History Music / LilKim

* BerserkButton: Either dissing or trying to emulate Music/TheNotoriousBIG seems to be one for her.

* {{Fanservice}}: The video for "How Many Licks".

* GlamRap: "Doing it Way Big", "Came Back For You", among others.

* TheImmodestOrgasm: "How Many Licks". "Custom Made (Give it to You)" could also count.

* TheNineties: Is one of the defining hip-hop artists of the decade.

* TakeThatCritics: "Shut Up Bitch" is an entire song about this.

* AbusiveParents / ParentalIssues: Her father was physically and psychologically abusive to her and her mother, and he kicked her out onto the streets when she was young. Despite that, she later forgave her father and has let him live with her since he developed Alzheimer's in 2012.
* AllWomenArePrudes: Gloriously averted.
* BeautifulAllAlong: She is a very beautiful woman under all the [[UncannyValleyMakeup makeup she sometimes wears]].

* CallBack / ContinuityNod:

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: To an extent in her earlier years, although not so much now. For example, when Creator/RubyWax interviewed her for one of her shows early in the Noughties, Kim was shown apparently attempting to contact aliens.
* CoolShades: She is fond of wearing them to public events and in photo shoots, on occasion. Unfortunately, this trope had a ''much'' darker undertone early in her career - the reason she wore such huge shades to public events was to hide the black eyes inflicted on her by The Notorious B.I.G.

* GodivaHair: See the image above.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Music/MaryJBlige.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: [[http://www.lowprofilerecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/lil-kim-biggie-puffy000x0321x400.jpeg Her and Biggie]].

* IAmNotPretty: Despite her sex symbol status in the 90s and 2000s, she has stated she feels this way about herself. Some speculate that her numerous plastic surgeries [[UnnecessaryMakeover to the point of being nearly unrecognizable]] reflect this as well.
-->"All my life men have told me I wasn't pretty enough--even the men I was dating. And I'd be like, 'Well, why are you with me, then?' It's always been men putting me down [[AbusiveParents just like my dad]]. To this day when someone says I'm cute, I can't see it. I don't see it no matter what ''anybody'' says."

* LoveTriangle: A much-publicised one, between her, Music/TheNotoriousBig and Music/FaithEvans.
* TheMistress: See above.

* RagsToRiches: Went from living on the streets as a teenager to becoming one of the biggest female rappers in history.

* SexyPackaging: Most of her album covers.

* {{Underboobs}} / ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Taken to extremes in some of her earlier public outfits.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: She's developed a bit of a reputation for this. The most well-known examples are Foxy Brown and Junior M.A.F.I.A., but she also now has bad blood with Keyshia Cole after they worked together a few years previously, allegedly because Cole did a song with Kim's rival Nicki Minaj. Flip-flopped with 50 Cent - they didn't start out on the best of terms, but eventually recorded a song together, before falling out and making up again.
* WomanScorned: "Don't Mess With Me".

* LoveTriangle: A much-publicised one, between her, Music/TheNotoriousBig and Faith Evans.

[[quoteright:267:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kimribbonboots.jpg]]

* EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry: In the "Music/{{Lady Marmalade|2001}}" video, both her costumes feature her wearing elaborate necklaces, bracelets and earrings for maximum sparkle effect. She's also being offered another necklace in one sequence. It can't be glimpsed as clearly, but she's wearing several sparkly rings as well.

* EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry: In the "Lady Marmalade" video, both her costumes feature her wearing elaborate necklaces, bracelets and earrings for maximum sparkle effect. She's also being offered another necklace in one sequence. It can't be glimpsed as clearly, but she's wearing several sparkly rings as well.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: She's developed a bit of a reputation for this. The most well-known examples are Foxy Brown and Junior M.A.F.I.A., but she also now has bad blood with KeyshiaCole after they worked together a few years previously, allegedly because Cole did a song with Kim's rival Nicki Minaj. Flip-flopped with 50 Cent - they didn't start out on the best of terms, but eventually recorded a song together, before falling out and making up again.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: She's developed a bit of a reputation for this. The most well-known examples are Foxy Brown and Junior M.A.F.I.A., but she also now has bad blood with KeyshiaCole after they worked together a few years previously, allegedly because Cole did a song with Kim's rival Nicki Minaj. Flip-flopped with 50 Cent - they didn't start out on the best of terms, but [[DreamTeam eventually recorded a song together]], before falling out and making up again.

* DreamTeam:
** The live collaboration with Music/CyndiLauper (in which they both performed Cyndi's hit "Time After Time"), as well as her collaboration with Music/FiftyCent on "Magic Stick". Collaborating with Creator/GraceJones on "Revolution" certainly deserves a mention, too.
** Also, the remix to "Not Tonight" (usually referred to as "Ladies' Night") her first big hit after Biggie's death, was a DreamTeam of some of the top female rappers at the time: Kim, Left Eye from {{Music/TLC}}, Da Brat, Music/MissyElliott, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Angie Martinez]].
** Then there is, of course, "[[Film/MoulinRouge Lady Marmalade]]", in which she collaborated with Music/{{Pink}}, Music/ChristinaAguilera and {{Mya}}.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: A few of her songs reference masturbation.

