Lil Kim returned with her fifth studio album, 9, on Friday after leaving fans waiting for fourteen years. While she has improved her place among the greats of hip hop and has nothing left to prove, you want to come back with a bang if you take a break that long. 9 Has several highlights, but this bang is “You Are Not Alone”
The rhythm is dangerous on its own. It has all the sounds of the signature that make us turn on it. It morphs from throbbing bass to ominous guitar-plucking, and Kim alters her delivery in order to remain firmly planted above all the shifting. In this, vocal effects play an enormous role. In raising Kim’s quality to gigantic proportions, the autotune and the echoing support. A few songs on 9 contemporary trends co-opt to make club anthems and fall into a tad flat afterwards. “You’re not alone” feels both futuristic and old-school. It bursts with Lil Kim’s charisma and brazenness as a force and legend.
Quotable Lyrics
You are not alone, I’m always there like your shadow
Haters throwing shots, but ain’t got enough ammo
I get low in these streets like a army fatigue Lambo
I camouflage well in this Valentino camo
I dismantle any competition to the coalition
What Big started, I’m ’bout to finish