“My lip gloss is poppin’. My lip gloss is cool.” If those words sparked anything within you, then you already know the impact Lil Mama had circa 2007. Lil Mama, born Niatia Kirkland, blew up as a teenager with songs like the aforementioned “Lip Gloss,” and a remix of Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend.” Armed with Billboard top 10 hits and features from artists like Chris Brown (back when people, you know, actually liked him) and T-Pain, Lil Mama was primed to be the next big thing.
Almost as suddenly as her career began, it ended. Though, as it is with most celebs who seemingly disappear overnight, it’s not that simple.
Lil Mama’s rise
After the success of “Lipgloss,” Lil Mama dropped her second single, “G-Slide (Tour Bus)” off her debut studio album, VYP (Voice of the Young People). The song interpolates the melody of the hit children’s nursery rhyme “The Wheels on the Bus;” to the surprise of no one (except perhaps the label execs who okayed this track), this did not translate into a hit song. The song was a flop and Lil Mama needed another hit to prove she was more than a one-hit wonder.
“Shawty Get Loose” followed, and with Chris Brown and T-Pain on the track and a music video clearly paying homage to Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream,” Lil Mama’s path was corrected. The song charted in the Billboard top 20 and Lil Mama’s star was once again on the rise — until it wasn’t.
What was in the water at the 2009 VMAs?
If you’re reading a piece on niche celebrity happenings, you already know the 2009 VMAs are where Kanye famously interrupted Taylor Swift’s “Best Female Music Video” acceptance speech in defense of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” music video. It may surprise you to hear that wasn’t the only time an artist would interfere with another artist’s moment during the broadcast that year; Lil Mama would crash a stage herself, changing her career trajectory forever.
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed out the night with their chart-topping duet, “Empire State of Mind.” If you’re familiar with the song (and I know you are; it was everywhere!), you know it’s capable of making an entire room of people sing its infectious chorus with abandon. Lil Mama, bless her, was not immune to the song’s charms and before she, and a large audience of her industry peers, knew it, she found herself climbing onto the stage herself.
We’ll never quite know what drove Lil Mama to join industry giants Jay-Z and Alicia Keys onstage that night. Even Lil Mama herself, when interviewed the very next day, chalked it up as an almost religious experience. These were two artists she looked up to, singing about her hometown — how could she not be affected? She almost felt as if they were inviting her (and Beyoncé, she mentions, who is filmed trying to stop Lil Mama from doing this) up there too. She was moved by the music, the moment, the excitement of it all!
Jay-Z, however, was not moved. During the performance, recorded for posterity, he’s visibly surprised by Lil Mama joining him on stage; seasoned pro he is, Jay-Z curtly smiles at Lil Mama as she nods along to the beat at him, his true feelings conveyed only through a quick pat on the “Lip Gloss” songstress’ leg telling her to leave. Lil Mama did not get the message. She remains until the final note of the song, striking a pose alongside Jay-Z and Keys.
This was the first time both Jay-Z and Keys had performed their hit song together. The duo came up in New York City and “Empire State of Mind” was arguably not only an homage to the city they love but an homage to the two artist’s legendary music careers. Rumors flew afterwards that Jay-Z was furious, reportedly screaming at security backstage until Beyoncé calmed him down. He spoke with MTV not too long after, saying Lil Mama’s actions were “outta line.”
The impact on Lil Mama’s career was swift. In an interview with Complex, an anonymous MTV employee shares that she became “persona non grata” with MTV’s music department after the event. Lil Mama confirmed she was essentially blackballed from the music industry, saying people were afraid to work with her for fear of angering Jay-Z or Keys. Ever the optimist, Lil Mama kept on pushing, publicly apologizing whenever she could and continuing to gain back her momentum.
What’s Lil Mama up to now?
Lil Mama stepped away from music for a few years after the VMAS and an unsettling appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2011 where Charlamagne the God made her cry; in true internet fashion, her crying face became a meme. She acted as a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew until the series finale in 2012. She continued to have success with television, portraying Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez in the 2013 film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story alongside Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora. The film’s success led TLC to invite Lil Mama to perform with them several times that year.
In 2015, she released the song, “Sausage.” The song, inspired by a Vine trend, was designed to go viral and viral it went, its relative success allowing Lil Mama to perform at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards and giving her more opportunities. She continues to release music, like 2018’s “Shoe Game,” and act in television films.
Jay-Z and Keys confirmed they’ve forgiven Lil Mama for her stage-hopping. In a 2021 interview with Complex, Keys revealed she didn’t notice Lil Mama joining them on stage, which she shared “kind of scared the shit out of me later when I figured it out.” Understandable. Soon after, Jay-Z confirmed during a Twitter Spaces interview (obtained via Complex) that he held no ill will toward the “Shorty Get Loose” rapper. “That’s our sister. Man, we love her. I wouldn’t recommend people just jumping on other artists’ stages… Yes, she’s forgiven. It’s all love and she was coming from a place of love it’s just… may have been a little too excited.”