Lil Kim wants Teyana Taylor to play her in a biopic on her life story.
Lil Kim said, “I love Teyana, you know she’s from Harlem.” Kimmy added that even before she met Teyana Taylor, she always felt that she would want someone from the hood she is from so they can connect, s. “Even before Teyana, I would love to give some little girl from Brooklyn so I can connect…it’s gotta be a girl who is from the hood I’m from,” she told Essence.
In 2016 Teyana Taylor paid homage to Lil Kim for her birthday as she performed at a VH1 function to honor trailblazing female acts in Hip Hop- Missy Elliot, Queen Latifa, Salt N Pepa featuring Spinderella, and Lil’ Kim.
She and her husband, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert, appeared in a classic Lil’ Kim and Biggie re-inaction to critical acclaim. Teyana performed Kim’s hit single ‘No Time’ from her debut album Hardcore including her verse in ‘It’s All About The Benjamins’.
Teyana’s performance was complete with a Lil Kim inspired outfit. Over the years, Lil Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, has been credited as one of the foundational women in music- paving the way for the current generation of rap and hip hop artists. Her presence in the industry has not come without its fair share of controversy as the rapper rapidly changed her appearance. Her ebony brown skin and thick black hair were replaced by almost porcelain skin and blonde hair. She has also appeared to have plastic surgery to change the shape of her face, including her nose.
In an interview in 2000 speaking about her shocking transformation, which her fans have likened to her moving from being an African American person to now a white woman in appearance, she said she has always had self-esteem issues – being told by men she was not ‘pretty enough’- “it’s always been men putting me down , just like my dad.”
Meanwhile, Lil Kim had hinted at a future biopic of her life that would portray her come up in the rap game at a time when women were virtually unknown to be entering the space. With a history that dates back to her being discovered by Notorious B.I.G, who invited her to join his Junior M.A.F.I.A in 1994.
She later led a successful career with two top 20 singles being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her debut album Hardcore was certified double platinum, and she also is among the only of three female rappers – Queen Latifa and Nicki Minaj to have at least three- platinum-certified studio albums.
She is credited as being the influence behind women in rap embracing their sexuality and femininity in a way not widely appreciated during the era of male-dominated rap and women being relegated to lesser important roles.
