Lil’ Kim is here to reclaim her throne. The legendary rapper announced Wednesday she will be releasing her debut memoir, The Queen Bee, on November 2. “It’s Finally Here!! That’s right, the book, Lil’ Kim The Queen Bee Life Story. I’m so excited to announce my memoir dropping in November!! You thought you knew me but you have no idea,” Lil’ Kim wrote on an Instagram post.
The Grammy Award-winning hip-hop icon writes alongside acclaimed author and journalist Kathy Iandoli, the book will include a behind-the-scenes account of the multi-platinum-selling rapper’s life and career – from her early days growing up in Brooklyn to her teenage years spent with the Notorious B.I.G. to her trailblazing solo hip-hop career. Iandoli previously published the books God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop and Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook with Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy.
Hachette described the book as “a true page-turner from start to finish [that’s] every bit as fierce, empowering, and badass as the woman at the heart of this story—and firmly cements her legacy as a true feminist icon. When teenager Kimberly Denise Jones — better known as Lil’ Kim — burst on the hip-hop scene in the mid-nineties, no one was prepared for how she would shake up the entire music industry,” Hatchette continues. “As the sole female member of the Notorious B.I.G.’s rap collective, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and an affiliate of Puff Daddy and the Bad Boy family, Lil’ Kim always stood out from the pack.”
The book will navigate Lil’ Kim’s complicated high-profile relationships, the misogyny she confronted in the music industry, her self-image in the spotlight and the moment that ultimately landed her in prison. “I’m excited to finally get to tell my story after all this time,” Lil’ Kim tells People in an exclusive statement. “Many people have thought they knew the story of Lil’ Kim, but they have no idea.” The Queen Bee will be released in tandem with the 25th anniversary of Lil’ Kim’s debut solo album, Hard Core.
