Lil Mama
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Lil Mama in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Niatia Jessica Kirkland |
| Born | (1989-10-04) October 4, 1989 (age 34) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
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Niatia Jessica Kirkland (born October 4, 1989), better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper and singer. She experienced top 10 Billboard placements at 17 with her debut album VYP (Voice of the Young People) (2008), which debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned her four major singles including her staple song and dance anthem "Lip Gloss", earning her two Teen Choice Awards and Monster Single of the Year nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. Kirkland gained further attention in pop music after a collaboration with Avril Lavigne for the remix of her hit single "Girlfriend".
Kirkland took a hiatus from music after success of her hit single "Hustler Girl" to stay focused on serving as a judge for total of seven seasons on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew at the age of 18 from 2008 to 2012. Working with producer and fellow judge Randy Jackson, she served alongside JC Chasez, Shane Sparks, Mario Lopez, and Layla Kayleigh.
She was cast as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which aired in October 2013 and garnered 4.5 million views in the first night. From the success of the film, Kirkland joined TLC on their tour for their last album. She got the opportunity to perform a tribute to Lopes at the 2013 American Music Awards performing the Grammy Award nominated song "Waterfalls".
Kirkland continued to remain in the public eye, returning to music, making new tracks with fellow rapper MC Lyte on her single "Ball". She appeared on multiple magazine covers and was back in television with Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. In 2019, she starred in the film All In, alongside Traci Braxton.[1]
Niatia Jessica Kirkland was born on October 4, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York City, and is the eldest daughter of eight children.[2] She was raised in Harlem from her kindergarten to her eighth-grade year. She moved back to Brooklyn and attended Edward R. Murrow High School until her senior year where she continued her education through independent studies. Kirkland is a third generation of West African, Trinidadian, and Jamaican descent and third child born. Being the oldest daughter, she got her nickname "Lil Mama". She has two older brothers and three younger brothers, one of whom is also a dancer and underground rapper along with her younger sister and last brother. She has one maternal aunt and several paternal uncles.
Kirkland faced personal and financial struggles at an early age and experienced even more poverty when her mother, Tara, was diagnosed with breast cancer, which often led Kirkland to struggle in school as she had to care for her siblings and see her mother back and forth in hospitals from procedures. Both her parents had separated when she was a young child, but Kirkland always maintained a close relationship with her father, visiting him consistently. Her family became homeless and their mother had moved her and her siblings into a shelter due to poverty at the time. Kirkland told Power 105.1 she stayed in the shelters for seven years from her kindergarten year until the beginning of her eighth-grade year when they managed to get an apartment in the Bronx and gain more stability. Kirkland contributed to helping her mother financially by taking up small jobs such as baking. Growing up, Kirkland witnessed many hardships in her community including gang and drug violence, teen pregnancy, and domestic violence.
After her mother's fight with cancer became terminal, her mother moved in with Kirkland's aunt and Tara's older sister. She stayed there so she could be cared for and help with the care of the younger children in her family.
As one of eight children, she began to express herself artistically by writing poetry and music. She trained at dance schools for ballet, jazz dance, tap dance, South African dance, hip hop dance, and street dance; she was in many competitions and recitals making her a professional dancer. She was influenced by MC Lyte, Lil' Kim, Lisa Lopes, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and her parents. Her mother was a singer and her father Allen Brunner was a musician and DJ. Kirkland decided to explore her talents further when she took interest in the rap culture.
Kirkland became known as the "Voice of the Young People" for being a teen sensation and connecting with her younger fans as she continued to present herself as that and embrace it in her music videos and songs. She became the "Queen of Hip-Pop" for mixing her rhymes with pop influences, which started after her collaboration with Avril Lavigne. She first introduced herself as the "Birth of Hip-Pop" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards sporting a baby-styled look. She later told MTV how she intended to spread and influence more artists to spread the genre of hip-pop.[3] After her 2009 re-release of her single "L.I.F.E.", Kirkland introduced her fans to a whole new side of the darker reality that young people face. The song was followed by a music video that incorporated the themes of the song which included teen pregnancy, drug addiction, child abandonment, domestic violence, and more.
