JULY 13 - JULY 19,2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
23
RAP CULTURE
Lil' Kim doing a lil' time
Mary Altaffer/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, center, is helped into Manhattan federal court by security, July 6, in New York. Grammy-award winning rapper Lil' Kim was sentenced July 6 to a year and a day in prison and fined $50,000 for lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends involved in a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station.
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NEW YORK — Rapper Lil' Kim's raunchy lyrics and revealing outfits helped her become one of hardcore rap's first female stars. Now she's poised to break another barrier: becoming the first big-name female rapper to go to prison.
The Grammy winner was sentenced July 6 to one year and one day for perjury and conspiracy — a term far less than the three years and seven months sought by prosecutors.
Kim escaped a stiffer sentence after telling a judge she was a "God-fearing good person" who regretted lying to a federal grand jury about a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station.
U. S. District Judge Gerard Lynch said he had weighed the idea of sending a young black entertainer to prison far longer than Martha Stewart, who spent five months behind bars after a false statements conviction.
Lynch suggested Lil' Kim — her real name is Kimberly Jones — deserved more time because she had lied about a violent crime, not a white-collar scheme. He also noted that unlike Stewart, she took the witness stand at her trial earlier this year and repeated her lies.
"You sat right next to me there and stared in the eyes of the jurors, and you tried to charm them and you tried to fake them out," Lynch said.
But the judge also credited Lil' Kim with returning to court July 6 and admitting she had lied all along to protect members of her entourage.
"At the time I thought it was the right thing to do, but I now know it was wrong," she said, her voice breaking.
Lil' Kim said she wanted to "take complete blame" for the actions of her assistant, Monique Dopwell, who's awaiting sentencing for the same crimes.
She also asked the judge "to consider my entire life's work and not just the days in the grand jury and on the witness stand in the courtroom. I'm a God-fearing, good person."
The artist, who turns 30 next week, was the sidekick and mistress of the late Notorious B.I.G.
Lil' Kim, who was ordered to report to prison Sept. 19, left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
As a solo artist, she has become known for her revealing outfits and suggestive lyrics. She won a Grammy in 2001 for her part in the hit remake of "Lady Marmalade."
Lil' Kim's group confronted the others about the Capone-N-Noreaga song "Bang, Bang," which contained an insult to Lil' Kim from rival Foxy Brown. One man was
The case stemmed from a gun battle that erupted outside WQHT-FM, known as Hot 97, when Lil' Kim's entourage crossed paths with a rival rap group, Capone-N-Noreaga.
hurt in the shootout that followed.
Before the grand jury and at the trial, the rapper claimed she did not notice two of her close friends at the scene of the shootout — her manager, Damion Butler, and Suif Jackson. Both have pleaded guilty to gun charges.
Jurors at Lil' Kim's trial saw radio station security photos that depicted Butler opening a door for the rap star, and two witnesses who once made records with Lil' Kim said they saw her at the station with Butler and Jackson.
Celebrities set to tee off this weekend
STATELINE, Nev. — They dream of striking the ball like Tiger Woods, but they'll settle for an occasional birdie and some luck at the blackjack tables.
"My No. 1 goal is to win money in the casino," Charles Barkley said before the 16th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe. "My No. 2 goal is not hit anybody."
The former NBA star is among dozens of athletes and celebrities who will play in the $500,000 tournament that runs July 15 through July 17 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Former NHL player Dan Quinn is the favorite to win his third straight celebrity championship. A 500-to-1 long shot, Barkley finds some comfort that Chris Webber of the Philadelphia 76ers is in the field again.
"Thank God C. Web is going to be there. If I can't beat C. Web, I really have to give this game up," Barkley said. "That guy shot 130 (last year) and we gave him like 50 shots."
The Associated Press
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