Search - Lil Kim :: La Bella Mafia

Best Believe It's A Classic, You [expletive]!!!

Matthew C. Russoniello | Spokane, WA United States | 03/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, without a doubt, Lil' Kim's best CD to date. I've been a fan for a few years now. I loved both "Hard Core" and "Notorious KIM". This bests both of them. There is not a track on here not worth a listen. Fans of Kim, and fans of rap and hip hop in general should not sleep on this album. Kim talks about her personal relationships gone bad ("Heavenly Father"), her shopping sprees ("Way BIG"), and tells us how it is ("Can't F*ck With Queen Bee", "This Is Who I Am"). It's an album that has fun but also has its serious tones as well. The production is also fabulous. The beats Kimmy picked suit her and her flow to a T. So buy this album and support the original Queen [explicit] of rap.Highlights include: "Way Big", "Shake Ya Bum Bum", "Magic Stick", "Can You Hear Me Now", "Thug Love", "Heavenly Father", "Can't F*ck With Queen Bee", and "Beehive". But again, EVERY song is a classic.***NOTE*** The tracklisting Amazon has listed as of 3/4 is not correct. There are actually 16 tracks on the CD and some of the titles have been changed and some songs have been replaced by others."

Unquestionably the queen of rap

Music Fan | 03/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I laughed hard when reading some of the reviews on this site, they are obvioulsy from people who hate Lil Kim. She debuted in the music industry in 1995 as a part of The Notorious B.I.G.'s group The Junior Mafia and a decade later she is still the industry's reigning rap diva. Over 10 years Kim has sold an unheard of 20 million albums in the United States alone. What female rapper has ever accomplished that? On top of that she developed her own jewlery & accessory line, a fragrance line & a clothing line. She generated her fame into other careers such as acting, alongside Freddie Prince Jr., Michael J. Foxx & Charlie Sheen, and even pitching products for the likes of Verizone Wireless & Old Navy. She has modeled for Versace & Iceberg Jeans and has even established her own record label & production company. Over the 10 years that Lil Kim has dominated the thrown, female rappers such as Eve, Foxy Brown & Missy Elliott have come and gone.



La Bella Mafia debuted on the Billboard Charts at #5, selling 167,000 units. Within a month the album was certified gold with sales of over 500,000 copies, and just three weeks later it was certified platinum for sales of over 1,000,000 units. It generated two top five pop singles & two #1 rap singles in "The Jump Off" & "Magic Stick", the latter of which wasn't even officially released as a single. There was no music video & no official add to radio playlists from her record company.



Lyrically she is at the top of her game. The Source Magazine, is the most distinguished & respected rap magazine in rap. Out of 5 mics she was awarded 4.5, an honor reserved for only the greatest talents in rap, such as Jay-Z, Nas, Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G. himself. She easily outperforms all guests on her album, including some of the biggest names on the charts right now like 50 Cent & Styles P of the Lox. When it comes to making hits Kim is a goldmine. Nearly every track on La Bella Mafia has single potential.



Over her illustrius career, she has been a trend setter but even more importantly an undeniable force in the every changing industry. She reinvents herself to stay fresh, all the while keeping her pride, integrity & staggeringly incredible skills. To date she is still on top, even collaborating with Christina Aguilera & Donald Trump. Don't listen to the haters, Kim is the real deal, always has been and always will be."

An Ok album

Matthew Edmundson | Winter Haven, Florida United States | 11/05/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is Lil Kim's third album. The once prodigy of The Notorious B.I.G. tries to prove she's the queen bee and the best female gangsta rapper in the business. In my opinon she fails.Lil Kim has to many callaborations on La Bella Mafia. There are only like 4 solo tracks on the album while the rest are full of other hip hop stars. I would have liked to have seen more of Lil Kim by herself because she really doesn shine when she is solo. A lot of her tracks tend to slow down when the callaborator starts rapping.I did like the Jump Off and Magic Stick. Both songs have a catchy beat and have gotten plenty of air time on radio and MTV. I just wish Lil Kim would depend on her talents more. I think she tries to use her sex appeal way to much by wearing some of the stuff she does. I also wish she'd do more solo stuff because a lot of the guys she runs with do hold her down. She can rap and rhyme and it's a shame she depends on so much else to help her out."