Lil’ Kim is prepping up for the battle of a lifetime. Last June 27, 2021, at the 2021 BET Awards, rapper Lil’ Kim revealed through her red-carpet interview that she is game to giving the world and the music industry the moment they have all been waiting for – a Verzuz Battle with the rap superstar and Barbie Queen, Nicki Minaj.
This happened just a few weeks following the teaser that Swizz Beats released regarding a possible Verzuz battle that involves the rapper Lil’ Kim. Is there any beef between Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim that they want to resolve via the rap battle? Read along and find out why Lil’ Kim wants to challenge Nicki Minaj to a Verzuz Battle.
8 What Is A Verzuz Battle?
A Verzuz battle involves two musicians who are mainly performing under the hip hop and R&B genre. They will battle it out for three hours highlighting 10 of their songs in 2 rounds. Verzuz started in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, created by popular producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland.
7 How Verzuz Started
Verzuz is an online DJ battle that is shown on Verzuz TV. The first-ever Verzuz battle involved the creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland in March 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The battle was broadcast via Instagram Live and has garnered popularity since then.
Some of the notable battles since its inception include duels between rappers Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, as well as Nelly and Ludacris, singers Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight, Monica and Brandy, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, and producers Babyface and Teddy Riley.
6 Who Is Lil’ Kim?
Kimberly Denise Jones also known as Lil’ Kim was born on July 11, 1975. Aside from being known as a rapper, she is also a reality TV personality, a model, an actress and a songwriter. Lil’ Kim grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, following her expulsion from her own home when she was a teenager.
During those times that she was on the streets, she would do some freestyle rapping, which was highly influenced by female hip hop performers like The Lady of Rage and MC Lyte. Kim began her career in the music industry when rapper The Notorious B.I.G. discovered her in 1994.
Known as the Queen Bee of rap, Lil Kim has sold 30 million singles and 15 million albums all over the world.
5 Who is Nicki Minaj?
Nicki Minaj or Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty was born on December 8, 1982, at St. James District, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the Barbie Queen and the “Queen of Rap,” Nicki Minaj is among the all-time, top-selling female artists and is also among the most prominent personalities in the music industry.
She has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has gained high praise for her talent in rapping and flexibility as a songwriter and rapper. Most notable with her characteristic of writing is her play of words, double meanings and her witty use of metaphors in her songs.
4 History Of The Beef Between Lil’ Kim And Nicki Minaj
Even before the declaration of the challenge from Lil’ Kim went viral, these two hip hop icons have been at each other’s necks for as long as early 2008. The decade-long feud started as rumors emerged when Young Money Entertainment artist Nicki Minaj’s mixtape titled Sucka Free imitated Lil’ Kim because the two rappers are seen in similar poses in their underwear.
3 Are They Still Beefing?
Over the last decade, rappers Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj have had their fair share of misunderstandings. Both artists have been accusing one another of copying musical styles, personal styles, plagiarism, and calling out each other through lyrics of their songs. But in 2018, during one of Lil Kim’s interviews, she claimed that the beef was over between her and Nicki, which ended with her wishing the “Queen of Rap” all the best.
2 Why Does Lil Kim Want To Challenge Nicki Minaj In A Verzuz Battle?
To the average viewer, a Verzuz battle may mean that the winner brings home the trophy and the loser walks home empty-handed. But the truth is, instead of it being a ground for rekindling animosities, a Verzuz battle provides an avenue for music icons who has long-standing feuds with each other to bury the hatchet.
Two notable Verzuz battles that prove this to be true was between Shad “Lil Bow Wow” Moss and Soulja Boy when they collided on the music battle platform while being watched by virtual fans around the world. The same applied to singers Brandy Norwood and Monica when their long-time feud was put to rest at a Verzuz battle in August 2020.
1 What Does Nicki Minaj Have to Say?
Since Lil Kim issued the Verzuz challenge on June 27, 2021, we have yet to hear the thoughts of Nicki Minaj. But whatever decision the Barbie Queen makes in the coming weeks, one thing is for sure – looking at how these Verzuz battles resolved some long-standing animosities between artists, it may be a sign that Lil Kim is ready to move on from all the beefing that has been going on for the past decade and bury their differences once and for all.