Lil Mama: VYP: Voice of the Young People

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Melena Ryzik wrote in the New York Times: "'Voice of the Young People' is a curious mix of schoolyard froth — the second single, 'G-Slide (Tour Bus)' is built around a sample from the children’s song 'The Wheels on the Bus' — and adult advice. When 'G-Slide,' released last fall, was met with indifference, her label held the album, repositioning the rapper as more of a multifaceted artist … and pairing her with hit-makers like the producer Scott Storch, the singer-rapper T-Pain and the young R&B star Chris Brown. The collaboration with those performers resulted in the Top 10 single 'Shawty Get Loose.' … Her determination to be viewed as more than a novelty act — as chronicled in the album’s second track, 'One Hit Wonder' — was bolstered by the death of her mother, Tara Kirkland, in December after a four-year battle with cancer. … She started dancing as a child; her father ran an independent record imprint, Familiar Faces, and released her songs on mix tapes. Through a management company 'Lip Gloss' [her hit novelty single] was eventually propelled to radio" ("Young Rapper's Plan," 4/30/08).