A long four years after making her big, salacious splash on
Hard Core
,
Lil' Kim
returned as a very different rapper on
The Notorious K.I.M.
, and not necessarily for the better. For one, her close friend and collaborator
the Notorious B.I.G
. had been murdered during the interim. The sad passing heavily informs this glitzy yet ultimately somber album, not only the title but many of the lyrics too.
Biggie
had played a large role in the success of
, and his absence here is gaping. Also, the Queen Bitch invites along a host of collaborators to fill the gap left behind by her departed former executive producer.
Puff Daddy
fills
's large shoes and unfortunately gives the album the same sort of gaudiness that had marred his recent round of releases on
Bad Boy Records
, namely his own
Forever
and
Mase
's
Double Up
. As on those albums, nearly every track on
Notorious K.I.M.
is helmed by a different producer, many feature a guest, and most make some sort of
pop
-crossover concession. Sometimes the
pop-rap
tactics pay off, particularly on
"Custom Made (Give It to You),"
where the orgasmic moans of
Lil' Louis
'
house
classic
"French Kiss"
are looped ad infinitum to impressive effect, and on
"How Many Licks?,"
where
Sisqo
trades off one come-on after another with
Kim
. ~ Jason Birchmeier