Rap legend Lil’ Kim touches down in Sydney flanked by giant security guards
This rap legend just touched down in Oz with all the accessories: Birkin bag, Balenciaga sneakers and several giant security guards to keep fans at bay.
Rap legend Lil’ Kim made a dramatic arrival into Australia on Wednesday night, surrounded by towering security guards as she made her way through Sydney airport.
The hip-hop star, in the country for a brief tour that will see her play gigs in Sydney and Melbourne this weekend, touched down dressed head to toe in designer clothing: a denim jacket and chocolate leggings, oversized “K” earrings, Balenciaga Defender sneakers and a leather Birkin bag.
Footage shot outside the airport terminal shows Lil’ Kim – real name Kimberley Jones – walking while flanked by giant security guards and, beyond them, fans trying to get photos of the rap diva.
The trip marks the first time Lil’ Kim, 51, has visited Australia in more than 15 years.
She’s brought boyfriend Tayy Brown in tow for the whistlestop visit, which will first see her play a headlining show at Carriageworks in Sydney on Friday night as part of the Vivid Festival before heading to Melbourne for another show at Festival Hall the night after.
Both performances will focus on material from Kim’s first two albums: Her 1996 debut The Hardcore, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year,and 2000 follow-up The Notorious K.I.M., releases that each sold over five million copies each worldwide. Both albums earned critical acclaim but also caused a stir thanks to Kim’s X-rated lyrics.
The rapper recently put out a call to her Aussie fans on social media, asking them to name their favourite songs from those two albums: “Help me pick my setlist,” she wrote.
Here in Australia, Lil’ Kim’s music remained more of a cult proposition, with her only local hits coming courtesy of collaborations like the 2001 Lady Marmalade all-star duet for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and, two years later, a feature on Christina Aguilera’s top 10 single Can’t Hold Us Down.
Kim’s Aussie visit comes as another R&B favourite announces an Australian tour for later in the year: Early noughties hit maker Ashanti will headline her own Aussie tour in November.