Since the release of her first album, Kirkland has been in and out of studios making new music. She released the single "Doughboy" (featuring Mishon). After that release she made appearances on tracks with other artists, including "Turn It Up" by Mishon and "Sexiest" by Yahaira. She also released "On & On & On" and "NY NY LA LA" (featuring Snoop Dogg).[4] The two singles were intended to be a part of her second studio album, but instead they were released on iTunes and digital download but were later removed for unknown reasons. She then released two more singles entitled "Scrawberry" and "Hustler Girl", both singles were followed by music videos. "Scrawberry" introduced a new look for Kirkland, in which she would wear colorful wigs and futuristic attire; this would be her new style for next few years; however, the song was released on her MySpace page and YouTube, it was unclear if it was removed from streaming services along with her other two singles.[5]
Kirkland was featured on Lil Wayne's "A Milli"; she was brought on stage at his concerts to perform the song. Kirkland was featured in the Grammy Award-nominated album First LovebyKarina Pasian, a close friend to Kirkland and a veteran music artist. In 2009, she announced the title of her proposed sophomore album as Voice of the Young People: I Am That[6] after her single "What It Is (Strike a Pose)" failed to chart. The song was the last single with a music video to be added to her album and was used to commercialize the album. The song failed to chart.
On October 7, 2012, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Kirkland (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) would release future material on the RCA Records brand. However, Kirkland had left Jive before the transition to RCA; she stated in an interview that she was not in the right space to make music and decided to take a hiatus.[7][8] Voice of the Young People: I Am That would have had guest appearances including Soulja Boy, Khalil, Angel Haze, LoLa Monroe, Teyana Taylor, Trina, Keke Palmer, Nas, and Chris Brown, among others. Due to her leaving Jive, the album never saw a release and instead it along with the few singles recorded with Zomba Records were shelved, but she managed to release some the songs directly online for her fans which included "Scrawberry", "On & On & On", and "NY NY LA LA". The other singles she planned to record with the featured artist were never recorded and were disbanded. After leaving Jive, Kirkland became an independent artist.
On June 13, 2012, America's Best Dance Crew came to a series finale. Kirkland had served as a judge for a total of seven seasons. The following year, she released a single titled "Bad as Me" on Myspace and YouTube.
In October 2013, Kirkland starred as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which aired on October 21, 2013, alongside Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora, who played Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, respectively.[9][10] The film generated 4.5 million views in one night. This was her first acting debut and breakout role, in which she received positive feedback from Lopes' fans. Kirkland was the first to be cast and from both the success of the film and the close relationship she formed with Watkins and Thomas. TLC took a chance on Kirkland, allowing her to substitute for Lopes. TLC took Kirkland on tour, and Kirkland carried out Lopes' legacy by rapping her verses. Kirkland's journey with TLC came to end after they performed at the 2013 American Music Awards. Kirkland and TLC dedicated a performance of "Waterfalls" to Lopes. After the tribute, Kirkland and TLC parted ways, and Kirkland went on to return to making music.
In November 2014, Kirkland and AV were featured on MC Lyte's song "Ball" from her album Legend. The music video was released on November 13, 2014. Kirkland appeared in the video with both artists, providing rap verses, along with some of her signature dance moves.[11] That same year, she performed the song live with AV and MC Lyte on The Real.[12]
In May 2015, Kirkland released the video for her song "Sausage" on WorldStarHipHop.[13] The song was inspired by the #SausageMovement on Vine[14] after Kirkland heard two girls on a street corner following the trend. The video incorporates many themes including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, voguing, Mary J. Blige, Caribbean love, and community fun. It immediately went viral, with more than 3 million views in its first week, topping the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks charts, passing Maroon 5's "Sugar" and knocking out Jason Derulo's "Want to Want Me".[15] It held itself steady in the top 20 well into June, with numerous dance studio and dance jams featuring choreography and routines on social media danced to the track.[16]
Kirkland got a chance to perform the song live during half time of the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards. The track was not made available for sale, being absent from both iTunes and Amazon Music due to copyright issues;[13] the track was only available on Kirkland's SoundCloud account and her website.[17] The video also opted out of advertising revenue on YouTube, with no advertisements appearing before the music video.[13] The following year, she released another single "Memes" as a response to memes made of her after her notorious interview on The Breakfast Club. Kirkland released Take Me Back, a mixtape which featured "Sausage" and "Memes". The mixtape was later up for sale on her website and SoundCloud account, it featured seven songs including a cover and re-edition of Rihanna's "Work". The song received mixed reviews online both on YouTube and her website. People were not fond of her vocals on the hook, but adored her choreography. The last song to be added was "Too Fly", which caught less attraction after her website was taken down for unknown reasons. The music video was filmed at a club featuring her younger brother Arnstar as one of the dancers. She also produced her singing vocals on the hook. The song was also another copyright issue that couldn't be made for sale and solely released through her mixtape and her SoundCloud account. The music video is a YouTube exclusive.
