Lil Kim recently called out Ebony Magazine for their “50 Years of Hip-Hop” cover honoring the legendary rapper. The photo quickly received a lot of backlash from hecklers, stating the picture was overly edited. According to the “Queen B—-,” she allegedly did not approve of the photo.
Before Lil Kim reacted to the featured image, Ebony Magazine announced the inspiration behind this specific issue.
“There will never be another Lil Kim; she still is and has always been ‘That B—-.’ If you’ve ever questioned what she was about, all you need to do is listen to her flow on a track like the OG legend she is. In all her glory, Lil Kim graces our cover as only Hip-Hop royalty can,” their Instagram account posted.
Despite the kind words, Lil Kim quickly called out the photo they used for the front cover.
“Who is this?! ‘Cuz that’s not the photo I approved, or any other content they’ve put out. I always told Ebony it looked like a painting, but they didn’t want to listen. They said they loved it. It’s the sabotage for me. The funny [stuff] about this is that this is their retoucher,” Lil Kim stated in her Instagram story.
Lil Kim not happy with EBONY cover:
“Who is this? Cuz that’s not the photo I approved or any other content they’ve put out. I always told Ebony it looked like a painting but they didn’t wanna listen. They said they loved it.” pic.twitter.com/lfcmkwDRHI
— FMHipHop (@_FMHipHop) September 20, 2023
She also shared comments in her Instagram story from some of her team and fans who continue to support her despite the public ridicule.
Choreographer, creative director, and dancer ZayP clapped back at the haters, saying, “So here we are years later, and y’all not tired of saying the same ol’ ‘look how she looks’ comments by now? Y’all know she don’t give a [expletive] about how you feel, right? Hence why she still does whatever she wants. Y’all actually spend time waking up to make someone that you don’t even know matter in your minds that bad, huh? All this just goes to show how much she still matters and the impact she still has, and yet 25 years later, she’s still the blueprint and your fav’s fave, so let’s shine a light on that more than anything.”
Social media comedian Rolling Ray also chimed in, calling out photographer director Keith Major. Major was allegedly the photo director for the creative shoot, and he made it known that Lil Kim had control to edit her own images.
“You’re messy for this comment. Now I see why she has yet to promote it. When working for top iconic people, you never speak how you just did. The photo is actually amazing. At her level, I don’t blame her for wanting to be in control of how she’s portrayed, and you don’t know who she knows. Ebony Magazine hasn’t been this hot in years. She just woke y’all up from the dead, and this is the thanks that she gets? Wow,” Ray stated.
All in all, Lil Kim’s husband, Jeremy Neil, known as Mr. Papers, shut down all the hateful comments.
“She’s beautiful. Edit or no edit, she [is] bad,” he commented.
