April 08, 2008

Lil Mama Addresses Her Tumultuous Family 'Life' On New Track

By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Tim Kash (MTV.com)

She may go by the name Lil Mama, but the teen lyricist has had to deal with some big ordeals since she made her debut last year with her breakout hit, "Lip Gloss."

The New York MC's mother, Tyra Kirkland, died in December after fighting colon cancer for four years. On the track "Life" - from Mama's April 29 album, Voice of the Young People - Lil Mama addresses the battles she and her family have faced.

"It's my favorite song on the album, and I'm gonna have a visual behind that," Lil Mama told MTV News at the Kids' Choice Awards. "Teenage pregnancy is something that's very popular in my family. I didn't get trapped in that, but I'm not saying that I wouldn't have. I definitely would have been a part of that cycle if I wouldn't have left and pursued my career. There are orphans in my family - my brother is an orphan. Not an orphan [in the traditional sense], because I have him now, but my mother died and his father was dead at birth. So everything comes together, and it's giving you the story of not only my life, but my brothers and sisters and my cousins. And it means a lot to me, because it's real.

"It wasn't easy [to write]," she added of the track. "Because it's very true. It's deep, for sure."

In addition to "Life," Voice of the Young People will also feature "What It Is," which, according to Lil Mama, will be her next single.