Lil Kim Brought Out Lola Brooke At The Apollo Theater And Sang Her Praises: ‘I’m So Proud Of You’

Lola Brooke is set for a huge breakout in 2023 and now, she’s been anointed by the Queen Bee herself. The Brooklyn rapper — Brooke, not Kim — has the streets buzzing with her viral single “Don’t Play With It,” and many believe she’s poised to have a similar explosion in popularity to GloRilla or fellow drill rapper Ice Spice this year.

Last night at Harlem’s historical Apollo Theater, Lil Kim — who many still deem the foremother of the modern wave of female rap artists — kicked off the Harlem Festival Of Culture with The Jump Off With Lil Kim And Friends show. Apparently, one of those friends turned out to be Lola Brooke, who took the stage to an uproarious response from the crowd.

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” Kim told her as she emerged from backstage. “I got your f*ckin’ back!” Brooke followed up the exchange of mutual appreciation with an acapella rendition of her street hit, accompanied by what sounds very much like a full-crowd sing-along.

Judging from the reactions to her appearance at the Apollo, all Lola Brooke needs to complete her rap takeover is to remain consistent. She already has the ears and hearts of her hometown — and to quote one of her peers, with that, how can she lose?