I've been saying this for a minute, Lil Kim is now coming to the forefront with her comments and now fellow blogger Don Khafa has put together images to detail just how deep the obsession goes.
I will say this. I've always had an intense curiosity when it came to the Queen Bee. But I'm equally fascinated with Nikki Minaj. The problem is, I really don't like her *lol
In truth, I think she sets a bad example for young African American girls wanting to be accepted and appreciated for their talents and gifts that are non-anatomical. Yet the whimsical, off-kilter rhyme schemes of Nikki Minaj, Nikki Lewinski, Nikki the Ninja, Nikki the Boss or whatever she's calling herself this week has caused girls age 7 to 27 and higher to answer to the call "It's Barbie Bitch!". And who was the first Black Barbie on the rap scene?
The queen bee. Lil' Kim.
"Black Barbie dressed in Bvlgari...I'm tryin to leave in somebodies fararri..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhCD9qxlczo
Check the How many licks video...(Atlantic disabled embedding, but the proof is in the pudding).
The more you watch, the more apparent it becomes. Yes, the rhyme styles are different. Lil Kim is actually more lyrical in many of her verses than Nikki Minaj, however, Nikki is much more widely known for her wordplay and punchlines. Kim was never known for witty one liners, more like dirty limericks.
HOWEVER...swagger jacking is about style. Nikki Minaj was not the colored wig wearing phenom when she first came out. As a matter of fact she was known for her ass-ets and black tresses only. Now? She shows up to the MTV awards looking like Wilma Flinstone in an orange wig.
Not that there's a monopoly on colored wigs, but before it was a fashionable marketing ploy? Lil Kim had the market cornered on it. It was her trademark, we came to expect it. Purple, green, red, blonde especially...and now? A cornerstone of the look that is Nikki Minaj. Maybe it's fitting that her oft adorned neck has a charm that reads "Barbie", because they're fake. A pre-packaged persona of what a woman should be based upon euro-centric ideals of beauty. One of the many reasons I despise any sort of "Barbie" movement. But then again... At the BET Awards, as Nikki accepted her Best Rap Female Award (which I'm trying to understand how with one single and no album, but who is she competing against?), she was very classy. Humble, surprisingly articulate and actually paid homage to all the women who paved the way before her. In essence addressing without addressing Lil' Kim's verbal harangue in front of a live audience as well as those watching at home. A true class act.
But then again,...what can she say? The comparisons are blatant?
Recently we learned that Nikki's new single "Your Love" has reached #1 on Billboard's Top 100 countdown. A feat that hasn't been accomplished in over 8 years (last done by Missy Elliot with "Work It" ).
How did this happen? Marketing...a throng of loyal twitter followers on #TeamMinaj and the essence of whom she probably considers a pioneer in the Rap Game...Kimberly Jones. Otherwise known as Queen Bee.
I'm no bandwaggon jumper, but Nikki is starting to grow on me. I still despise blind following by the masses, but her lyrical ability has improved as well. Her outfits and blatant swagger jacking aside, you can't deny that:
Still, is Nikki Minaj the Ultimate Swagger Jacker? Don Khafa seems to think so. I tend to agree, but I'll say maybe she's put a less sex intensive spin on it with a more 2010 edge on it. Not ignoring her sex appeal but not relying on it as much. If I say she's Swagger Jacking Kim, I also gotta say she's jacking Lady GaGa and Gwen Stefani too *lol
but that's me. What do you think?