After her acting debut, Kirkland made what SOHH called an "epic comeback". Kirkland was back on red carpets, award shows, talk shows, and magazine covers. In 2016, Kirkland made an appearance on Hip Hop Squares as a contestant; the episode was highlighted because of the controversy Tamar Braxton started with the host.[18] That same year, Kirkland, alongside Dej Loaf, gave a tribute to Lil' Kim at VH1's Hip Hop Honors, Lil' Kim later thanked Kirkland with a post of the tribute on her Instagram account.
In June 2015, Kirkland was listed as a featured speaker at an event sponsored by BET and the Hip Hop Sisters Network. Titled "Women, Wealth and Relationships", the event also featured guest speakers MC Lyte, Shanice, and Elise Neal, as well as main speaker and financial advisor specialist Lynn Richardson.[19] The event, held on June 27, 2015, focuses on empowering black women both in their lives and financially, providing answers on such tough issues as men, money, and family relationships.
On August 28, 2017, Kirkland returned to acting, starring in the television film When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, based on a true story.[20] It premiered to 1.6 million viewers, ranking as TV One's #1 original movie premiere of all time among all key demos.[21] Kirkland, along with director Tasha Smith and her co-stars Tami Roman and Lance Gross, went on a tour to promote the film and share Falicia Blakely's story.
On April 17, 2018, Kirkland became competitor on MTV's The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, a competitive television miniseries in which celebrities would team up with pro-athlete champions against each other. There, she met Drake Bell, and the two would later go on to collaborate on his track "Call Me When You're Lonely".
On May 3, 2018, Kirkland released a single titled "Shoe Game".[22] The single was available everywhere online for sale, streaming, and digital download. The single was later followed by a music video, directed by Walu, on May 25, 2018. It became a YouTube exclusive, following a million and twenty thousand views within five months.[23] Kirkland went on to promote the single on the morning edition of Total Request Live in late September informing that this will lead to a future album. She was then followed up by Brynn Elliott after discussion of her old album and viewing of her greatest music videos which included "Lip Gloss", "Shawty Get Loose", and "G-Slide (Tour Bus)".
On September 9, 2018, Kirkland was a presenter for the 2018 BET special Black Girls Rock!; she had the privilege to work with artists such as Queen Latifah, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, etc.[24][25] She presented the award to Shanay Thompson for her M.A.D. Girls celebrated by Coca-Cola.[26][27] On September 25, 2018, Entertainment Tonight announced that Kirkland would join the cast of The CW's All American as a supporting character; this would be her first acting role since When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story.
On October 4, 2018, Kirkland appeared on TV One's morning talk show Sister Circle to discuss her latest single "Shoe Game", and her being cast on Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. There, she stated that she will be joining the cast as a regular due to her move to Atlanta, Georgia, to work on her upcoming album that Bow Wow will be assisting to co-produce and allow the series to document her journey as well as her experiences. She also got to discuss her acting career, as well as her taking vocal lessons from R&B singer Kelly Price; her singing will debut on the intended album.
On October 18, 2018, Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta premiered for the continuation of its second season. Kirkland made her debut on the first episode alongside Kiyomi Leslie and Masika Kalysha as replacement for cast members who quit. Kirkland stars alongside her mentor and new manager MC Lyte.[28] On November 14, 2018, Kirkland made her debut appearance on All American in its fifth episode. She introduced her character, Chynna Q, an upcoming hip hop artist.
On June 13, 2019, she starred in the film All In, alongside Traci Braxton.[1]
Kirkland's mother, Tara, died on December 15, 2007, following a four-year battle with breast cancer. Kirkland's music video for "Shawty Get Loose" was dedicated to her memory; the single won her a Teen Choice Award. Tara also happened to be featured in the intro and closing of Kirkland's music video for her hit single "Lip Gloss". Kirkland had taken over guardianship over her younger siblings along with the help of her family and older brothers. She spoke about this at the red carpet for MTV.[29] Kirkland has stated she and her mother had a close relationship and her mother relied on her for the help in raising her younger siblings.
Kirkland is the older sister of underground rapper and dancer Arnstar, who was a regular on MTV's Wild 'n Out. She is also a dancer in the New York City street dancing crew W.A.F.F.L.E. Their crew garnered more recognition after making their appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and received a cash reward from DeGeneres herself.[30]
At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kirkland went onstage while Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed "Empire State of Mind". While Jay-Z was ending his final verse, Kirkland left her seat in the audience, got onto the stage, and started bobbing her head to the beat. Jay-Z was surprised, but continued to perform. Right before this moment, Beyoncé had tried to hold her from going up. Jay-Z patted Kirkland on the leg to fall back, jokingly telling her, "you T-Paining now," a reference to a similar incident two months earlier when T-Pain jumped on stage with Jay-Z at Summer Jam during his performance of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)". At the end of the performance, Kirkland came to foreground and posed alongside Jay-Z and Keys. She later clarified that she "would never ... try to disrespect Jay-Z or take a moment that someone has created and try to relive it. I'm too original for that and I respect him too much for that."[31] In October 2009, she appeared in cycle 13ofAmerica's Next Top Model with Benny Ninja.
