Shocking Transformation: Lil’ Kim Looks Unrecognizable In Jaw-Dropping Photos
Feb. 14 2019, Updated 1:34 p.m. ET
Lil’ Kim has had undergone some big changes since she broke onto the scene in the mid 90’s. The Grammy winning rapper, 44, looked almost completely unrecognizable during New York Fashion Week.
On Tuesday, February 12, the singer performed during The Blonds Fall/Winter 2019 runway show at Spring Studios. She rocked dramatically different hair, skin tone and face shape from the original Kim fans all know and love. Check out the evolution of Lil Kim’s appearance in this RadarOnline.com gallery!
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Kimberly Jones first gained widespread fame in the 1999 Teen romantic comedy She’s All That.
In 1998, the “Crush on You” rapper attended a Dolce & Gabbana store opening in New York with curly blonde hair and a statement headpiece.
By 1999, the rapper exposed her breast and rocked purple strands with her risqué, now-iconic outfit at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.
A year later at the MTV Video Music Awards, she had dark curly locks with blonde streaks throughout.
Kim sported black hair and not much makeup in 2002.
Two years later came one of her biggest transformations, as the rapper looked drastically different with red hair at a photo shoot in New York City.
By 2009, her addiction to plastic surgery was taking over. She showed up for a birthday celebration looking noticeably thinner.
Back to golden blonde in 2012. Her face was growing noticeably lighter as well.
In a 2000 interview with People, Kim defended her changing appearance, saying, “All my life men have told me I wasn’t pretty enough — even the men I was dating... It’s always been men putting me down just like my dad. To this day when someone says I’m cute, I can’t see it. I don’t see it no matter what anybody says.”
Lil’ Kim admits she has always suffered from low self-esteem.
“Guys always cheated on me with women who were European-looking,” she remembered. “You know, the long-hair type. Really beautiful women that left me thinking, ‘How I can I compete with that?’ Being a regular black girl wasn’t good enough.”
By 2016, Kim looked completely unrecognizable with blonde hair.
After that, she dropped out of the spotlight for a bit, recovering from money issues and spending time with daughter Royal Reign, born in 2014.
In a 2005 radio interview, Kim revealed she went under the knife after an abusive boyfriend broke her nose and insisted that she was unfazed about the concern over her changing looks.
“It don't bother me because I'm beautiful. I love myself,” she exclaimed. “There's certain things that I think I was obsessive with that I think I'll always have time to fix, or whatever."
What do you think of Lil’ Kim’s look? Let us know in the comments section.
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