Lil' Kim: it's a big moment for hip-hop's most diminutive powerhouse. Marc Jacobs, her favorite designer, unzips the lady they call "the queen bee"

MARC JACOBS: Hello, my dear! How are you?

LIL' KIM: Hi, I'm fine. I miss you!

MJ: I miss you too! [Kim giggles] I'm back in Paris after traveling a bit.

LK: How are my doggies?

MJ: They're good--they're away in the country, but they're coming home tomorrow.

LK: Give them hugs and kisses.

MJ: You can be sure of that.

LK: Wait a minute--does my baby have a cold?

MJ: Yeah, I do. I went to Art Basel in Switzerland, and every place was air-conditioned, and it was raining. So I was wet and then cold, and I got congestion. And then I flew to London, which didn't make the situation better. But listen, we've got lots of stuff to talk about. [laughs] First of all, because this is for Interview's music issue, tell me about the new album you're working on.

LK: I have a lot of support from my fans, and I just want to give them something back, so I'm working hard on this album, and I love the way it's turning out. This is going to be one of my classic albums. I'm just excited about it. I don't know how it's going to be received, but you know what? I leave that in God's hands and throw it out there.

MJ: Well, that's the thing I've learned--you do the best you can, and you let go of the results. The results are up to Him or Her or It, whatever you believe.

LK: Exactly! I did my part. But this is a very personal album for me.

MJ: Tell me a little bit about the different people you've collaborated with on it.

LK: Well, I did a few songs with Scott Storch, and I have a song with Kanye West that I'm recording right now, and I just came out of the studio last night with 7 Aurelius, who's one of the biggest producers around. And as far as side projects, I've worked with T.I., he's huge in the South, and I have one thing that's going to really be a surprise to everybody, but I can't say yet.

MJ: Okay, then we'll keep that one a surprise. We can't give it all away. So, you've been working really hard.

LK: I have been. I haven't slept yet--I was in the studio all night.

MJ: You sound like a fashion designer. [laughs] We stay awake until the wee hours of the morning.

LK: And then I had to do a fitting that lasted hours, because the photo shoot for my album is tomorrow, and I got some really hot things from my favorite person. And I know you guys know who that is because I'm talking to him!

MJ: I have to say, I'm so impressed that you're willing to surprise people. I remember the first time we went out, you wouldn't let me or anybody know what you were going to wear, and you chose that red dress, and you just looked so sexy and adorable--like a '40s film star.

LK: Yeah. I was restless. [giggles]

MJ: People have their preconceived notions of what Lil' Kim is supposed to look like and how she's supposed to be and all that, and then you just turn it out and do something completely different and wreck them, which I think is really cool.

LK: Yeah. I made the best-dressed list [giggles] in People magazine.

MJ: When did your love of fashion all start? Is it something you've always been into?

LK: Ever since I was a little girl. I actually got it from my mom. When I was young she was so into fashion. She had big sunglasses way back then and cute little sexy-looking dresses. [Jacobs laughs] And she always wore heels and had Gucci and Chanel bags. I was in seventh grade, and my mother would give me her hand-me-downs to take to school, and I didn't know what a Gucci or a Louis Vuitton bag was. [giggles] I'm walking it to school, and people are looking at me, like, What is this little girl in seventh grade doing with a Louis Vuitton bag and a white fox?

MJ: So you developed a taste for the finer things in life at a very early age.

LK: Yeah! Because my mom worked at every department store there was. She worked at Abraham and Straus, she worked at Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's--she worked everywhere, and she was in the bag department, so she would see all the new stuff before it came out. My mom is so little, and I was always little too.

MJ: But for someone called "Lil' Kim" you have a presence that's larger than life. Anyway, we should talk a little bit more about music. How do you think hip-hop has changed over the past couple of years?

LK: I think it kind of speaks for itself. It's like anything goes, anybody can come and rap and make a song these days, and it doesn't have to have any format or any substance.

MJ: I just think the awareness of hip-hop is continuing to grow, and each year it's getting bigger and bigger.

LK: Yeah, it's really big. At one point there was a format to hip-hop, but now there isn't, and some of the songs are like the biggest songs ever. You can get on a song and say anything now, and it sounds good. As long as it has a good beat and a nice big hook, we go with it. Back in the day, I don't know that they would have been so receptive to it not having meaning and substance, but it's kind of cool in a way to me because music is all about feeling good and having fun and going with your emotions. But then, if you're from the 'hood like me, and you hear a song where it's not all peaches and cream and fun, you appreciate it. Because if you make a negative song, you have to get to the positive. And sometimes seeing a person go from negative to positive is good. So we may appreciate a good song where one of our co-stars is rapping about the things they've seen in their 'hood--because different things go on in different 'hoods, like, they even dress differently.

MJ: Yeah. East Coast, West Coast.

LK: And they kind of hang a little different. They have their own lifestyles, and we have our own. So it's interesting to hear another person's view of where they're from.

MJ: Well, you seem to always tell it like it is. I'm constantly amazed by your lyrics.

LK: People appreciate reality. That's the thing nowadays--reality TV, it's all over the place.

MJ: Yeah. I appreciate the reality, the creativity, the courage, the strength--it's all there. Does the new album have a title?

LK: No. And we don't have a release date yet, but it will definitely be out before the year is up.

MJ: Do you usually have a title in the beginning, or is it something that comes to you as you record?

LK: Sometimes it comes right when you start recording--you know exactly where you're going, what you want to say and what you want to do, but with this album it's taking a little longer to capture. Hey, where are you going to dinner tonight?

MJ: A fish restaurant called Le Duc.

LK: Ooh, I love shellfish, but if I eat too much my mouth swells up, my cheeks get red, and I start [in a nasal voice] talking like this. [both laugh]

MJ: Why is it we always love the things that are bad for us?

LK: [giggles] Isn't that crazy? That goes for relationships also.

MJ: I know, it's across the board, if it's trouble, I want it. I guess we're just human after all.

LK: You know, John Legend said it the best. He said, "We're just ordinary people."

MJ: And that's exactly what we're supposed to be. So, listen, this may be a weird thing to ask, but I know you're going through some rough times right now--is there anything you want to say to your fans or anything you want to say, period?

LK: I just want to say thank you, I love you, and [making kissing sounds] "mua mua mua"--those are kisses for all my fans because I couldn't believe the amount of support I got from them. I mean, my fans have always been supportive, but it's like I accumulated more fans and a different kind of fan. It seemed like my fans were a certain group of people, but now it's extended. I just want them to really get to know Kim a little better. And I think with this album they're going to get to, and that's one reason I hope they really listen to it.

MJ: I think that's a very generous gift. It's funny because when I first met you, I guess I had some preconceived notions from listening to your music. Then I met you, and I just thought, Wow, she's really out there, and she's really giving it to us.

LK: I'll never forget when I met you, and you told me that you listen to my albums, and I was like, "Marc Jacobs listens to Lil' Kim?" [laughs]

MJ: After being at work for 14 hours we know what we need to get the creative juices flowing and to get our energy up again. We all do karaoke to your songs. [both laugh] So don't keep us waiting too long for that new album. Okay?

LK: No, I would never do that. I've had a lot going on though, so I'm just trying to cater to all the needs in my life as well as to my fans. If not for them I wouldn't be Little Big Kim.

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