Lil Mama
Encyclopedia
Niatia Jessica Kirkland (October 4, 1989) professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper
, singer-songwriter
, musician
, and dancer.
in 1989. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York where she attended Edward R. Murrow High School
. In 2006, Kirkland signed a recording contract with Jive Records
. Her mother Tara died on December 15, 2007 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Kirkland faced personal and financial struggles at an early age. As one of eight brothers and sisters, she started to express herself artistically through poetry
and dance
.
was released in late April 2008. The album spawned four singles: "Lip Gloss
", "G-Slide (Tour Bus)
", "Shawty Get Loose
" and "L.I.F.E." The album sold 19,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200
.
, Lil Mama came onstage during Jay-Z
and Alicia Keys
's performance of "Empire State of Mind
". And while Jay-Z was ending his final verse, Lil Mama came from her seat in the crowd onto the stage and started bobbing her head to the beat. Jay-Z was surprised but continued to perform. Jay-Z patted Lil Mama on the leg to fall back and threw in a quick joke, saying, "You T-Paining
right now," a reference to a similar incident at Summer Jam
two months earlier when T-Pain jumped onstage with Jay-Z at Summer Jam during his performance of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
". Lil Mama ignored Jay-Z's gesture and, at the end of the performance, Lil Mama came to the front and posed alongside Jay-Z and Keys.
, all of which failed to chart. Lil Mama has stated that she doesn't know if she's going to release another album yet, she's just taking it step by step. She has since released two singles entitled, "Scrawberry" & "Hustlers Girl featuring Clyde McKnight".
She started judging at age 19. She appeared in Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model
with Benny Ninja
.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, and dancer.
Early life
Lil Mama was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
in 1989. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York where she attended Edward R. Murrow High School
Edward R. Murrow High School
Edward R. Murrow High School, is located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York and is part of the New York City Department of Education....
. In 2006, Kirkland signed a recording contract with Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. Her mother Tara died on December 15, 2007 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Kirkland faced personal and financial struggles at an early age. As one of eight brothers and sisters, she started to express herself artistically through poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
2006-2008
Her first studio album VYP (Voice of the Young People)VYP (Voice of the Young People)
VYP is the debut album by rapper Lil Mama released in April 2008, which includes the singles "Lip Gloss", "G-Slide ", and "Shawty Get Loose"...
was released in late April 2008. The album spawned four singles: "Lip Gloss
Lip Gloss (song)
"Lip Gloss" is a song by rapper Lil Mama. It was released in 2007 and is the first single from her debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People.On the weekend ending June 2, the song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-five...
", "G-Slide (Tour Bus)
G-Slide (Tour Bus)
"G-Slide " is the second single off the rap artist Lil Mama's debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People. The song is co-written and produced by Dr...
", "Shawty Get Loose
Shawty Get Loose
"Shawty Get Loose" is the third single from rap artist Lil Mama's debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People. "Shawty Get Loose" is Lil Mama's first number one single. The single is the remix version, where it features Chris Brown singing the chorus, and T-Pain rapping on the second verse. In the...
" and "L.I.F.E." The album sold 19,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
VMA incident
On September 13, 2009, at the MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, Lil Mama came onstage during Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
's performance of "Empire State of Mind
Empire State of Mind
"Empire State of Mind" is a song by American rapper and hip hop artist Jay-Z, featuring vocals and a chorus from R&B and soul singer Alicia Keys. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 by his Roc Nation label in October 2009...
". And while Jay-Z was ending his final verse, Lil Mama came from her seat in the crowd onto the stage and started bobbing her head to the beat. Jay-Z was surprised but continued to perform. Jay-Z patted Lil Mama on the leg to fall back and threw in a quick joke, saying, "You T-Paining
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
right now," a reference to a similar incident at Summer Jam
Summer Jam
Summer Jam is the annual hip-hop fest held in East Rutherford, New Jersey and sponsored by New York based radio station Hot 97FM. Normally held in June, the concert features the most popular acts that hip-hop and R&B have to offer in a particular year....
two months earlier when T-Pain jumped onstage with Jay-Z at Summer Jam during his performance of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
"D.O.A. " is a song written by American rapper Jay-Z. It was produced by No I.D. The song was released as a digital download on June 23, 2009, and as the first single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song made its world premiere on the New York radio station Hot 97 on June 5...
". Lil Mama ignored Jay-Z's gesture and, at the end of the performance, Lil Mama came to the front and posed alongside Jay-Z and Keys.
Present
Since the release of her first album, Lil Mama has been in the studio working on new music. She released the singles "Dough Boy" featuring Mishon, "On & On & On", and "NYNYLALA" featuring Snoop DoggSnoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, all of which failed to chart. Lil Mama has stated that she doesn't know if she's going to release another album yet, she's just taking it step by step. She has since released two singles entitled, "Scrawberry" & "Hustlers Girl featuring Clyde McKnight".
Television
Lil Mama is a judge on the dance contest show America's Best Dance CrewAmerica's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
She started judging at age 19. She appeared in Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
with Benny Ninja
Benny Ninja
Benny Ninja is a self-taught Vogue-style dancer from the underground clubs based in Westchester, New York. He is best known for his involvement in ball culture...
