Niatia Jessica Kirkland as Lil Mama

 

• Lil Mama at MTV
• Lil Mama at the Internet Movie Database

Niatia Jessica Kirkland (born October 4, 1989) professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. She is currently a judge on America's Best Dance Crew. Lil Mama was born in Harlem in 1989. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York where she attended Edward R. Murrow High School. In 2006, Kirkland signed a recording contract with Jive Records. Her mother Tara died on December 15, 2007 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Her father died before she was born. Kirkland faced personal and financial struggles at an early age. As one of eight brothers and sisters, she started to express herself artistically through poetry and dance. Her first studio album VYP (Voice of the Young People) was released in late April 2008. The album spawned four singles: "Lip Gloss", "G-Slide (Tour Bus)", "Shawty Get Loose" and "What It Is (Strike a Pose)". The album sold 19,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200. Since the release of her first album, Lil Mama has been in the studio working on new music. She released the singles "Dough Boy" featuring Mishon, "On & On & On", and "NYNYLALA" featuring Snoop Dogg, all of which failed to chart. She has since released two singles entitled "Scrawberry" and "Hustler Girl" featuring Clyde McKnight. In 2009 she announced the title of her proposed new album as 'Voice Of The Young People: I Am That', although this has not been released. On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Lil Mama (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records brand. 'Voice Of The Young People: I Am That' will have guest appearances including Soulja Boy, Khalil, Vanessa Hudgens, LoLa Monroe, Teyana Taylor, Trina, OMG Girlz, Nas, Chris Brown among others. On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Lil Mama (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records brand. 'Voice Of The Young People: I Am That' will have guest appearances including Soulja Boy, Khalil, Vanessa Hudgens, LoLa Monroe, Teyana Taylor, Trina, OMG Girlz, Nas, Chris Brown among others.