It’s no secret that Lil Kim has had her share of trouble in her personal life over the last few years. However, she’s also managed to handle the situations very professionally and has not let those problems substantially affect her career. During her stay in jail for perjury charges, Kim managed to put out “The Naked Truth,” which received the coveted five mic rating in The Source, and she managed to keep the radio buzzing with her hit song “Lighters Up.” The premiere of her BET reality show “Lil Kim: Countdown to Lockdown” captured over 1.7 million viewers and became the highest rated premiere of all time on BET.

When Kim was finally released from the Philadelphia Detention Center in 2006, she left in a Rolls Royce Phantom and attended various ‘Welcome Home’ parties. Shortly thereafter, it was back to work for the Queen Bee. She performed a tribute to MC Lyte at the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors and began recording material for a new album and a new mixtape. The recently released mixtape, Ms. G.O.A.T., is more or less a tribute to female artists everywhere and reflects a more hands on approach which Kim claims she is taking towards her new projects.

It's the L-I-L to the K-I-M. HHNLive.com sits down for an in-depth chat with the "Queen Bee" to discuss her beef with Remy Ma, the good ol' days with Biggie, overcoming legal troubles, her new clothing line, the independent game and much more.

Lil' Kim on Remy Ma: "I am on such a higher level than her...I’m tired of playing these kiddie games and going back and forth on wax and all that."

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Aaron Frank: So you recently released Ms. G.O.A.T. with Whoo Kid and Mister Cee. Can you tell us how the idea for that project came about?

Lil Kim: Well, Mr. Cee has always been instrumental in my career, especially with the music that I’m making and helping to break the music that I’ve been making over the years. So he saw the vision a long time ago and with everything that I’ve gone through, he’s been watching. And he just told me that I should do a mixtape this time around and he was just behind it 100%. So it was cool to have all of us putting our ideas together for the mixtape. And I wanted to do this mixtape because a lot of women don’t normally do mixtapes and no one has ever done a mixtape like this one before. I felt it was time to give respect to all my females in the industry.

AF: This was an idea that had been in the works for a while then?

Lil Kim: Yeah, it was time to do something to let everyone know that the ladies are relevant and we’re always gonna be relevant.

AF: Do you feel like hip-hop has kind of hit a slump as far as female rappers are concerned?

Lil Kim: Well I think that now is the perfect time. Music needed something right now, especially hip-hop. And I think it was the perfect time for the streets and the fans also. So the timing couldn’t get any better than this.

AF: Well it’s definitely a good look for hip-hop and a good look for female rappers everywhere.

Lil Kim: Everywhere. That’s the whole bottom line. We as female rappers are the reason that the game is so sexy, so they could never shut us out of any categories. And that bothers me to when they start taking the female categories out of the awards shows and stuff like that. That’s a slap in the face and it’s disrespectful to all of us females who have made a name for ourselves in the industry. Also, a lot of us have done better than some of the dudes in the industry and we don’t get our respect. I thought this was the time to tell all my females in the game that they’re the greatest as well. Just because keeping up with the dudes in this industry is hard to do, so my hat goes off to all the females who have made a name for themselves.

AF: Yeah, you sound a lot more free on this mixtape and there’s also more of a raw street vibe to it…

Lil Kim: Yeah, well I’m not on Atlantic Records anymore and I’m gonna be doing the independent thing. I was able to do me how I always wanted to do and Whoo Kid and Mr. Cee just saw my vision for the project. Whoo Kid was just on it. He got it right away and he was just like “Wow” when he heard the music. So, much love and respect to Whoo Kid for just jumping in the fire and rolling with it.

AF: You mentioned that you’re off of Atlantic right now and planning on doing an independent thing. Can you tell us a little bit more on some of the options you’re looking at right now?

Lil Kim: Yeah, I definitely have a couple deals on the table and it’s a blessing to be able to do the independent thing. I have to thank Atlantic Records for even letting me do that, because they didn’t wanna let me go and it was kind of a struggle to get them to let me go, but at the end of the day, they were really considerate for doing that. So it’s a blessing to be able to do this independent thing and I feel like it’s something that I deserve. It’s something that I’ve really been hustling to try and do for years.

AF: With your own imprint, are you planning on introducing and releasing any new artists?

Lil Kim: Oh definitely definitely definitely. Just look out for the TV shows that I’m gonna be involved with. I’ve got my own show coming out on VH1 and it’s going to involve a lot of that. And you’ll see it going down. I would love to do that because I have a vision and I’m also a producer. I can see the big picture and I can see an artist and recognize talent very well. I think I’m good at seeing someone’s talent and potential and just maximizing it and taking it to the next level. So I just can’t wait to be able to do that with the perfect artist.