On August 11, 2011, Kirkland was a guest on The Breakfast Club. While on the air, tensions rose between her and fellow DJ Charlamagne tha God as they exchanged jabs, with Charlamagne bringing up her VMAs incident and the controversy between her and Nicki Minaj. Two more DJs, Angela Yee and DJ Envy, chimed in, discussing her absence from music at the time. After some time, Kirkland broke down in tears when her mother's passing was brought up.[32] Kirkland crying spawned numerous memes around the internet.[33] Five years later, Kirkland returned to The Breakfast Club to explain why she cried, and the DJs and Kirkland exchanged apologies with one another.
On March 10, 2016, Kirkland was arrested for driving 38 mph in a 25 mph speed zone with a revoked license. The incident took place in Harlem at around 4 a.m. Officers conducted an investigation and Kirkland's driver's license was revoked. She went on to make a statement apologizing to her family, friends, and fans.[34]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story | Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes | Television film |
| 2017 | When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story | Falicia Blakely | Television film |
| 2019 | All In | Keema | |
| 2020 | True to the Game 2 | Alia | |
| 2021 | Petey in the Park: The Misunderstanding | Taliya | Short film |
| 2021 | Fruits of the Heart | Maya | |
| 2021 | True to the Game 3 | Alia | |
| 2021 | Hip Hop Family Christmas | A the Rapper | Television film |
| 2023 | Sisters | Tia |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Dear Mama: A BET Mother's Day | Herself | Guest |
| MTV VMA Pre Show Royale | Herself | Performer | |
| What Perez Sez | Herself | Guest | |
| 2007-13 | 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards | Herself | Performer |
| 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards | Herself | Guest | |
| 2007-18 | Total Request Live | Herself 2 episodes |
Performer
Guest |
| 2008-12 | America's Best Dance Crew | Herself | Judge |
| 2008-15 | BET Awards 2008 | Herself | Nominee |
| BET Awards 2013 | Herself | Guest | |
| BET Awards 2015 | Herself | Performer | |
| 2008 | Live with Regis and Kelly | Herself | Guest |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Herself | Guest | |
| 2008 Teen Choice Awards | Herself | Winner
Presenter | |
| 2008-2009 | FNMTV Presents: A Miley-Sized Surprise... New Year's Eve 2009 | Herself | Co-Host |
| 2009 | Talk Stoop | Herself | Guest |
| America's Next Top Model | Herself | Dancer
Recording artist | |
| The Bonnie Hunt Show | Herself | Guest | |
| MTV Cribs | Herself | Presenter | |
| 2009-11 | 2009 MTV Video Music Awards | Herself | Guest |
| 2011 MTV Video Music Awards | Herself | Guest | |
| 2010 | The Mo'Nique Show | Herself | Guest |
| 2011 | Style it Rich | Herself | Recording artist |
| 2012 | Huff Post's BV 365 | Herself | Guest |
| 2012-13 | 2012 Soul Train Music Awards | Herself | Performer |
| 2013 Soul Train Music Awards | Herself | Guest | |
| 2013 | The Wendy Williams Show | Herself | Guest |
| American Music Awards of 2013 | Herself | Performer | |
| 2014 | Just Keke | Herself | Guest |
| 2015 | The Real | Herself | Performer |
| 2016 | Hip Hop Honors | Herself | Performer |
| 2017 | Hip Hop Squares | Herself | Guest |
| 2018 | The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars | Herself | Contestant |
| Black Girls Rock! | Herself | Presenter | |
| Sister's Circle | Herself | Guest | |
| All American | Chynna Q | Supporting role | |
| 2018 | Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta | Herself | Main cast |
| 2019 | Growing Up Hip Hop: New York | Herself | Main cast |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Herself | Best Female Hip Hop Artist | Nominated |
| 2009 | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Lip Gloss" | Monster Single of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Girlfriend (Remix)" | Best Hook Up[35] | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Herself | Choice Rap Artist | Nominated |
| "Lip Gloss" | Choice Summer Song | Won | |
| 2008 | "Shawty Get Loose" | Choice Music: Hook Up | Nominated |
| Choice Rap/Hip-Hop Track | Won | ||
| Herself – America's Best Dance Crew | Choice TV: Personality | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Lip Gloss" | Ringtone of the Year[36] | Nominated |
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