9 (Lil' Kim album)
9 is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on October 11, 2019, through Queen Bee Entertainment and eOne.[1] The single "Go Awff" was released on February 15, 2019. During the taping of VH1's Girls Cruise reunion episode, Kim confirmed her intention to release the second volume of 9 in 2020.[2]
9 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 11, 2019 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 30:59 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Lil' Kim chronology | ||||
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Singles from 9 | ||||
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Background
On March 23, 2019, Lil' Kim announced that the album would be released on May 17, 2019.[3] The rapper described the meaning behind her fifth album in an interview with BET on the red carpet at the 2019 BET Awards: "It's a spiritual awakening number for me. Also, when I started out in Junior M.A.F.I.A. it was 9 members, my daughter was born June 9th, Biggie died March 9th, it is 2019. It's a powerful number for me. (...) I'm very spiritual and one day God was talking to me and I was like '7 is my favorite number' and He was like 'yes but 9 is your favored number' and I said thank you Jesus, I love you. I'm going with 9."[4] In April, she announced that the label eOne had decided to push back the release of the album[5] which was then expected to premiere in July 2019 to coincide with Kim's reality show Girls Cruise.[6]
Promotion
The 2018 song "Nasty One", previously slated as the album's first single, eventually was not included in the track list. "Go Awff", released in February 2019,[7] instead became the lead single, with a music video released in March.[8] In April, the rapper released a promotional single "No Auto Blanco" exclusively for streaming on SoundCloud.[9] It was followed by the second official single "Found You" featuring O.T. Genasis and City Girls in September 2019. On October 3, Lil' Kim released the third single, "Pray for Me", featuring Rick Ross and Musiq Soulchild, and confirmed October 11 as the final release date of the album.[10] Although originally reported as consisting of 13 tracks,[9] the album eventually featured only nine songs. The previously confirmed song "Missing" was left off the album.[11]
Lil' Kim has confirmed that the second part of 9 will be released at a later date and that it will feature a song with Missy Elliott and Paris Hilton[12] as well as collaborations with Remy Ma, Fabolous, both of whom she has collaborated with in the past, on "Wake Me Up" and "Spicy", respectively and comedian Pretty Vee who featured on Girls Cruise.[13] The first part of 9 was released as a deluxe edition to CD which featured “Nasty One (Remix)” as a bonus track. “Spicy” was released as a bonus track on the vinyl release of the album. [14]
Critical reception
The album was on NPR's "best new albums of the week" at the time of its release,[15] and was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics.[16][17][18] Jordan Bassett of NME rated the album 3 out of 5 stars and described it as "lewd, contrarian and confrontational – all the qualities that make Kim an icon".[19]
Commercial performance
9 did not make an impact on the US Billboard 200 or any other national chart which incorporates streaming figures, but it reached number 7 on Billboard's hip-hop album sales chart and number 47 on Billboard's overall album sales chart, and entered sales-only charts in the UK and France.[20][21]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pray for Me" (feat. Rick Ross and Musiq Soulchild) |
| Xtassy | 4:51 |
2. | "Bag" | Jones | Mark Henry | 3:47 |
3. | "Catch My Wave" (feat. Rich the Kid) | Jones | Smash Davis | 3:49 |
4. | "Go Awff" | Jones | Soundwave | 3:12 |
5. | "Too Bad" | Jones | Orlando The Great | 3:39 |
6. | "You Are Not Alone" |
| Grandz Muzik, Buda, Rondon | 2:45 |
7. | "Found You" (feat. O.T. Genasis, City Girls) |
| Jonny Cash | 3:32 |
8. | "Auto Blanco" | Jones | Jungle Boy Beats, DJ Mil-Ticket | 2:10 |
9. | "Jet Fuel" | Jones | 808 Mafia, AB on the Beat, Will Major | 3:14 |
Total length: | 30:59 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
10. | "Nasty One (Remix)" (feat. Stefflon Don, Kranium and HoodCelebrityy) |
| Bkorn | 4:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "Spicy" (feat. Fabolous) |
| 3:26 |
Sample credits
- "Go Awff" contains a sample of "Dangerous" by the xx.
- "You Are Not Alone" contains an interpolation of "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson.
- "Found You" contains a sample of "Ms. New Booty" by Bubba Sparxxx and Ying Yang Twins.
- "Auto Blanco" contains a sample of "No Auto Durk" by Lil Durk.
- "Spicy" contains a sample of "Hot Stepper" by Ini Kamoze.
Charts
Chart (2019) | Peak position |
---|---|
French Digital Albums (SNEP)[23] | 22 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[24] | 70 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[25] | 22 |
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[26] | 13 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] | 16 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales (Billboard)[28] | 7 |
US Rap Album Sales (Billboard)[29] | 5 |
References
- "Lil' Kim announces new album 9 out in May". The Fader. March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- "Lil Kim's "9" Has a Sequel Album That Will Be Released "Really Soon"". HotNewHipHop. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Reveals Release Date for New Album 'Nine'". Source. March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- "Lil Kim says new album '9' is a spiritual awakening: 'That number is very powerful for me'". The Grio. July 16, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- Daryl Nelson (April 23, 2019). "Lil' Kim Blasts Label For Holding Back Album, Also Has Words For Spotify: 'I Am Beyond Upset'". atlantablackstar.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- Tai Gooden (July 15, 2019). "Lil Kim's New Album '9' Will Be Released In July Alongside Her New Reality TV Show". Bustle. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- "Go Awff - Single by Lil' Kim on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim - Go Awff (Official Video) - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Delays '9' Album Release". Rap-Up. April 23, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- Mitch Findlay (October 3, 2019). "Lil Kim Links With Rick Ross On "Pray For Me"". www.hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- Kathy Iandoli (July 11, 2018). "Lil' Kim Debuts New Track, 'Nasty One,' Talks Early Censorship & Everlasting Legacy". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Talks Her New, Highly-Anticipated Album, "9"". www.youtube.com. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim - talks Beyoncé, Drake, New Album, City Girls and more". www.youtube.com. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim - 9 (Deluxe Edition)". Amazon. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- "New Music Friday: Our Top 6 Albums Out Oct. 11". NPR.org. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- Edward Bowser (October 11, 2019). "Album Review: Lil Kim, 9". www.soulinstereo.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- Kyle Denis (October 11, 2019). "Album Review: Lil' Kim, '9'". blackboybulletin.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- Tonie Chase (October 21, 2019). "Lil' Kim Explores New Sound on Long-Awaited '9'". bcheights.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- Jordan Bassett (October 16, 2019). "Lil Kim – '9' review". www.nme.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: Top Album Sales". www.billboard.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: Top Current Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "9 (Deluxe) by Lil' Kim on Discogs". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Téléchargés (Semaine du 18 Octobre)" (in French). www.snepmusique.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 (18 October 2019 - 24 October 2019)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40 (18 October 2019 - 24 October 2019)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: Digital Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Lil' Kim Chart History: Rap Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2019.