.
Studio albums
- 2008: VYP (Voice of the Young People)VYP (Voice of the Young People)VYP is the debut album by rapper Lil Mama released in April 2008, which includes the singles "Lip Gloss", "G-Slide ", and "Shawty Get Loose"...
- TBA: Voice Of The Young People: I Am That
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
NZ | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 2007 | "Lip Gloss Lip Gloss (song) "Lip Gloss" is a song by rapper Lil Mama. It was released in 2007 and is the first single from her debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People.On the weekend ending June 2, the song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-five... " |
10 | 36 | — | — | — | — | VYP (Voice of the Young People) |
| "G-Slide (Tour Bus) G-Slide (Tour Bus) "G-Slide " is the second single off the rap artist Lil Mama's debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People. The song is co-written and produced by Dr... " |
124 | — | — | — | 8 | — | ||
| 2008 | "Shawty Get Loose Shawty Get Loose "Shawty Get Loose" is the third single from rap artist Lil Mama's debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People. "Shawty Get Loose" is Lil Mama's first number one single. The single is the remix version, where it features Chris Brown singing the chorus, and T-Pain rapping on the second verse. In the... " (featuring Chris Brown & T-Pain T-Pain Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,... ) |
10 | 43 | 41 | 38 | 3 | 57 | |
| "What It Is (Strike a Pose) What It Is (Strike a Pose) "What It Is " is the the fourth single from Lil Mama's debut album, VYP . It features R&B singer-songwriter T-Pain.-Music video:... " |
Other Appearances
- "Girlfriend (Dr. Luke Remix)" by Avril LavigneAvril LavigneAvril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
off the Limited Edition of her 2007 album, "The Best Damn ThingThe Best Damn ThingThe Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on April 13, 2007 through RCA Records. According to the IFPI, The Best Damn Thing was the fourth top-selling album worldwide and Sony BMG's top-selling album of 2007. The album was certified...
", as well as some editions of Lil Mama's debut. - "Amazed" by Vanessa Hudgens off her 2008 album, "IdentifiedIdentifiedIdentified is the second studio album by Vanessa Hudgens, released on July 1, 2008 in the U.S., June 24, 2008 in Japan, February 13, 2009 in most European countries and February 16, 2009 in the United Kingdom. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics.One...
". - "Block Party" by Lisa LopesLisa LopesLisa Nicole Lopes better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, actress, television host, and songwriter...
off of her 2009 posthumous album, "Eye LegacyEye Legacy-Bonus tracks:NOTES:* 1 - uses instrumentation from the original 1998 demo.* Several bonus tracks were released as the EP Forever... The EP.-Remixes:The majority of songs on Eye Legacy are remixed versions of Lopes' 2001 release, Supernova....
". - "Video Chat", "Big Boy Rims" and "Cupid" by College BoyysCollege BoyysCollege Boyys is an American hip hop group from California. The group is best known for their leading member Romeo Miller and their influence on kids and teens to go to college. When the jerkin' craze had grown in popularity over 2009, groups such as the New Boyz and Audio Push were securing deals...
off of their 2010 debut album, "Spring BreakSpring Break (album)Spring Break by College Boyys, was released on May 25, 2010 on The Next Generation Entertainment, it included guest appearances from Soulja Boy, Lil Mama & Romeo's artist Blak Don. It has sold approximately 243,899 copies.-Album concept:...
". - "Sexiest" a song by Colombian singer "Yahaira" and featured by her.
Awards and nominations
- BET AwardsBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
- 2009, Best female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
- 2008, Best female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
- MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music AwardsAn MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
- 2007, Monster Single of the YearMTV Video Music Award for Monster Single of the YearThe Monster Single of the Year award was first introduced to the MTV Music Video Awards in 2007, as they were revamped that year and a few new awards were introduced. When the VMAs returned to their old format in 2008, though, this award was not brought back....
: "Lip GlossLip Gloss (song)"Lip Gloss" is a song by rapper Lil Mama. It was released in 2007 and is the first single from her debut album, VYP: Voice of the Young People.On the weekend ending June 2, the song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-five...
" (Nominated)
- 2007, Monster Single of the Year
- Teen Choice AwardsTeen Choice AwardsThe Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
- 2008, Choice Rap/Hip-Hop Track: "Shawty Get Loose" (Winner)
- 2008, Choice TV Personality: Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew (Nominated)
- 2007, Choice Rap Artist (Nominated)
- 2007, Choice Summer Song: "Lip Gloss" (Winner)
- 2007, Choice Music Hookup: "Shawty Get Loose" (Nominated)
- MTV Asia AwardsMTV Asia AwardsThe biannual MTV Asia Awards is the Asian equivalent of the Europe MTV EMA. Established in 2002, the show gives recognition and awards to Asian and international icons in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMA, most of the awards are voted for by the viewers from...
- 2008, Best Hook-up: "GirlfriendGirlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)"Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Lavigne with her producer Dr. Luke for Lavigne's third studio album, The Best Damn Thing . "Girlfriend" was released as the lead single from The Best Damn Thing on 27 February 2007...
" - featured by Avril Lavigne (Nominated)
- 2008, Best Hook-up: "Girlfriend