Lil’ Kim Fires Back at EBONY Magazine Over Controversial Cover: ‘It’s the Sabotage for Me
3 min read
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It was intended to be a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary and an honor for the femcee, but it backfired, with Lil Kim dissatisfied with the cover photo. Lil Kim claims she did not approve of the changes made on her excessively photoshopped Ebony Magazine cover & is suing the publication after fans criticised her significantly altered appearance. She clarified her position on Instagram Stories with a photograph of the magazine cover. “Who is he? “Because that’s not the photo I approved or any of the other content they’ve released,” Lil Kim wrote on Tuesday (September 19). “I frequently advised Ebony that it seemed like a painting, yet they wouldn’t listen.” They said they liked it. For me, it’s sabotage.
The amusing part is that this is THEIR retoucher!” Keith Major, the magazine’s photographic director, disagreed. He reacted to fans who slammed Ebony Magazine in the comments section for altering the image. “Man, she wanted to be the one who was in charge of the retouching, so that’s the result we’ve got,” he explained. Lil Kim also posted a post from @rayeesuh, an Instagram user who bills herself as a “social media manager to the stars.” The reply appeared to be in response to Major’s accusations, supporting the rapper’s allegations that she was not involved for the retouching. The legendary magazine released numerous covers for their Hip-Hop 50 commemorative issue on Monday, featuring Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Swizz Beatz, Rick Ross, and Lil Kim.
Lil Kim Fires Back At Her Own Ebony Magazine Cover After Receiving Criticism From Fans
What was planned to be a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary and an honor for Lil’ Kim has backfired, with the femcee criticising Ebony magazine. “Who is this? “Because that’s not the picture that I approved or any other stuff they’ve put out,” the rapper adds in her Instagram Stories beside a photo of the magazine’s cover. “I always told Ebony that it appeared like a painting, but they wouldn’t listen.” They stated they enjoyed it. For me, it’s sabotage. The amusing part is that this is THEIR retoucher!” ” Kim’s Instagram Stories also included posts from people who agreed with her. @rayeesuh, who advertises herself as a “social media manager to the stars,” mentions “photo director” Keith Major in a post. “How about we talk about how your photographs’ exposure was so poor that we were unable to even salvage them?” she writes. “At the end of the day, the photo was edited by EBONY’s retouchers…” Lil’ Kim praised @reyeesuh in the message, adding, “Talk that real sh–!” Lil’ Kim also criticises Ebony for the incorrect magazine cover in another post.
Lil' Kim responds to EBONY photography director after he accused her of being ‘in control’ of heavily edited magazine cover:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 20, 2023
“I always told Ebony it looked like a painting but they didn't wanna listen. They said they loved it. It's the sabotage for me.” pic.twitter.com/oN0SqRcGqF
The cover photo, as well as video footage from the photo shoot, was uploaded on Ebony’s official Instagram account. Lil Kim is only a handful of the hip-hop icons commemorated on the magazine’s 50 Years of Hip-hop covers. 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, and Rick Ross are among the others. Lil Kim is used to being scrutinised. In her long and illustrious career, the Brooklyn native has lived many lives, which she will shortly recount in her new memoir. Kim shared a photo of a manuscript for her upcoming memoir The Queen Bee in late July, revealing that it had finally been turned in to the publisher. The Queen Bee will be launched in September 2025, according to a press announcement from the publisher, Hachette Books. Longtime music writer Kathy Iandoli co-wrote the book, which includes a foreword by Marc Jacobs. The book will detail “her challenging high-profile relationships, the misogynistic industry she struggled to change by means of sex positivity, the difficult double standards of self-image as well as beauty in the spotlight, along with the significant act of loyalty that eventually landed her in prison,” according to a press release.
