After a couple low-profile years where it seemed like
Lil' Kim
was fading away into the obscurity of
rap
history, she returned in 2003 with a strong effort,
La Bella Mafia
, that reestablished her as an industry icon. Her previous album,
Notorious K.I.M.
(2000), had been somewhat of a disappointment relative to her smash debut,
Hard Core
(1996). Where her debut had lived up to its title and presented her as a sexually charged gangstress --
the Notorious B.I.G.
's right-hand woman and the momentarily undisputed queen of New York -- her follow-up made an ill-fated bid for
pop
-crossover success. Overseen by
Puff Daddy
on the eve of his initial popular collapse,
was a mishmash collection of collabos and overblown
Biggie
odes that didn't resonate well with her fans, the
crowd, or critics. It's perhaps fitting then that on
Kim
returns to her sexually charged gangstress image, forgoing overt
concessions in favor of the sort of
hardcore
motifs that had always been her stock-in-trade. While she plays up the gangstress image well, there's still plenty of commerciality going on here, as hitmakers like
Timbaland
,
Scott Storch
Kayne West
, and
Swizz Beatz
craft the beats while guests like
50 Cent
Missy Elliott
Styles P
Twista
bring some additional flavor. This results in some edgy yet radio-ready tracks like
"The Jump Off,"
"Magic Stick,"
and
"(When Kim Say) Can You Hear Me Now?"
Elsewhere, there are some substantial album tracks that fill out the album, particularly the emotive
"Heavenly Father,"
the slow-jamming
"Can't F**k With Queen Bee,"
and the
"Guess Who's Back"
-esque
"Came Back for You."
As with most
albums,
could use a little trimming, but it's a relatively solid album with quite a bit of lyrical substance to accompany the first-rate beatmaking. The Queen B has a lot to say here after her long sabbatical, and she's noticeably slowed down her flow, which brings her word choices to the fore. As a result of all this,
affirms
's briefly questionable status as a formidable female presence in a man's world and once again turns the often sexist mindset of
on its head in the process. [The clean version does its best to edit the innumerable moments of profanity.] ~ Jason Birchmeier