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), who is known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper. When she was only 17, her first album, VYP (Voice of the Young People) (2008), became a success. It reached number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album had four big singles, including her famous song and dance hit, "Lip Gloss". This song earned her two Teen Choice Awards nominations. She also worked with Avril Lavigne on a remix of the hit single "Girlfriend", which brought her more attention.

Besides music, Lil Mama was a judge on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew for seven seasons, from 2008 to 2012. She worked alongside other judges like JC Chasez and Shane Sparks.

She also became an actress, playing Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. The movie was very popular when it came out in 2013. After the film, Lil Mama joined the group TLC on their tour. She even performed a tribute to Lisa Lopes at the 2013 American Music Awards.

Lil Mama has continued to make music and appear on television. She worked with rapper MC Lyte on the song "Ball" and appeared on the TV show Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. In 2019, she also starred in the movie All In.

Career

2006–2012: First Album and New Music

Lil Mama performing in 2008

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

Lil Mama called her style the "Birth of Hip-Pop" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. She wanted to inspire other artists to mix hip-hop and pop music. One of her songs, "L.I.F.E.", and its music video showed some of the difficult challenges that young people can face.

After her first album, Lil Mama kept working on new songs. She released a single called "Doughboy" and was featured on songs by other artists. She also released other tracks like "On & On & On" and "NY NY LA LA" (featuring Snoop Dogg). For a while, she had a new style with colorful wigs and futuristic outfits.

Lil Mama was featured on Lil Wayne's popular song "A Milli" and performed it with him at his concerts. In 2009, she planned to release a second album, but it was never released because she left her record label, Jive Records. She said she needed to take a break from making music at that time. Because of this, she became an independent artist, meaning she was no longer signed to a major record label.

2013–2017: Acting and Viral Hits

In 2013, Lil Mama showed her acting talent in the VH1 movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. She played Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, a member of the famous group TLC. The movie was a huge success, and fans praised her performance. Because she did such a great job, the other members of TLC, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, asked her to join them on tour. She rapped Lisa Lopes's parts in their songs. They performed together at the 2013 American Music Awards in a special tribute.

In 2015, Lil Mama released a fun song and video called "Sausage". It was inspired by a popular trend on the social media app Vine. The video went viral online, getting over 3 million views in its first week. It even became more popular than songs by major artists like Maroon 5 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart. She performed the song at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards.

After her acting success, Lil Mama appeared on many talk shows and magazine covers. In 2017, she starred in the TV movie When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, which was based on a true story. The movie was very popular and became the #1 original movie premiere for the TV One network.

2018–Present: More Music and TV Shows

In 2018, Lil Mama released a new single called "Shoe Game". She promoted the song on MTV's Total Request Live. That same year, she was a contestant on the TV show The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars.

She also joined the cast of two TV shows. She had a supporting role as Chynna Q on The CW's All American. She also became a main cast member on Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. The show followed her as she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work on a new album with help from rapper Bow Wow.

In 2019, she starred in the movie All In with actress and singer Traci Braxton.

Personal Life

Lil Mama's mother, Tara, passed away on December 15, 2007, after a long illness. Lil Mama dedicated her music video for "Shawty Get Loose" to her mother. Her mother had also appeared in the video for her hit song "Lip Gloss". After her mother's death, Lil Mama helped take care of her younger siblings.

Lil Mama's younger brother, Arnstar, is also a talented rapper and dancer. He was a regular performer on the TV show Wild 'n Out.

Discography

Studio albums

• VYP (Voice of the Young People) (2008)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Asia Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Vibe Awards

See also

In Spanish: Lil Mama para niños