Regardless of public controversy, the King of Pop’s legacy lives on, whether in people’s hearts or on massive stages. Moreover, Lil Kim made an impromptu appearance as a supporting act for Janet Jackson’s “Together Again” tour on Thursday (May 18) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Specifically, the Brooklyn rap legend graced the stage as a replacement for Ludacris, another hip-hop icon, who was Janet’s supporting act save for that date. During her performance, she paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a dance and rendition of his classic track “Smooth Criminal.” Considering the gargantuan three-act set-up of the tour in massive venues, it must’ve been quite the show.
Of course, Lil Kim has gotten to that career point where she might receive similar tributes from other artists, or these artists speak on her profound influence on them. “My mom was a rapper, right?” Megan Thee Stallion expressed on the Hulu series RapCaviar Presents. “She was a female rapper, but I had never heard of women being rappers ever because my mom was listening to UGK, Three 6 Mafia. My daddy [listened to] Lil Wayne, like, we only listening to men in the house. But one day, my mom put on Lil Kim. Damn! She raps harder than a lot of these guys!”
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In addition, the 48-year-old recently treated fans to a fun and era-blending show at Usher’s Lovers & Friends Festival. Along with her backup dancers, Lil Kim gave her own spin on Lil Uzi Vert’s smash hit track and dance, “Just Wanna Rock.” However you felt about that performance, you can at least say that it was heartening and enjoyable to see the star pay tribute to the newer generation. In a time during which hip-hop seemed more divided than ever, it’s nice to see the old and new guards move past the SoundCloud rap mentality and move further into supportive coexistence.
Meanwhile, she will always honor one of rap’s most enduring and influential figures: Biggie Smalls. “It’s always important to honor the king,” she expressed on his 50th birthday. “He’s the king. The king lives on. He’s just an amazing person, amazing artist … his legacy. It’s just great. Like, I mean, look at the catalog. Look at everything that he’s accomplished, even at such a young age.” For more news and the latest updates on Lil Kim, log back into HNHH.
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