Color Complex: 30 Rap Lyrics That Explain Lil' Kim’s Facial Evolution
Did hip-hop cause Lil' Kim's transformation?
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The Notorious K.I.M. - Why are we surprised that Lil' Kim wants her skin to be lighter and her hair to be blonde? Many of the comments about her recent photos read: “Her brown skin was so beautiful. She looked better before.” Lil' Kim never got this message. This is hip-hop. And for years, light-skinned women with long hair have been the preferred choice for most rappers. In 2008, Young Berg straight-up said he wasn’t attracted to what he called “dark butts.” He went on to say that if a woman goes in the pool and her hair doesn’t look the same when she comes out, he’s not interested. (He later apologized.) And this was in 2008! Just a few years ago, a rap artist actually verbalized his disdain for dark-skinned women. Yet, we are all shocked and appalled that Lil' Kim would want to be lighter? Her recent appearance is an indictment on hip-hop much more than it is on her.&...
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Lil Wayne - “Eat a red bone like red velvet cake/F**k a n***a wife and eat the wedding cake,” Lil Wayne, on Gucci Mane's “Cyeah (Remix)”(Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images for Coachella)
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Wale - “Quite gifted, ambitions of life living/Despite living with more attention than light-skin-ded, women,” Wale, “Bad Girls Club,” Feat. J. Cole (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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Future - “Robin jeans with the wings/Yellow bone on my team trafficking them ya-means,” Future, “Same Damn Time” (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015)
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Kendrick Lamar - “We speeding on the 405 passing Westchester/You know the light–skin girls in all the little dresses, good Lord,” Kendrick Lamar, “Art of Peer Pressure” (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV)
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Juicy J - “If you talking ‘bout money, we can link up/Bad red bone b***h body inked up,” Juicy J, “One of Those Nights,” Feat. The Weeknd (Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
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Azealia Banks - “Light skin girls, light skin world/Switching his vanilla ‘cause he likes that swirl,” Azealia Banks, “L8R” (Photo: Cassandra Hannagan/Getty Images)
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A$AP Rocky - “For instance, I get-get my d**k licked/Red bone complexion like a piglet, kiss kiss,” A$AP Rocky, “Keep It G,” Feat. Chase Infinite & Spaceghostpurrp (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
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Game - “Automatic start, n***a where the trees at?/Red bone bitch like Alicia, n***a where the keys at?” Game, "All I Know,” Feat. Lou Breeze(Photo: Kevork S. Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Childish Gambino - “Let me pay for what you sip tonight/Mixed girls from Williamsburg, that’s my f**king kryptonite,” Childish Gambino, “Put It in My Video” (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
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Kanye West - "Champagne wishes, 30 White b***hes…Five-star dishes, different exotic fishes." Kanye West, "So Appalled" (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
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PARTYNEXTDOOR - "But she the light-skin girl in a light-skin crew/Y'all know what it do," PARTYNEXTDOOR, "Her Way" (Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images)
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Lil Wayne - “I like a long-haired, thick redbone," Lil Wayne on Young Money's "Every Girl"(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BET)
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Future - "They come in dark skin, white, spanish, Japanese/Light skin girls wanna join the n***a team," Future, "Jordan Diddy"(Photo: Moses Robinson/GC Images)
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PARTYNEXTDOOR - "Light skin got you new, new, do / Even look like Lauren London too," PARTYNEXTDOOR, "Recognize" (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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Drake - With dress codes and light-skinned girls that won't act right / And I laugh cause my previous lifestyle was quite wild," Drake, "Come Winter" (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
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2 Chainz - "I like to crack the top and let the light in/You know she dark skin her friend light skin," 2 Chainz, "K.O." (Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for Samsung)
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Lil Wayne - “I like them light skinned, lighter than a feather/ And if she red hot, I’m bitin’ that pepper,” Lil Wayne on Eric Benet's "Redbone Girl" (Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images for Coachella)
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A$AP Rocky - "Got a bad b***h, light skin, fair skin/You already know I had it since age 10," A$AP Rocky, "France Freestyle" (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
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Big Sean - "Say the wrong thing to the right girl, you might not make it / Dark skin with a lightskin girl like Taye Diggs / And you go from tryna save her to her taking your savings," Big Sean, "Outro" (Photo: Mike Windle/Getty Images for WE Day)
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Jadakiss - "My first addiction, GI Joes and icies / After that it was light-skinned girls and Nikes,” Jadakiss, “Feel Me”(Photo: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
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John Legend - "Give me a little bit of that light-skinned love," John Legend, "Tonight [Best You Ever Had]"(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
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Ghostface Killah - "Two light skinned wizzes, want Ghost, on both ways / Come here, sit on my lap, it's not a gat, sugar," Ghostface Killah, "Good" (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW)
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A$AP Rocky - "Look up on her face was priceless, wonder what my type is / Well tonight Mrs. Lightskin with a light mix, or a light switch," A$AP Rocky, "Better Things" (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
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Fabolous - "Bottles of Rosé keeps finding its way to my section / And groups of pretty b***hes with them light skin complexion / Told her Imma kill it and I use magnum protection," Fabolous, "Lights Out [I Don't See Nobody]" (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Bacardi)
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Travis Scott - "Nothin' like the light-skinned mamacitas in H-Town/ They got them pornstar big booties," Travis Scott, “Mamacita” (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
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Jay Z - "My gear is in and I'm in the in crowd / And all the wavy light-skinned girls is loving me now," Jay Z, “December 4th”(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation)
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Nipsey Hussle - “Look, I like b***hes, that's lightskinned-ed / With a whole a lot of a**, and get right with it,” Nipsey Hussle, “B***ches Ain’t S**t” (Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for BET)
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Cam'Ron - “Lookin' light-skinned, mami was tight slim / Fat a**, big t**s, I noticed her nice chin (sturdy chin),” Cam’Ron, “Suck It Or Not" (Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for SoundCTRL/Flash FWD)
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Tupac - "Remember mama's cooking, no school straight hookin'/ And tryin' to get with light skinned cause she good looking," Tupac, “Thug Style”(Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)