AF: So is it true that you’re finishing up work on your next album?

Lil Kim: The album is almost done. It’s not finished yet, but I’m always working so you’re always gonna hear some fresh new music from me. The album will be out just before the summer, around April or May.

AF: Each of your albums are a little bit different. What’s going to be special about this new album?

Lil Kim: I like to show growth in every album and especially growth lyrically. I like to show my lyrical growth, but that’s not to say that I’m gonna change anything. I’m always gonna be me and I’m gonna do what I feel in my heart and what my fans are gonna love. But this new album is executive produced by Trackmasters and I’m very happy and excited about that. Trackmasters, they really get me and they got what I was trying to do. I’m really like an eclectic artist. I’m really not a straight hip-hop artist, so this time around I get to really be me. I’m really excited about this album, because it’s my first independent album and I’m just really getting to do me.

AF: So you’re pretty excited about the control you’ve got over this record…

Lil Kim: Yeah and it feels really good. It’s about the picture to me. Don’t get me wrong. It’s about making money, but for me, as a real entertainer and an artist, I want to make sure everything’s perfect like a Picasso. It’s about painting that picture perfectly and being me the way I’ve always wanted to be. The fans are going to finally understand who Lil Kim really is.

AF: With all of the things going on in your personal life over the last couple years, did you ever reconsider the direction of your music or think you might tone down some of the lyrics?

Lil Kim: I’m not sure I understand when you say change the direction of my music, because with every album, I’ve tried to show some sort of growth. And you just have to listen and get to know me as an artist, instead of just listening to the singles. You’ve got to pop the album in and listen to it from beginning to end to get to know me as an artist. Every album I do can’t be the same, so this album is gonna be different. My music goes along with my life, so it’s gonna be different, but I’m still gonna be Kim.

AF: So what do you think about all of the guys in the industry taking heat for misogynistic lyrics and using words like “bitch” and “ho” all the time?

Lil Kim: I mean, I think that it only comes up when something else goes wrong on the political side of the things. That’s not our world and they like to blame everything on hip-hop, but they always bring it up at the wrong time. If they feel like they’re offended by some of the things that these artists are saying in their music, then they have the choice to not listen to it. We have freedom of speech in this country and you don’t have to listen to it if that’s not your taste. It’s like, if you go in the store and buy a pair of shoes, you’re gonna buy what you like. You’re not gonna buy what you don’t like. At the end of the day, it is what it is. I don’t get offended by those types of things because I’m not the type of woman to degrade myself. Unfortunately, there are a lot of women out there that do degrade themselves though. There’s a lot of women out there that don’t mind being called some of those names and that’s them. But honestly, this is our entertainment and our music. We’re entertaining and that’s the same thing that people are doing in movies, so you can't just narrow it down to music.

AF: So you’re saying that this debate always comes up at the wrong time, because of something that happens in the media or politics? Like with this recent backlash, it seems like it all jumped off because of Imus. Would you agree?

Lil Kim: Right, they always bring it up at the wrong time. You know, if you felt that way, you should have rallied behind it the first time you heard a rap record. Don’t blame everything on hip-hop once you get yourself in trouble. That’s not fair. We weren’t the ones that made them do whatever they did. You weren’t playing a rap record in the background and just happened to repeat the lyrics or anything like that. So don’t turn around and blame it on the music. There’s no right time. If you disagree with it, you disagree with it. There are so many more important things going on right now anyways. The judicial system is not working right at all. The government isn’t working correctly as a whole. But we can’t change them. To me, those things are a lot worse than curse words on a rap record, but we don’t have the power to change them.

AF: It seems like in most cases, when an artist is in your situation and has to go to jail for a while, they get out and don’t have the same buzz as they did when they went in. Why do you think this situation was so much different for you?

Lil Kim: Well, it was God that kept me going through this whole thing and I think that when the public sees a genuine person, they recognize it and they ride with you until the wheels fall off. And I think that’s what happened with my fans and with most of the public. People respect me and they respect how I handled myself through the whole situation. At the end of the day, I handle mines and I took responsibility for it. I don’t say any names or point any fingers. I handle mines and I think people recognized that more than anything. I’m home now though, and I’m free and blessed and happy. And I’m never trying to go back to jail ever. I would never take that lightly. It’s a serious thing and I’m never trying to go back to jail, but at the same time I’m not trying to walk on eggshells for the rest of my life.

AF: During that whole situation, was it difficult for you having all of those cameras around for the reality show?

