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NEW YORK, April 25 (UPI) -- Lil' Kim was nearly unrecognizable in a series of new photos Sunday. The 39-year-old rapper set off a frenzy on social media after showing off her blonde hair and noticeably lighter complexion in a collage on Instagram.
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Lil' Kim's complexion sparked skin bleaching rumors, but previous photos appear to show she achieved her look with heavy makeup and contouring. Fans were more concerned by the "why" than the "how" behind the rapper's transformation.
"Lil Kim situation is sad because she was a darkskinned Black woman. Not mixed, not racially ambiguous. Darkskinned. And beautiful," one Twitter user wrote.
"I grew up listening to Lil' Kim, I loved her because she was so confident & I admired that, not realizing she was hurting. @LilKim," another person tweeted.
Lil' Kim is well known for changing up her look, often dyeing her hair and wearing colored contacts. The rapper hit back at critics in January after a photo of herself surfaced that had been altered to make her body look larger than it is.
"Really? The hate is so real. You bloggers should be ashamed of yourself for promoting this foolishness knowing that this is SO fake just like all of you haters," she wrote.
Lil' Kim released her fourth mixtape, Lil Kim Season, in March, and is reportedly working on a followup. She and rapper Mr. Papers share 22-month-old daughter Royal Reign.
