Growing up, Kim never had a close relationship with her father, but she credits her faith with the decision to take him in. “I believe in God, and I also believe in the quote ‘honor thy mother and thy father.' No matter what, I'm always going to be there for my family,” she told OK! Magazine.

While he is still in the early stages of dementia, Kim explained that he is already unable to carry out certain tasks. “He can't really pour juice. He can get dressed, but we have to help him sometimes,” she said.  “Basically we have to help him do almost everything. He can walk around and stuff like that. And again, it's early stages.”

These days the 37-year-old is splitting time between caring for her ailing father and performing around the county, via her Return of the Queen tour ,which wraps up  next month.

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Photo: PopCrush

Basically, Birdman said Lil' Kim is lying through her teeth. Check the video after the break.

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Tonight, Kim will roll into Philadelphia's Club ONYX.

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Photos: Instagram/This Is 50

Besides rocking her own hits, Kimmy Blanco also brought out fellow female rappers Missy Elliott, Pepa and Eve as well as Juelz Santana and Cassidy. Drita Davanzo of Mob Wives was in the spot, too.

But yo, too many people on stage b.

More footage on the next page.

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Photo: Instagram

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According to Kim's rep, CJ Carter, the whole thing is just Banks attempt at trying to get more shine. "The release comes as a surprise to our team, being that my client and Azealia have NEVER spoke to one another or met AT ALL," Carter said in a statement to Hip-Hop Wired. "Kim was actually very flattered [by] Azealia's public admiration for her, which is why it's so hard to understand how someone who claims to be a true Lil Kim fan could flip the script so easily on someone who was supposedly their idol. It is also VERY interesting that NO ONE from her team made any attempts to reach out to anyone from our team to voice any concerns or problems that they may have had.

"Kim knows nothing of any beef, and furthermore has had nothing but nice things to say about her. We don't know what this is and will not address this any further. It seems that this is another sad attempt by someone trying to use my client for publicity. We wish her nothing but the best."

Banks also took the the social networking site, which appears to be her favorite mode of attack, to launch a load of tweets at Kim over an alleged collaboration. "@LilKim all the time it took u to get ur team to issue a press release bout this YOU COULDA WROTE THE VERSE!!!" she wrote. Even though she's upset with the Brooklyn native now, a couple of weeks ago the 20-year-old was singing a different tune, praising Kim for reaching out to her.

Kim is just the most recent target for Banks who has previously gone at Nicki Minaj and Kreayshawn  (simultaneously) and of course, Iggy Azalea. Hopefully she's officially done going back and forth with people on Twitter.

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Photo: Eur Web

Judging by her flow, Brookyln's dopest femcee is fully emerged in a comeback. No word yet on whether or not she'll perform this record on her Return of the Queen tour, but either way, she's serious about her lyricism and is, as she puts it, the "realist b***h up in the industry."

Nicki Minaj better watch her back. Listen to and download "Countin' Money" below.

Download: Lil' Kim "Countin' Money"

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Photo: The Grape Juice

Kim will embark on her Return of the Queen tour next month. The 11-city trek will make stops at intimate venues in cities like Philly, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. No word yet on the set-list but here's hoping it includes her latest, "Keys to the City."

The Queen Bee came to win, female rappers beware.

Return of the Queen Tour Dates

May 11 – Austin, TX – Emo's
May 13 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall
May 18 – Bronx, NY – Paradise Theater
May 19 – Albany, NY – Northern Lights
May 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Club ONYX
May 22 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
May 25 – Markham, IL – Adrianna's Night Club
May 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
June 1 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart's
June 11 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
June 13 – West Hollywood, CA – Key Club

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All. Time.

That is a loaded statement. In the story, Caramanica points to all the female rappers that have followed in Nicki Minaj's wake as evidence of this alleged all time influence. XX chromosome possessing MCs like Iggy Azalea, Brianna Perry, Nitty Scott and Azealia Banks (who surely will disagree), in obvious and subtle ways owe the Harajaku Barbie a debt for their current fortunes.

The problem with this argument most people will readily point to is the fact that, at least early on in her career, Nicki Minaj cribbed much of her style heavily from one Lil' Kim. Even if you don't care to follow that train of thought, many of Minaj's current moves (Pop music dreams, outlandish outfits) have her seeming like a poor woman's Lady Gaga. Yes, Nicki Minaj is becoming her only female Rap (with Pop goals) archetype, but not highlighting were she got a lot of her style from is problematic. The only time Lil' Kim, and Foxy Brown, are mentioned in the Times story is in regards to Brianna Perry (who coincidentally dropped a track called "Marilyn Monroe" before the one found on Minaj's new album):

Flexible in a different way is the Miami rapper Brianna Perry, who recently signed to Atlantic. Ms. Perry most resembles the main earlier model of female rap success, the sex kitten and gangster's moll poses honed by Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown in the mid-1990s. (There's even YouTube footage of Ms. Perry performing at a recent birthday party for Lil' Kim in Miami.)

Also going without mention in the story is Lauryn Hill, a major inspiration on any and all MCs, regardless of gender, who Nicki has sighted as a muse multiple times; most recently in an interview with Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex. Also, at least a handful of these all time great rapping ladies should have a legit beef, too.

While there is no question Nicki Minaj is one of the Hip-Hop game's most influential artists, saying she is the most influential female artist of all time is a reach. Especially days before her sophomore album has even been released.

Spotted at: Black Book

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Photo: Complex