Star Wind CD: Lil' Kim Says She Was 'Greeted With Open Arms' In Prison

Monday, March 7, 2011

Lil' Kim Says She Was 'Greeted With Open Arms' In Prison

'I met a lot of good people in there who are still my friends to this day,' she tells 'RapFix Live,' also recalling a package from Oprah Winfrey.
By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Lil' Kim on RapFix Live
Photo: Rich Sancho/ MTV News

When Lil' Kim spent almost a year in a federal prison, she managed to create some fond memories behind bars. During MTV's "RapFix Live," the Brooklyn rapper detailed some of her experiences while serving time for a perjury conviction.

"When I first got to prison, I slept so good for the first three weeks," Kim told MTV News. "I was working that whole two months before, nonstop, trying to finish an album, doing promo, doing the TV show [BET's 'Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown'], doing shows, doing all types of things. So I never slept, never [rested] at all for two months straight. ... When I got there, I kind of just collapsed."

Kim said there were a few haters inside, but there was plenty more love for her than anything else.

"I was greeted with open arms by a lot of wonderful, wonderful girls at FDC Philadelphia," Kim said. "I met a lot of good people in there who are still my friends to this day."

The only time the rapper felt especially homesick was during Thanksgiving. She also mentioned receiving support from a number of well-known celebrities while she was away, including Oprah Winfrey.

"She sent me three of her favorite books and said, 'Read these for inspiration and motivation,' " Kim remembered, though she couldn't recall the titles. "She wrote me a letter in each book and just was like, 'Kim, you have so much potential. You're a very bright young girl.' She had so much really good things to say."

Kim put pen to paper in response to Winfrey but did not mail her letter after realizing that correspondence she was sending to fellow celebrities was being stolen. "I still have it to this day," Kim said of the letter she wrote Winfrey, adding, "If I ever meet her, I would give it to her still."

What do you think of Lil' Kim's positive attitude about her time in prison? Let us know in the comments.

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