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Lil' Kim revealed her latest transformation via Instagram Sunday night — a move that has even her longtime fans and supporters asking, "Wait, who dis?"
The rapper and hip-hop fashion extraordinaire posted a photo collage of selfies that showcased her new blonde hair and significantly lighter complexion with a caption that simply read, "Miami heat."
Commenters on Twitter immediately noted the recent changes in her appearance, some going so far as to call her a "white girl," while others took a virtual stroll down memory lane with photos of Kim (pre-plastic surgery) in the '90s.
Why is Lil Kim white now
— made in jamaica. (@QueenOfTheRasta) April 24, 2016
Lil Kim then, Lil Kim now pic.twitter.com/FAa7UeyWnV
— HIP HOP FACTS (@DailyRapFacts) April 25, 2016
Lil Kim is not Lil Kim anymore. I don't know who that is but that ain't Lil Kim. This is Lil Kim: pic.twitter.com/LTU8ZRLAmb
— Morgan Jerkins (@MorganJerkins) April 25, 2016
Lil Kim's self-hatred makes me sad. Attacking her is wrong because she's already broken inside #400YearsOfColorism pic.twitter.com/1zbUGtiWB5
— Shashana (@1978BABY) April 25, 2016
Dark skinned Lil Kim was perfection... I don't know who this women is anymore pic.twitter.com/pwaJbHFYAf
— Gavin J (@GavinJ4Kim) April 24, 2016
This transformation hasn't happened over night, though. The rapper has spent the last 15 years tweaking her look — lightening her skin and redefining her facial features. But what people fail to realize is that her gradual changes throughout the years stem from something much deeper.
In a 2000 interview with Newsweek, Kim spoke avidly about the physical insecurities she had while growing up. After her parents divorced when she was eight, she suffered severe emotional abuse from her father. "It was like I could do nothing right. Everything about me was wrong — my hair, my clothes, just me," said Kim.
Later, these problems would manifest throughout her love life as well — the most notable being her relationship with the late rapper the Notorious B.I.G. "All my life men have told me I wasn't pretty enough — even the men I was dating. And I'd be like, 'Well, why are you with me, then?' It's always been men putting me down just like my dad. To this day when someone says I'm cute, I can't see it. I don't see it no matter what anybody says," said Kim.
Just in case you think she's ashamed of her new look or is delusional about how much her appearance has changed, the rapper hopped back on the 'Gram three hours after her initial post with another photo collage — this one a throwback to her old self, saying: "I was gonna post this pic for #SuckADickSaturday !! but #SuckADickSunday !! will have to do!"