Lil' Kim was born on July 11, 1975, in Brooklyn, New York. The rapper debuted as part of Biggie Smalls's group Junior M.A.F.I.A and released her solo debut album, Hard Core, in 1996. She found success in the 1990s and 2000s with hits like "Magic Stick," "Crush on You" and a remake of "Lady Marmalade." Kim served prison time in 2005-2006 for perjury, later releasing mixtapes and doing reality television work.