The Bottom Line
17-year-old Niatia Kirkland, aka Lil' Mama, takes us instantly back to the glory days of the legendary female rap trio JJ Fad. "Lip Gloss" proves that nothing more than human voices and well placed percussive beats are required to make an irresistible summer pop hit. These lyrics, extolling the virtues of high end lip gloss, don't add up to artful poetry, but, in days of concern over profane lyrical content, these words add up to pure fun.
Watch "Lip Gloss" video
Pros
- Stripped down arrangement
- Sassy attitude
- Addictive percussive beats
Cons
- Yep, the lyrics are silly
Description
- Backing music stripped to pounding percussion beats
- Self-confident female MC
- Poppin', catchy chorus
Guide Review - Lil Mama - Lip Gloss
Last year, pint-sized female rapper Lady Sovereign made a serious effort to conquer the US pop charts with the song "Love Me or Hate Me." She garnered significant publicity, but the tune never really did take off. Now, another 5 ft. 2 inch rapper is in the game, and it looks like she is headed toward the top.
While Disney's phenomenon High School Musical set a contemporary standard for squeaky clean teen pop, Lil Mama is introducing us to a more street-friendly, city version. In the accompanying video for the song, Lil Mama thinks it's a magical lip gloss that turns her into one of the hottest girls in school, but it's her mom that points out that it's not the lip gloss, it was inside her all along. In similar fashion, it's not the words here bragging about high class lip gloss that sells the song, it's the sheer exuberance of rapper Lil Mama that carries the day.
Look for Lil Mama's first full-length album Voice of the Young People on Jive Records in September, 2007. For now, enjoy her poppin' "Lip Gloss" and a co-starring turn on a new remix of Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend."
