Weeks ago a photo of Lil Kim gracing the cover of Ebony Magazine made its way online but fans weren’t clear whether the cover was real or not as Ebony nor Kim shared the image.
Now this week, the outlet officially announced the cover with Kim in honor of the ongoing celebrations of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
They shared snaps and behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot and revealed that there will be multiple 50th anniversary covers in addition to Kim’s including Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, and 50 Cent.
Which cover are you buying? 👀 out now at all local retailers or on EBONY. #Lilkim #50cent https://t.co/Lto6Nr3XN2
— EBONY MAGAZINE (@EBONY) September 19, 2023
When it comes to this Hip Hop Game, you don’t wanna bumble with the bee and for almost three decades, Lil Kim has continued to show us why. From her days with Junior Mafia to now, she has always come correct with bars slicker than honey with an impeccable charisma that is… pic.twitter.com/7bMRZjTHTb
— EBONY MAGAZINE (@EBONY) September 19, 2023
The @LilKim — is and has always been “That B****.” If you’ve ever questioned why Lil Kim is a OG, all you need to do is listen to one of her songs or albums. In all her glory, Lil Kim graces our cover as only Hip-Hop royalty can👑
Grab your issue in stores or on EBONY tomorrow❗️ pic.twitter.com/y86KvNMH2k
— EBONY MAGAZINE (@EBONY) September 18, 2023
All was seemingly well until a commenter posted under the photo questioning who shot the photo, prompting the photographer in question, Keith Major to respond:
“Man, she wanted to be in control of the retouching, so this is what we got.”
This response prompted the Queen Bee to respond and call out the photographer and the Ebony team revealing that they did not approve of the final photo that was used.
After Kim spoke out, a member of her team chimed in and said they supposedly have “receipts” to confirm the story before declaring, “We definitely didn’t choose that other flick.”
Lil Kim speaks out about her Ebony Magazine cover and says that she did not approve the image or any of the other content that was released. (📸: @ebonymagazine, @gettyimages) ✍🏾: #TSRStaffJW https://t.co/Xryhc2PPem pic.twitter.com/KWfea24Hn1
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) September 20, 2023
Here is a side by side comparison of the photo Lil Kim says she approved versus the published photo . (📸: @ebonymagazine) ✍🏾: #TSRStaffST https://t.co/y2PzMwBDjL pic.twitter.com/HLHE0BROJb
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) September 20, 2023
Kim also shared a comment in her Instagram story that suggested that photographer, Keith Major was ultimately fired over the debacle.
Lil Kim also shared a comment from someone who claimed ebony’s photography director, Keith Major, was fired over this debacle 👀 pic.twitter.com/WRJIhAS2Xo
— Tamantha 👸🏾 (@Tamantha_5) September 20, 2023
It’s not clear if that is confirmed or not. The issue is officially on newsstands now.
