Glossin'

TEXT BY WHOADIE ALLEN PHOTO BY PETER BESTE

Minus the bamboo earrings, Lil Mama is the around-the-way girl LL always dreamed of. This 16-year-old shorty woke up one morning, skipped class, and wrote a rap about her lip gloss. The result is a massive hit packed with references to high school lockers, L’Oreal brushes, and Mac watermelon flavor. “Lip Gloss” would be a gimmick if it wasn’t for the part where she talks about the high school principal calling her to her office, and just when she thinks she’s about to get suspended it goes a little something like this: “I stepped in the office like, ‘Yes, Ms. McLarskin,’ she’s like, ‘Girl, I ran out of my lip glossin’, write down where you get yours from, cuz I must admit that bubblegum is poppin’!’” It’s the best rap story since Big Bank Hank came home from school and took a dip in the pool.