Lil Mama is the stage name of Niatia Jessica Kirkland. She was born on October 4, 1989 in Harlem, New York. She was the youngest of seven siblings and later raised in Brooklyn, New York. Joining her father’s label, she traveled to Atlanta in 2006 to work exclusively with producer James "Groove" Chambers, who helped construct the "Lip Gloss" single. After Lil Mama did some impressive maneuvering to get her music heard, New York’s flagship hip-hop/R&B station Hot 97 began playing the single constantly. She then started her proffessional career when she was nineteen years old releasing her debut album, VYP (Voice of the Young People). It hit the stores on April 29,2008 and debuted at number 25 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 19,000 copies in its first week. Its first single was "Lip Gloss". Its second single was "G-Slide (Tour Bus)". The third single, "Shawty Get Loose" features Chris Brown and T-Pain. Tara Kirkland, Lil’ Mama’s mother, died on December 15, 2007 after a four-year battle with cancer. Lil Mama received the news while on tour and had to rush back home. The music video of "Shawty Get Loose" was dedicated to her memory.
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