One of the most legendary women in rap history turned 50 yesterday! Click inside to check out a gallery of our favorite photos to celebrate Lil Kim’s special day!

Kimberly Denise Jones was born in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. At the age of nine, Jones’ parents separated. Kim ended up being raised by her father, whom she had a hectic relationship with. She left home and began living on the streets at the age of fourteen, eventually dropping out of high school. During her teenage years, Jones met The Notorious B.I.G. Biggie was instrumental in her personal and artistic journey, especially after gaining notoriety through his relationship with Bad Boy Records and Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs.

In 1994, Biggie ended up forming and mentoring the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and of course Kim was a member. The next year (August 29th of 1995), the group’s debut album Conspiracy debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 69,000 copies in its first week. Kim’s popularity began to increase so much so after the album that it allowed her to start her solo career. By the end of the year, she had began working on what would become her debut album Hard Core. 

While she was working on her album, Kim also made guest performances on R&B albums. Hard Core ended up being released on November 12, 1996. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, the highest debut for a female rap album at that time. Since its release, it has been certified double platinum and has sold more than six million copies worldwide. Throughout her legendary career, Kim has also released four more successful albums (The Notorious K.I.M., La Bella Mafia, The Naked Truth and 9 ) with huge hits to show including ‘No Time,’ ‘Not Tonight (Ladies Night),’ ‘Big Momma Thang,’ ‘Lady Marmalade,’ ‘Magic Stick,’ ‘Lighters Up’ just to name a few. Lil Kim is referred to as one of the best women rappers of all time by a large majority of hip hop fans. She has sold more than 15 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Aside from music, she is considered a fashion icon and is credited for making helping women embrace their sexuality and femininity in a way that was a very different from other female artists at the time. This week and forever, we celebrate the legacy of a true Queen…the Queen Bee! Check out a gallery of some of our favorite photos of one of our all time favorites over the years. Happy 50TH BIRTHDAY LIL KIM!