Lil Mama

Lil Mama is a female Rapper from Brooklyn, New York whose first single "Lip Gloss" became a radio and video phenomenon in the summer of 2007. The upbeat single was nominated for Monster Single of the Year as the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Her debut album VYP: Voice of the Young People was released in April of 2008.

• "I started recording my own songs over original beats, coming up with ideas and letting my imagination really come through my music, My father really helped me develop as an artist. He basically built me around knowing how to express myself. There's different lanes I take you through with my music. People might think, 'Am I normal for thinking that way?' I'm just letting you know I think that way too"

• "Everybody's talking about the same things on the radio - murder, sex and drugs," says Mama. "They have people behind them telling them it's cool and I disagree. There are so many more people struggling and going through so much and to hear somebody brag about the jewelry and stuff like that, it's overrated."