Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Junior Masters at Finding Intelligent Attitudes, or Junior M.A.F.I.A., were able to grab instant notoriety with two hit singles, “Get Money” and “Player’s Anthem,” thanks to their childhood crony and producer, the Notorious B.I.G. Their gold-certified debut album, Conspiracy (Undeas/Big Beat), was also released on Biggie’s Undeas label in 1995. Hailing from Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY, the group was comprised of four separate acts: the 6s (Little Caesar, Chico, and Nino Brown), the Snakes (cousins Larceny and Trife), MC Klepto, and 47 MC Little Kim. Their rhymes mostly conveyed scenarios involving guns, money, and sex. The single “Get Money” was popular enough to help one of the group’s members start a solo career. Lil' Kim, “the lieutenant” of Junior M.A.F.I.A., presented her own agenda and promiscuous persona, which some public figures protested, but fans concentrated on her skills as a rap artist. Her album Hard Core was released in 1996 and featured the hit singles “Crush on You,” “Queen B@#$H,” and “No Time” (which became a number one rap single). Biggie, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Little Caesar contributed to the album as well. Soon after, Kim’s popularity paved the way for guest raps on songs by artists such as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Mary J. Blige, and Sean "Puffy" Combs and appearances on the movie soundtracks Money Talks and High School High. ~ Lynda Lane