All my life, men have told me I wasn't pretty enough - even the men I was dating. And I'd be like, 'Well, why are you with me, then?' It's always been men putting me down just like my dad. To this day when someone says I'm cute, I can't see it. I don't see it no matter what anybody says.

I think people have a misconception of me, period. My life has been a whirlwind sometimes, but it's different to what people think. I definitely feel like there's a misconception about me and who I am.

I feel money is power in certain senses. A lot of women out there are just givin' it away. And then there are the women that're selling their bodies. But they chose to do that. But this is how they make their money. And I don't see anything wrong with that.

You can't really just make someone into something and it works all the time; that person has to be a natural.

That's one thing about me: I'm not greedy. I buy things for my friends if I buy them for myself. I make sure my friend's rent is paid.

Lil' Kim is my stage name and a character I use when I'm out working my livelihood.

My fan mail is what keeps me going.