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La Bella Mafia is one of the top hip-hop albums of 2003, so far.
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Like a prize fighter coming into her own, Lil' Kim finally realizes her true potential on her third Atlantic effort.
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La Bella Mafia affirms Kim's briefly questionable status as a formidable female presence in a man's world and once again turns the often sexist mindset of rap on its head in the process.
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SpinAs up-to-the-minute as the album sounds, Kim herself remains stuck in the past, eulogizing B.I.G. or strapping on the horny scorn she birthed so long ago. [May 2003, p.110]
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Entertainment WeeklyShe proves her talents don't end with porno come-ons. [28 Mar 2003, p.68]
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Beats-wise, 'La Bella Mafia' is easily the strongest thing she's done, and it seems like Kim has raised her rapping game to match the strength of the music.
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When she really gets her hands dirty, Kim sounds more forceful and engaged than she's been in years.
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Careens from style to style with heedless abandon and uneven results.
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Aside from some cool collaborations with Missy Elliott, Twista and Method Man, Kim spends most of the album lecturing her fans with less-than-stimulating lines.
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Q MagazineCatastrophically, she's given up her trademark fruity sex rhymes, which leaves just mundane braggadocio and an unhealthy obsession with her ex-lover, Notorious BIG. [May 2003, p.109]
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UncutFoul-mouthed, egocentric rhymes and nondescript beats. [Jun 2003, p.91]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 43 out of 51
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Mixed: 2 out of 51
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Negative: 6 out of 51
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Jan 8, 2012
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Nov 12, 2013
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Nov 23, 2017