Lil Kim: It was sometimes, but to me, it was something that we had already planned to do and once I saw how it was going down, I couldn’t turn back. Sometimes it was cool, but sometimes like you said, it was kind of hard to deal with. But, you used to it as it goes on and I always looked at it as part of my career and part of my life. I didn’t choose to be a superstar, it chose me, so I have to roll with the punches. But for the most part, I was glad because I got to send messages out to people. I remember, in one of the shows, I was just telling everybody to keep God first. And who knows? Maybe I helped somebody out just by saying that.

AF: Is there going to be another season of the show on BET?

Lil Kim: No, we were going to do something with them, but we decided to go with VH1 this time around. I’m sure I’ll be working with BET again soon. I appreciate their support through everything, but I had actually filmed a pilot with VH1 a long time ago and they were gonna put it out before the BET show. But for whatever reason, we just didn’t get a chance to close on that.

AF: So when is this new show coming out?

Lil Kim: We’re hoping to premiere it this summer, but it kind of depends on what happens with the network. We’ve already a filmed a few things though. I recently took a trip to Africa and I did a big show out there. I did a huge concert out there and there were a bunch of cameras with us, so you’ll get to see some of that footage in the show. It was a great experience, you know.

AF: Speaking of VH1, you performed at the Hip Hop Honors in 2006, doing a tribute to MC Lyte with Da Brat and Remy Ma. What was that experience like for you?

Lil Kim: It was almost like a dream, because when I was younger, I always listened to MC Lyte. She was one of my favorite female MCs, if not, my favorite MC. We were from the same place and I had such a connection with MC Lyte. I felt her music deep down in my heart. Don’t get me wrong. I love Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante, Salt N Pepa, and Da Brat and everybody, but MC Lyte was from my hometown and she had it down, so it was like a dream. It was a great experience and when she asked me to do it, I knew I would do a great job, because I used to rhyme like her and sound like her. And a lot of people used to say, when I first came out, that I made them think of her, like a sexier version of MC Lyte.

AF: You’ve been in the game for quite a while now and several times I’ve heard you say that Biggie was your main inspiration. Can you tell me how you all originally met and what the whole atmosphere was like back then?

Lil Kim: Biggie was definitely my main inspiration and we lived on the same block. He just lived a little bit further up the street. And I would always see him and we just met each other one day through a mutual friend. He heard that I knew how to rap, so I rapped for him and he was just flabbergasted. His mouth was hanging open and everything and he was just really impressed and happy that he had found something to match up with the whole picture that he was trying to put out there. You gotta remember that I was still a baby back then. Like, I was still in high school and I was about to graduate when we made that first Junior M.A.F.I.A. record. And it’s so funny, because I was dealing with graduating and trying to figure out if I was gonna be able to go to college or if I was gonna try and do the music thing. It was funny coming out of high school and trying to make all these big decisions, because it just all happened so fast.

AF: It’s weird, because it doesn’t even seem like it’s been over ten years since all of that happened…

Lil Kim: Yeah, it doesn’t and I think, for me, it’s because you don’t really see me that much. All of the stuff that I’ve gone through has kind of helped to keep me preserved in a way. So, now is a time when people are finally going to get the chance to see and know Kim.

AF: Well I have to ask about this too. With this Remy Ma situation, why do you think she even felt the need to take shots at you in the beginning?

Lil Kim: Yeah, well as long as you’re on top, everyone’s gonna come gunnin’ for you, you know. But, at the end of the day, I am on such a higher level than her and it comes to the point where enough is enough. That’s just how it is. I’m gonna hold my ground and I’m gonna respond. I’m on such a higher level though, that there isn’t even any reason to talk about it anymore. You can hear what I said on the diss track. Hit the blogs. Hit the internet. Hit the radio interviews. It’s there. I’m tired of playing these kiddie games and going back and forth on wax and all that. Whatever. I handled it. That’s it. After the one hitter quitter, it’s done, you know what I mean? She needs me to keep responding to her to even get any attention. So it’s like, come on. Go ahead, but I’m doing me. Get outta here.

AF: Alright, so how do you feel about this Grammy nomination you got with Keyshia Cole and Missy Elliot? You think you all have a good chance of winning?

Lil Kim: I’m praying that we win, but it’s just an honor to be nominated. Every one of my albums has been nominated, except for my most recent album, but it’s just an honor and a pleasure to be nominated.

AF: Can you tell us about the clothing line you’ve got coming out as well?

Lil Kim: Yeah, it’s called 24/7 Star Gold Label. Look out for it. We’re putting pieces and samples together now and we’re gonna be in stores real soon. And that’s the most exciting thing that I’m looking forward to doing, because I love fashion and I love designing. I’m gonna be a stylist and an interior decorator.

AF: Alright one last question. Do you have any words of inspiration for the up-and-comers out there?

Lil Kim: All I can say is don’t do it if your heart aint in it.