Lil Kim isnвЂ™t even ON вЂњCrush on You вЂќ on this album itвЂ™s a Lil Cease solo track! These labels loved to trick rap consumers out of their coins in the mid-90s. And hereвЂ™s the weirdest thing of all вЂ“ KimвЂ™s best songs from this era donвЂ™t even appear on the album! вЂњNot TonightвЂќ is a Jermaine Dupri-produced midtempo cut, not the all-star female rap showcase with the George Benson sample. La Bella Mafia isnвЂ™t perfect but itвЂ™s a much tighter package than its predecessor and a little underrated in the grand scheme of her career.ДЇorgotten favorites: вЂњCame Back for You,вЂќ вЂњShake Ya Bum Bum,вЂќ вЂњThug LuvвЂќД®dd said: Hard Core is quite possibly the most influential female rap record of all time. Kelly song wasnвЂ™t the best idea then (and itвЂ™s a REALLY bad idea in hindsight), but her Nick Jr.-sounding track with Lil Shanice is a bop and I wonвЂ™t hear otherwise. Other concepts were more hit and miss вЂ“ Kim trying to remake an R. IвЂ™m surprised we didnвЂ™t get more of that from her. The album makes use of several vintage samples and Kim sounds great over them. 2,вЂќ вЂњSuck My D***,вЂќ вЂњAunt DotвЂќД®dd said: After her sometimes odd and experimental sophomore album, Kim went back to basics on her third release, re-embracing her mafioso image. ItвЂ™s way too long but has its moments.ДЇorgotten favorites: вЂњQueen B Pt. The result was a mixed bag вЂ“ there are some really strong album cuts here, as well as some bizarre pop and electronica joints that weirded me out in 2000 but would be much better received today. KimвЂ™s follow-up to her beloved debut was infamously delayed by rampant bootlegging, causing the tracklist to be shuffled around and lots of new songs added at the 11 th hour. ThatвЂ™s kinda true for this album overall.

Soul in Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5Д®dd said: вЂњThe first female king, and theyвЂ™re mad cuz IвЂ™m a girl.вЂќ I always thought that was a super ill line that would get way more hype today than in 2000. This was a big miss.ДЇorgotten favorites: вЂњYou Are Not Alone,вЂќ вЂњPray for Me,вЂќ вЂњAuto BlancoвЂќ DonвЂ™t misunderstand me, evolution is necessary вЂ“ no one was asking for another Hard Core вЂ“ but 9 was a chance for Kim to yet again be a trendsetter, not just another follower. HereвЂ™s the biggest issue with 9В вЂ“ Kim spends so much time trying to lure in a new audience with herВ shiny new trap persona that she abandons much of the aura that made her a legend. After a 14 year absence, Kim returned this fall with trap beats aplenty and boy, things didnвЂ™t go too well. Soul in Stereo rating: 2.5 stars out of 5Д®dd said:В Well yeah, letвЂ™s get this one out of the way.

The other mixtapes, not so much.ДЇrom the wigsВ and crazy outfits to theВ salacious bars and claims of queendom, Kim was the godmother of them all. mixtape from 2008, which is as strong as some of her better albums.

Album quality, consistency, and impact on the genre will determine the lists and, as usual, IвЂ™ll be skipping mixtapes. Today we recognize royalty, ranking Lil KimвЂ™s historic LPs from bottom to top. And even when younger artists refuse to pay homage, itвЂ™s cool, true heads can spot the cosplayers. Sexuality in rap seems pretty commonplace today вЂ“ as ordinary as Twitter beef and face tats вЂ“ but trust a guy who has seen this hip-hop thing play out over the course of four decades. This week, we marked 23 years since the release of Lil KimвЂ™s debut album Hard Core, one of the more monumental releases in rap history. YвЂ™all missed a national holiday this week and probably didnвЂ™t even know it.

The notorious big albums ranked