[23] As of July 2016, The Notorious K.I.M. had sold 5.1 million copies worldwide.[24]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Lil' Drummer Boy" (featuring Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob and Redman)
4:31
2."Custom Made (Give It to You)"
  • Fury
  • Glogower[a]
3:06
3."Who's Number One?"
3:13
4."Suck My Dick"
  • Rated R
  • Mas
4:03
5."Single Black Female" (featuring Mario "Yellowman" Winans)
Winans4:14
6."Revolution" (featuring Grace Jones and Lil' Cease)
  • K. Jones
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Combs
4:54
7."How Many Licks?" (featuring Sisqó)
  • K. Jones
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Combs
3:43
8."Notorious KIM" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.)
Rockwilder3:39
9."No Matter What They Say"
Darren "Limitless" Henson4:16
10."She Don't Love You"
Shaft3:31
11."Queen Bitch Pt. 2" (featuring Puff Daddy)
  • Myrick
  • Broady
  • Jay "Waxx" Garfield
3:58
12."Don't Mess with Me"
  • West
  • Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie[a]
4:48
13."Do What You Like" (featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A.)
Shaft5:16
14."Off the Wall" (featuring Lil' Cease)
  • K. Jones
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Combs
4:05
15."Right Now" (featuring Carl Thomas)
Shaft2:32
16."Aunt Dot" (featuring Lil' Shanice)
  • K. Jones
  • Winans
Winans5:25
17."Hold On" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
Myrick6:06
18."I'm Human"
  • K. Jones
  • Thomas
  • Winans
Winans4:25

Notes[edit]

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits[edit]

Personnel[edit]

  • Hillary Weston – A&R, associate executive producer
  • Lynn Kowalewski – art direction, design
  • Dominick Mancuso – assistant engineer
  • Lynn Montrose – assistant engineer
  • Ben Allen – Pro-Tools engineer
  • Jimmie Lee Patterson – Pro-tools engineer
  • Marc Pfafflin – Pro-tools engineer
  • Michael Patterson – Pro-tools engineer
  • Roger Che – Pro-tools engineer
  • Stephen Dent – Pro-tools engineer
  • Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace – executive producer
  • Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones – executive producer, primary artist
  • Sean "Puffy" Combs – executive producer
  • Damion "D-Roc" Butler – associate executive producer
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • David LaChapelle – photography
  • Joi L. Brown – product manager

Charts[edit]


Certifications[edit]

Certifications for The Notorious K.I.M.
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] Platinum 1,416,000[21]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Williams, Rachel (June–August 1999). "Blonde on Blonde". BlackBook. p. 148.
  2. ^ "Sassy Dress and Sassy Rap Makes Lil' Kim a Big Star, Jet Magazine". Jet. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Lil' Kim: The Girl Can't Help It". MTV Music. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "Lil' Kim". Rap City: Tha Basement. June 2000. BET.
  5. ^ Stoute, Steve (September 8, 2011). The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy. Gotham. ISBN 9781101529119 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Seymour, Craig (April 4, 2000). "Lil' Kim's oft-delayed album is set for a release". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason (June 27, 2000). "The Notorious K.I.M. – Lil' Kim". AllMusic. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lil' Kim". Robert Christgau. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Sinclair, Tom (July 14, 2000). "The Notorious KIM Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  10. ^ "NME Album Reviews – The Notorious KIM". NME. June 22, 2000. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  11. ^ Juon, Steve "Flash" (July 2, 2000). "Feature for July 2nd, 2000 – Lil' Kim's "The Notorious K.I.M."". RapReviews. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (August 3, 2000). "Rolling Stone Review: The Notorious K.I.M. by Lil' Kim". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  13. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (February 4, 2001). "Lil' Kim: The Notorious K.I.M. | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  14. ^ "Lil' Kim – Notorious K.I.M. CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  15. ^ Jones, Steve (June 27, 2000). "Rocking 'Alone' with 'Irene' Lil' Kim makes a B.I.G. return; Todd Snider gets 'Happy'". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  16. ^ Powers, Devon. "Lil' Kim: The Notorious Kim". PopMatters. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  17. ^ Ross, Mike (July 8, 2000). "CANOE – JAM! Music – Artists – Album Review: The Notorious K.I.M." Jam!. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Missy, Mr. Cheeks Join Lil' Kim's 'Mafia'". Billboard. January 21, 2003. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  19. ^ Mayfield, Geoff (July 15, 2000). "Between the Bullets: Hit-Hop". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 29. p. 112. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books. The 229,000-piece opener by Lil' Kim's The Notorious K.I.M. is almost triple the first-week sum, 78,000 copies, earned by her debut Hard Core set.
  20. ^ a b "American album certifications – Lil' Kim – The Notorious K.I.M." Recording Industry Association of America. August 2, 2000. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Odum, Shanel (October 2007). "Where My Ladies At?". Vibe. p. 50. ISSN 1070-4701 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ a b "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7198". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Lil Kim – Notorious K.I.M." Music Canada. July 4, 2001. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  24. ^ Fields, Kiah (July 11, 2016). "Honoring Lil Kim On Her Birthday". The Source. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2017. The commercial success of this album lead to it becoming the most popular female rap album in 5.1 million units worldwide.
  25. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. August 19, 2000. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lil' Kim – The Notorious K.I.M." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  27. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lil' Kim – The Notorious K.I.M.". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  28. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lil' Kim – The Notorious K.I.M." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Lil' Kim – The Notorious K.I.M.". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  32. ^ "Lil' Kim Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  33. ^ "Lil' Kim Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  34. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  35. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  36. ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  37. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  38. ^ "Decade End Charts – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. 2009. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
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