Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Hold It Now (feat. Havoc)
3. Doing It Way Big
4. Can't F**k with Queen Bee (feat. Governor & Shelene Thomas with Full Force)
5. Hollyhood Skit
6. Shake Ya Bum Bum (feat. Lil' Shanice)
7. This Is Who I Am (feat. Swizz Beatz & Mashonda)
8. The Jump Off (feat. Mr. Cheeks)
9. This Is a Warning
10. (When Kim Say) Can You Hear Me Now? (feat. Missy Elliott)
11. Thug Luv (feat. Twista)
12. Magic Stick (feat. 50 Cent)
13. Get in Touch with Us (feat. Styles P)
14. Heavenly Father (feat. "Big Hill")
15. Tha Beehive (feat. Reeks, Bunky S.A., Vee & Saint from the Advakids)
16. Came Back for You

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16863 in Music
• Published on: 2003
• Released on: 2003-03-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
Everyone's favorite hardcore female rapper returns with her hottest and hardest effort to date. Lil' Kim is joined by her friends Missy Elliot, Method, Styles P, Governer, Twista and Mashonda Tifere. Includes a limited bonus collectible card inside unlocking exclusive photos, videos and much more. Queen Bee/Atlantic. 2003.

Amazon.com
Now that Lil' Kim's third solo outing is upon us, it's fair time to pose this question: is this fly Brooklyn female a legitimate MC or just another media sensation? Well, probably a little of both. La Bella Mafia is a refreshingly uncommercial album that demonstrates Kim’s hard-earned mic skills, but the set never really hits its stride. Kim seems to be a woman who favors strong musical partners, yet many of the album’s collaborations fail to inspire. Swizz Beats is at his abysmal worst (as both rapper and producer) on "This Is Who I Am" while Kim’s cookie-cutter rhymes blindly follow his lead. "The Jump Off" features a hot, bhangra-accented Timbaland track that loses momentum when guest star Mr. Cheeks jumps in. But when it works, La Bella Mafia shines. Just check out "Hold It Now," where Havoc ratchets up the temperature with judicious use of the always-funky Beastie Boys sample "Paul Revere" and Kim rises to the occasion with a performance worthy of her Queen Bee title. --Rebecca Levine

Customer Reviews

Unquestionably the queen of rap
I laughed hard when reading some of the reviews on this site, they are obvioulsy from people who hate Lil Kim. She debuted in the music industry in 1995 as a part of The Notorious B.I.G.'s group The Junior Mafia and a decade later she is still the industry's reigning rap diva. Over 10 years Kim has sold an unheard of 20 million albums in the United States alone. What female rapper has ever accomplished that? On top of that she developed her own jewlery & accessory line, a fragrance line & a clothing line. She generated her fame into other careers such as acting, alongside Freddie Prince Jr., Michael J. Foxx & Charlie Sheen, and even pitching products for the likes of Verizone Wireless & Old Navy. She has modeled for Versace & Iceberg Jeans and has even established her own record label & production company. Over the 10 years that Lil Kim has dominated the thrown, female rappers such as Eve, Foxy Brown & Missy Elliott have come and gone.

La Bella Mafia debuted on the Billboard Charts at #5, selling 167,000 units. Within a month the album was certified gold with sales of over 500,000 copies, and just three weeks later it was certified platinum for sales of over 1,000,000 units. It generated two top five pop singles & two #1 rap singles in "The Jump Off" & "Magic Stick", the latter of which wasn't even officially released as a single. There was no music video & no official add to radio playlists from her record company.

Lyrically she is at the top of her game. The Source Magazine, is the most distinguished & respected rap magazine in rap. Out of 5 mics she was awarded 4.5, an honor reserved for only the greatest talents in rap, such as Jay-Z, Nas, Tupac & The Notorious B.I.G. himself. She easily outperforms all guests on her album, including some of the biggest names on the charts right now like 50 Cent & Styles P of the Lox. When it comes to making hits Kim is a goldmine. Nearly every track on La Bella Mafia has single potential.

Over her illustrius career, she has been a trend setter but even more importantly an undeniable force in the every changing industry. She reinvents herself to stay fresh, all the while keeping her pride, integrity & staggeringly incredible skills. To date she is still on top, even collaborating with Christina Aguilera & Donald Trump. Don't listen to the haters, Kim is the real deal, always has been and always will be.

An Ok album
This is Lil Kim's third album. The once prodigy of The Notorious B.I.G. tries to prove she's the queen bee and the best female gangsta rapper in the business. In my opinon she fails.

Lil Kim has to many callaborations on La Bella Mafia. There are only like 4 solo tracks on the album while the rest are full of other hip hop stars. I would have liked to have seen more of Lil Kim by herself because she really doesn shine when she is solo. A lot of her tracks tend to slow down when the callaborator starts rapping.

I did like the Jump Off and Magic Stick. Both songs have a catchy beat and have gotten plenty of air time on radio and MTV.

I just wish Lil Kim would depend on her talents more. I think she tries to use her sex appeal way to much by wearing some of the stuff she does. I also wish she'd do more solo stuff because a lot of the guys she runs with do hold her down. She can rap and rhyme and it's a shame she depends on so much else to help her out.

La Bella Mafia has taken Over!
No other female nor male rap artist can compare to the Queen Bee! This CD is the best ever made by a rapper besides Hardcore, the one put out back in 1996 by the little one herself! Foxy's gonna have to do some homework to compete with this one, and Eve, well, don't even make an effort! The QUEEN LIVES ON!!!!!