Lil Kim just dropped her new album on 10/11/19. The trailblazing rapper's fifth album isn't an essential listen, exactly, but it is a timely reminder of the qualities that make her such an influential and endearing star. Lil Kim hasn’t always got her due. When she first broke through with her 1996 masterpiece ‘Hard Core’, some critics assumed that the album was ghostwritten by her mentor Notorious B.I.G. (she refuted the claim in a recent interview). For years, discussion about her music was sidelined as focus fell instead on her feuds and stints on reality TV, such as Dancing With The Stars.

"You Are Not Alone’ is the most quintessential Kim track on Lil Kim's new album "9". It does feature trap sounds and a wise Michael Jackson reference (“You are not alone / I am here with you,” she croons to the tune of MJ’s 1995 hit of the same name). She sounds badass and big-hearted, shouting out the late great Notorious B.I.G, as she always has: “I’m always there like your shadow / Haters taking shots but they ain’t got enough ammo… What BiG started, I’m about to finish.” Brooding and underpinned by an undulating Spanish guitar refrain, it’s a reminder of how well she can do reflective material.

Check out the video speech at the BET Hip Hop Awars where Lil Kim thanks her daughter, family, the late great Notorious B.I.G. and more for supporting her through her journey in becoming an icon!: