Nicki Minaj vs Lil Kim- 2011

This write-up is on Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim; about where each individual artist stands now in 2011, after their 2010 highly publicized beef. Before i go on, i would like to state that i am a big Lil Kim fan, i have all her albums (except the first one, which i have not been able to get), and i respect what she represents in hip hop history. And as for Nicki Minaj? I didn't like her at first, but with time, after listening to her on different songs, and listening to her use different styles, i got to respect her versatility. I want to analyse where these two female rappers stand today, in 2011.

Their beef started in 2010, when Ray J got on stage at a particular concert with Lil Kim and mocked Nicki Minaj as being a Lil Kim "wannabe". Later on, Kim said Ray J had not talked to her about saying that on stage, and that it came like a shock, but she had to ride along with him, so as not to embarrass him. But she did admit also that she took offence at Nicki Minaj not acknowledging Her as an influence. She states that it is clear that she started the whole 'barbie' movement that Minaj was popularizing. Kim said she would have just been okay with it  if Nicki admitted to that, but she said Nicki went ahead to throw some subliminal shots at her and the other older female rappers in her songs.

A couple of weeks before Nicki Minaj's Debut album (Pink Friday) was to drop, she released Romans Revenge, a track off her album that featured Eminem, and it was clear on the track that she was firing lyrical shots at Lil Kim. A couple of weeks after Romans Revenge dropped, Lil Kim dropped Black Friday (which was a play on the title of nicki's album), where she dedicated the whole track to exposing nicki as a fraud and a copy-cat of her style. Analyst and hip hop enthusiasts weighed in on the two tracks; most believed that the two were worthy opponents, and it was hard to say who had the better diss track.

So, that time has passed, and we are now in 2011. Lil Kim even went on to release a video for the Black Friday track earlier this year, but i have to say that Nicki Minaj is at her prime right now, and it is hard for Kim to make an impact with her anti-nicki movement, even though she is still considered the Best Female Rapper of all time. Personally, i have three Lil Kim albums, and they are all classic material...Naked Truth (2005) got 5 mics rating from The Source magazine, and Labella Mafia (2003) got 4.5 mics rating; but the music scene has evolved and people don't want just lyricism. The majority of music listeners now, which are mainly in their teens, want some pop to it...some craziness, and that's the edge Nicki Minaj has.


Right now in 2011, Nicki is all over the radio and TV, and Lil Kim is still trying to get out a hot enough single to promote her yet to be titled 5th album. I love positive energy, and even when i was indifferent about Nicki, i never hated her. Even when she was dissing Lil Kim, as a big fan kim, i never hated nicki, or was never judgemental. I always believe in looking at things objectively. I am happy for Nicki's success, and i think, behind all the alter ego and all, she is still a very dope lyricist for a female. I wish Kim all the best. But if i was to give some advise to her, i would say she wait till 2012, when Nicki is nolonger all over the place, and then drop some real hip hop music.