* NippleAndDimed: She was a huge fan of pasties back in the day. Her most infamous (and oft-parodied) outfi was a purple catsuit with the right breast exposed, the nipple covered with a [[SeashellBra seashell pastie]], which she wore to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

* DarkSkinnedRedhead: In the "Lady Marmalade" video, one of her costumes has her wearing a long red wig. The other [[DarkSkinnedBlonde has her blonde]].

Not to be confused with the Korean singer ''Music/LimKim''.

* EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: To an extent in her earlier years, although not so much now. For example, when RubyWax interviewed her for one of her shows early in the Noughties, Kim was shown apparently attempting to contact aliens.

* RefrainFromAssuming: It's "Not Tonight", not "I Don't Want Dick Tonight".

* AbsoluteCleavage: Several of her outfits back in the day.

* {{Underboobs}} / ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Taken [[UpToEleven to extremes]] in some of her earlier public outfits.

In the media, she is well-known for her [[{{Stripperiffic}} somewhat skimpy]] and outrageous outfits (although she has toned this down in recent years) and her sexually explicit lyrics. She once attended an awards ceremony in a dress that left her left breast completely exposed (except for a modesty-protecting pastie); when Diana Ross saw her, she went up to her and said "What do you think you look like? Have you any idea what an exhibition you are making of yourself? I mean, what do you call this?" and she juggled Miss Kim's exposed boob! She then walked away saying "Go home and get yourself dressed, young lady!" L'il Kim, usually congenitally potty-mouthed, was totally and utterly "gobsmacked"; she stood motionless, open-mouthed and silent, the whole evening; it was next morning before she could speak, and all she could say was "She jiggled my booby!"

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: "This is a Warning" is entirely sung. She also sings more than usual on ''Hard Core 2k14''.

* ContemptibleCover: Arguably ''Black Friday'' [[http://fromagirlspointofview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Lil-Kim-Black-Friday-Cover.jpg (see it here)]]. Not only does it show Kim with a bloodied sword after apparently [[OffWithHisHead decapitating]] Nicki Minaj (a TakeThat many thought went too far), but the image is a ''very'' obvious Photoshopping of an [[http://lilkimfanclub.com/cache/thumb/610x510-content-uploads-photo-admin--c2959ff781130abf9a97.jpg older image]] from the ''La Bella Mafia'' era. It was apparently fan-created.

* AbsenteeActor:
** Oddly enough, the album version of "Crush on You", is performed by Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. - Kim only featured on the single version, released as a remix.
** Inversely, the song "How Many Licks" is a duet with Sisqo of "Thong Song" fame. However, he doesn't appear in the music video, where his vocals go uncredited.

* AbsenteeActor: Oddly enough, the album version of "Crush on You", is performed by Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. - Kim only featured on the single version, released as a remix.

* AbusiveParents / ParentalIssues: Her father was physically and psychologically abusive to her and her mother, and he kicked her out onto the streets when she was young.
** Despite that, she later forgave her father and has let him live with her since he developed Alzheimer's in 2012.

* CallBack / ContinuityNod: The video for "No Time" features Kim and Music/SeanCombs riding up and down on escalators. This is later referenced in the lyrics for "(When Kim Say) Can You Hear Me Now?" and "Whoa".

* DreamTeam: The live collaboration with Music/CyndiLauper (in which they both performed Cyndi's hit "Time After Time"), as well as her collaboration with Music/FiftyCent on "Magic Stick". Collaborating with Creator/GraceJones on "Revolution" certainly deserves a mention, too.

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: She featured on "Can't Hold Us Down" with Music/ChristinaAguilera, a song [[TakeThat which heavily criticises sexual double standards]].

* TakeThat: Her often-noted rivalry with fellow rapper and [[WeUsedToBeFriends former friend]] Foxy Brown has led Kim to take potshots at her in a few of her songs, such as "Notorious K.I.M.", apparently in response to Foxy's bashing of her in some of her songs. In the same song, she also took a swipe at another rapper, Shyne, for essentially trying to imitate The Notorious B.I.G..

* [[AbsenteeActor Absentee Artist]]: Oddly enough, the album version of "Crush on You", is performed by Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. - Kim only featured on the single version, released as a remix.

* DreamTeam: The live collaboration with CyndiLauper (in which they both performed Cyndi's hit "Time After Time"), as well as her collaboration with Music/FiftyCent on "Magic Stick". Collaborating with GraceJones on "Revolution" certainly deserves a mention, too.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: With MaryJBlige.

** Only the ongoing beef with Foxy can even compare to Kim and Music/NickiMinaj's vicious rivalry. ''Black Friday'' contains a ''lot'' of Nicki-bashing (including in the album cover, not to mention the title is a play on the latter's ''Pink Friday'' album), in response to a) the latter's song "Roman's Revenge" (which was claimed to be a diss record about Kim) and b) Kim's belief that Nicki is trying to emulate her style. Several of Kim's friends and fellow rappers think that the rivalry is pointless and saddening, others (including MaryJBlige) believe the whole thing arose due to "crews" behind it, and many critics and [[WhatTheHellHero a large portion of Kim's fanbase]] thought that ''Black Friday'' was taking things just a bit ''too'' far. The rivalry has gotten worse ever since.