There are a lot of great things that come from the Planet Brooklyn; Michael Jordan, Notorious B.I.G., Spike Lee, Jay-Z and possibly… Niatia Kirkland. The 17 year-old rhyme maven appropriately billed as Lil’ Mama is coming for the throne. Far from a kiddie-MC, the former Edward R. Murrow High School student recently inked a deal with Jive Records. Her single, “Lip Gloss” is rising up the charts.

With a video and spins translating into buzz across the country, Ms. Kirkland is set to be propelled into the stratosphere with some of her elite peers. The catchy, kid-friendly song showcases the young starlet’s talents: rapping, singing and dancing. Graciously, she sits down with HHDX as she talks about her influences growing up, how life has changed for her and her plans for the future.

HHDX: So, what makes your lip gloss so… poppin’…?
LM: [Laughs] Because I’m wearing it! But, no… really, it’s just basically very pretty. All the ladies wear it. It’s glamorous. Mines is very sparkly… very pretty. I think mines just outshines the ordinary types.

HHDX: Your song runs tough in New York and the video is getting burn nationwide. What has changed in your life since people are now becoming familiar with you?
LM: Well, the one thing that I have become aware of is that people are starting to notice me more. I was walking down the street one time and there were people who were just screaming out my name… just to see if it was me. It kind of had me shocked. They’d be in shock, too. I am also traveling more and more. I’m performing in more places. One of my best performances was in New York. It was before I really got on and was noticed. It wasn’t even a rap show. It was a dance competition and those were the times where I had more fun. I really do have more fun dancing, performing my songs fully, by entertaining, not just rapping.

HHDX: Being that you’re 16 and came up in an era where there weren’t really any female MC’s poppin’ off – who were your rhyming influences growing up?
LM: Well, I’m 17 now and growing up I would look up to MC’s like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, MC Lyte, of course, Eve and Jay-Z just to name a few.

HHDX: A lot of older rap fans say that the young ones don’t know about hip-hop/rap music before ‘Pac. What are your thoughts about that?
LM: Personally, I’ll let them just believe whatever it is that they choose to believe and I’ll just continue to prove all my doubters wrong. Continued on page 2 »