What Does Lil Kim Want? R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I’m a headline skimmer when it comes to stuff I don’t care about. Currently, the Lil Kim/Nicki Minaj one-sided beef is principle on my list of things of little importance. But after being asked about this whole non-beef about 300 times over the past few days, I finally decided to sit down and read all of Kim, Ray J, and Drake’s comments, along with Nicki’s subliminal tweets and every other artist that felt the need to weigh in (Lil’ Cease, 50 Cent, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, etc.)

I came out with the same understanding of what was going on and only one question:

What is Lil Kim doing?

Or, better yet, what is it that she wants?

It goes without saying (especially since it's been said all last week on the blogs and Twitter enough) but Lil Kim is losing me. I can't figure out what her problem is (aside from the obvious). Here's the convoluted explanation she gave Philly’s Kendra G for the recent rash of Nicki-bashing she's embarked on:

“All females that come in the game, we all need to stick together and I always try my best to embrace them but what happens is when you come into the game and realize that I’m not going away and my fans are still here and they can’t just step over me. They can’t just step on me and then they’re kinda like, they get upset and then they don’t want to be my friend anymore and I think that’s really childish, you know what I’m saying?”

Only I don't really understand what she's saying. But I’d assume, as I’ve heard her and a million other people say it’s that she's want Nicki to pay homage, right? That’s pretty understandable. If I were Kim I’d want (and expect!) that too. But I could’ve sworn Nicki gave her her props? In an old interview with Necole Bitchie, Nicki shared:

Necole Bitchie: My first time ever posting you on my site was when Sickamore brought me your mixtape and sent the promo pic where you emulated one of Lil Kim’s poses when she first came out. Do you think that is where the Lil Kim comparisons stems from?

Nicki Minaj: Of course, that picture played a huge role. I do say my little freaky shit in raps but everyone does. Every dude I listen to reference sex somewhere in their rap.

Necole Bitchie: Have you met Lil Kim and how does she feel about you as an artist?

Nicki Minaj: I do not know. I did meet her when I was with Lil Wayne during the I AM Music tour. We chopped it up and I gave her props, but we haven’t spoken since. I got nothing but love for her, I think she is one of the key players in this female rap thing, so you can not do nothing but salute Kim.

But the Queen Bee says it’s not as simple as Nicki just not paying respects it’s about her just being outright disrespectful. In an interview with Thisis50.com, Lil Kim tried to say that the issue is all the subliminal disses that Nicki was sending her way.

“For the last year she has been subliminally taking shots at me," said Kim. "Subliminally taking shots at the other girls in the industry. I mean come on, we read that interview where she said, ‘Being that the other rap chicks in the game ain’t got shit to do right now, when I’m by the pool they can feed me grapes.’ I remember that shit.”

I love Nicki’s penchant for calling out rap chicks. It's one of my favorite Minaj memes… Well, next to how much head she gets (“more head than a dread,” "more head than pigtails” “more head than shampoos” etc.) and gives (How many times has she called herself Nicki Lewinksy?) Isn’t that the charm of her most seminal mixtape hit “Itty Bitty Piggy” And isn’t that what this game is all about?

I don’t see any of the other femcees taking it that way. Trina did a verse alongside her on the “Five Star Chick (Remix),” hell, they even co-hosted their birthday party's together. Remy Ma definitely didn’t take it that way either. “I like competition,” she told Jenny Boom earlier this year, “I’d like to make it not so easy for Nick [Nicki Minaj] right now.” She also talked about how this might be a reflection of a changing of the guards in female rap. ("U-N-I-T-Y What the Female Rap Game's Been Missin?")

Even Kim said herself:

“So a little while goes by, I see her at the Lil Wayne concert and I show her love. She sitting here saying she showed me love, I showed her love. She reciprocated it but it was a littler war on her behalf. A little obnoxious but whatever. Now from that time on right, I would go on the Internet and see little pebbles thrown my way. Anybody that’s in the hip-hop industry we know how this game goes. We know the shit she was saying was subliminal, we know it’s a competitive sport and little people are going to try to claim their spot.”

…So if you know it’s a competitive sport then… what’s the problem??

Put it on wax, Kim. —Brooklyne Gipson