Lil Mama, who hasn’t been on the top of the charts since her lip gloss was ‘poppin’ was recently read the riot act from the likes of Charlamagne Tha God when she appeared on NY radio. Read the transcript below for yourself:
Do you believe Nicki Minaj stole your style?
I mean it is what it is. My side is very neutral. The last time we seen any female emcees before Nicki there was me. When it came to radio interviews or whatever, people would always be like “where are the female emcees?” At this point where I’ve stepped back a little from music still continuing with television and my career, people probably ask her that same question. So, it’s just a lot of controversy around just being a female in Hip Hop. I think that a lot of times our community really focuses on celebrating one female emcee at a time and I think that’s where it comes in, that controversy…the who stole what style…at the end of the day, I’m talented and there’s only one Lil Mama.
Why don’t you like Nicki? If anything you should be happy for her.
Yeah, I am happy for any young woman especially a woman that comes from a minority community such as myself. I know how hard it is and you have to have tough skin so at the end of the day, anybody that’s doing their thing, I genuinely respect that.
What made you feel like you could get up on stage with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z?
I’ve always been apart of Hip Hop just put it like that. If you get your limelight whether you’re 16, 21 or wherever you at, you get your lime when you get your lime but if you’re apart of Hip Hop, if you’re a child of Hip hop, your going to always be a part of Hip Hop. In my day, in my era Ralph McDaniel, just being five and being at block parties you can go on stage. If you see an award show, you’ll see people go on stage, you’ll see that energy and it will be received. So, maybe my love was misconcepted…I don’t know, I had a good time.
Charlamagne: You have a lot of confidence and that’s a good thing but you actually have to [accomplish] a lot more before you come off as cocky
But I didn’t come off as cocky, I come off as confident and I believe in God. I’m a high believer in God and I know who I am. I’m not going to come up to a radio station or anywhere else and let anyone strip me of my pride. I know who I am, so when you talk about cocky there are so many people that are out here who haven’t done anything.
On stepping away from music (crying)
Listen, I’ve taken a step away from music already. I’m getting back into the music now. I’m not here to say what I’m going to do. When I was 17-years-old, I put out an album while my mother was dying of cancer. That right there alone is a struggle, that’s hard, that’s tough for anybody but my music will speak for itself, my actions will speak for itself, my mother will be proud, my father will be proud at the end of the day. Nobody can stop me period.
How did your mother feel about your music career?
My mother was a musician. My mother was raw, she was real, she was official so, she loved music and I love music. I’m not here to encourage anybody to support me…I’m not here for none of that. I’m just here to let y’all know what it is. You take it or leave it.
I think you should stop focuses on the gimmicks. Right now, you’re like a caricature.
But you’re the person that’s promoting that and you’re suppose to be a person that’s from my community, a Hip Hop community that’s suppose to support the youth that’s coming out of here. I understand your character, I understand you’re here to bash people, make jokes and be funny, I get it, I totally get it but at the end of the day keep it official with yourself. If y’all are not supporting the youth, if y’all are not supporting the young people that’s coming out of this community, nobody else will support them. They follow radio and listen to whatever y’all play. So when y’all young kids grow up to be hoes and drug dealers it’s because of you. I’m going to me regardless; I’m not changing who I am because of the promotion. I don’t look at TV or radio and say “Oh, I’m going to be a hoe now. Oh, I’m going to do this. Oh, I’m going to talk like this. Oh, I’m going to get a tattoo that says, ‘I’m a doll.’ Oh, I’m going to get a chain that says I’m a doll.” I’m Lil’ Mama until the day I die period.
