Lil Mama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lil Mama
Lil Mama in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Niatia Jessica Kirkland
Born	(1989-10-04) October 4, 1989 (age 35) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter dancer actress
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Jive RCA Zomba

Niatia Jessica Kirkland (born October 4, 1989), known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. She became famous at 17 with her first album, VYP (Voice of the Young People) (2008). This album featured her popular song "Lip Gloss". This song was a dance anthem and earned her two Teen Choice Awards.

Lil Mama also gained attention for working with Avril Lavigne on a remix of the song "Girlfriend". She then took a break from music. For seven seasons, she was a judge on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. She worked on the show from 2008 to 2012.

In 2013, Lil Mama played Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. This movie was very popular. After the film's success, she joined the group TLC on their tour. She even performed a tribute to Lisa Lopes at the 2013 American Music Awards.

She later returned to music, making new songs with rapper MC Lyte. Lil Mama also appeared on TV shows like Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. In 2019, she starred in the movie All In.

Lil Mama's Music Journey

Early Success: VYP (Voice of the Young People) (2006–2012)

Lil Mama performing in 2008

Lil Mama at the Black Girls Rock! and Soul Tour in New York City, 2011

Lil Mama was known as the "Voice of the Young People." She connected with her young fans through her music and videos. She also became known as the "Queen of Hip-Pop." This was because she mixed rap with pop music, especially after working with Avril Lavigne.

She even called herself the "Birth of Hip-Pop" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Lil Mama wanted to inspire other artists to combine hip-hop and pop. Her song "L.I.F.E." showed a more serious side of challenges young people face. This helped adults see her as a serious rapper too.

After her first album, Lil Mama kept making new music. She released songs like "Doughboy" and "On & On & On." She also worked with other artists, including Snoop Dogg on "NY NY LA LA." Some of her songs were released online but later removed.

Her song "... Girl" earned a lot of money. She also worked with Prince Malik on "Billionaire," which was also very successful. Lil Mama was even featured on Lil Wayne's song "A Milli." She performed it with him at his concerts.

In 2009, she planned a second album called Voice of the Young People: I Am That. However, she decided to take a break from music. This meant the album was never released. She later became an independent artist, releasing some of her songs directly to fans online.

Judging America's Best Dance Crew (2008–2012)

From 2008 to 2012, Lil Mama was a judge on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. She was only 18 when she started this role. She judged for seven seasons, working with producer Randy Jackson and other judges. The show ended in 2012.

Acting and Music Comeback (2013–2017)

In October 2013, Lil Mama starred as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. This was her first big acting role. The movie was a huge hit, with millions of viewers. Fans praised her performance as Left Eye.

Because of the movie's success, Lil Mama joined the group TLC on their tour. She performed Left Eye's rap verses. Her time with TLC ended after they performed at the 2013 American Music Awards. They dedicated the song "Waterfalls" to Left Eye. After this, Lil Mama went back to making her own music.

In 2014, she was featured on MC Lyte's song "Ball." She appeared in the music video and performed the song live.

In May 2015, Lil Mama released a video for her song "Sausage." The song was inspired by a popular trend on Vine. The video quickly became very popular online. It even topped the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks charts. She performed "Sausage" live at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards. The song was only available on her SoundCloud and website due to copyright issues.

The next year, she released "Memes." This song was a response to funny pictures made about her after an interview. She also released a mixtape called Take Me Back, which included "Sausage" and "Memes." It also had a cover of Rihanna's "Work."

Lil Mama started appearing on red carpets, award shows, and TV again. In 2016, she was on Hip Hop Squares. She also gave a tribute to Lil' Kim at VH1's Hip Hop Honors.

In 2017, Lil Mama returned to acting. She starred in the TV movie When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story. This movie was based on a true story and was very successful for TV One.

New Music and TV Roles (2018–Present)

In 2018, Lil Mama was a contestant on MTV's The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars. She later worked with Drake Bell on his song "Call Me When You're Lonely."

On May 3, 2018, she released a new song called "Shoe Game." A music video for the song followed later that month. She promoted the song on Total Request Live, saying it would lead to a new album.

In September 2018, Lil Mama was a presenter at the Black Girls Rock! special. She also joined the cast of The CW's TV show All American.

In October 2018, she announced she would be a regular on Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work on her upcoming album. Bow Wow is helping her produce it. She also started taking singing lessons from R&B singer Kelly Price.

In November 2018, Lil Mama appeared on All American as her character, Chynna Q, a new hip hop artist. In June 2019, she starred in the film All In.

Lil Mama's Personal Life

Lil Mama's mother, Tara, passed away on December 15, 2007. She had been battling breast cancer for four years. Lil Mama dedicated her music video for "Shawty Get Loose" to her mother. Her mother also appeared in the beginning and end of the "Lip Gloss" music video.

After her mother's death, Lil Mama helped care for her younger siblings. She spoke about how close she was to her mother. Her mother relied on her to help raise the younger children.

Lil Mama is the older sister of rapper and dancer Arnstar. He was a regular on MTV's Wild 'n Out. She is also a dancer in the New York City street dancing group W.A.F.F.L.E. This dance crew became famous after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Images for kids

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  Lil Mama in 2018

Awards and Nominations

Lil Mama has received several awards and nominations for her music and performances.

BET Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Asia Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Vibe Awards

See also

In Spanish: Lil Mama para niños