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Is It Ever A Good 'Time' For Lil Kim To Sing?
There was so much that made sense during this past weekend's 91st birthday tribute to Nelson Mandela at New York's Radio City Music Hall. So many artists came out to show their support for Mandela's 46664 effort. It was inspiring and uplifting. Artists combined their talents for duets that captivated the crowd. Aretha Franklin and Josh Groban were flawless. Angelique Kidjo and Alicia Keys were melodic. And then, there was a pairing that didn't seem to make much sense even when it was announced: Cyndi Lauper and Lil Kim. I couldn't imagine what they would perform together, outside of a ramped-up version of a Lauper song that would allow Kim to insert her 16 bars. Um, no. Instead, the pair took on Lauper's Grammy-winning hit "Time After Time." And they both sang. Yes, you read that right. Lil. Kim. Sang. A cute twist was Lauper spouting a few lines from Kim's "Lighters Up," but to me, this is one of those instances where they get an "E" for effort, or "NT" for nice try.
Tags: 46664, alicia keys, angelique kidjo, aretha franklin, cyndi lauper, josh groban, lil kim, nelson mandela
Comments
You know what I'm tired of? Artists who think that because they have an audience already who knows them that this alone gives them license to parade their poor attempt at a hobby on an unsuspecting public.
Oy. Vey.
I don't know what's worse: Kim looking THIS far from LaToya Jackson or her tinny, warbling voice. In either case, this was a total farce of epic proportions.
ill Mami | July 20, 2009 6:46 PM | PermalinkI had to cut this off after a couple of minutes lest my side eye completely explode into a cazillion pieces. They sound worse than Wicky Houston in that infamous overseas rendition of "I'll Always Love You" and Mariah at the MJ memorial.
It gets an F for FAIL FAIL FAIL.
Vivrant Thang | July 20, 2009 5:07 PM | PermalinkLil Kim sounds very nervous--like her voice was shaking. Had that not happened, I think it would've been okay. Her voice isn't bad. She just sounds out of her element.
KeepItReal | July 20, 2009 5:05 PM | PermalinkThat was actually pretty good! Kim has a decent little voice and Cyndi's passion came through in her verse or two rapping. I really think if people view this performance w/o prejudice, they would see it for what it really was, a musical experiment that primarily succeeded.
langston | July 20, 2009 3:53 PM | PermalinkI was wondering if Mandela had an affinity for silicone as to the reasoning for Lil Kim being at his b-day bash.
Soulrific | July 20, 2009 2:24 PM | PermalinkTHAT WAS HORRIBLE!!!
June | July 20, 2009 11:40 AM | PermalinkThank you for posting this. I literally caught the tail end of CNN's segment about this yesterday, and spent the rest of the day wondering what Cyndi and Lil' Kim were doing up there. And all I can do is sigh. I wish the mainstream music industry folks who put together shows like these can recognize the contemporary Black female talent that's out there. A. Keys is great, but she ain't the only thoughtful sista who can sing! A quick perusal of this website is proof of that. Until then, we'll have to do with Lil' Kim singing with Cyndi Lauper. On second thought, that won't do. I'll be blasting Janelle Monae for the rest of the day and wondering what it would have been like if she (or someone with her level of talent--besides A. Keys!) were there instead.
Sunset | July 20, 2009 11:20 AM | Permalink