Last night's Stylez 2012 Statements of Hair and Fashion Show was an enormous event of music, fashion and community. It featured some of the most relevant urban fashions, designers and boutiques, including the likes of Bouchard's, Rochelle's Fashions, Disaya Anne House of Fashion and E&P Events. Proceeds of the show went to support Running Rebels, Inc., a Milwaukee community organization that supports youth in transition out of challenging life situations. The star attraction, though, was Lil' Kim, who took the stage after opening performances from Milwaukee "American Idol" veteran Naima Adedapo and Christopher's Project.<br /><br />The entire show was flawless. When Lil' Kim hit the stage, the near sold-out crowd lit with quantum energy that created a static electrical field of community. One would think her fans are mostly men but that's not the case. Women between the ages of 30 and 50 years old made up the bulk of the crowd.<br /><br />Lil' Kim was dubbed by many a journalist as the "Black Madonna" but she is nothing of the sort. Lil' Kim is no clone and repeat. She didn't grow up upper middle class like Madonna, and she has a message all her own which is one of balance, peace and power, although both Madonna and Lil' Kim have similarly messages of owning your sexuality.<br /><br />Endearing herself to her fans, Lil' Kim stayed close to the front of the stage, hugging and touching everyone within reach. She's still got her moves and her passion, preaching peace and asking that everyone stay strong and remembering the passing and the birthday of TLC's Left Eye. She rolled out more memorials of peace for Tupac and Biggie Smalls. "These are our Black Soldiers struggling to lift our community and show the world our struggles," Kim screamed, as the audience went wild.<br /><br />Her pitch was as perfect as her presence. For such a tiny woman, she was larger than life and explosively strong. The audience was mesmerized by her old and new songs. Kim crawled and climbed her way to the top, she has three platinum albums under her belt. Her "return" will prove to place her right back on top, but judging from her fans last night, she need not make a "return" at all. Their collective vigor demonstrated that for them, she never left.
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