AS A 'HIPS'-HOP STAR
HER 'BIG' EXIT AFTER 10-MONTH STRETCH
By JOHN DOYLE and LEONARD GREENE
July 4, 2006 -- Lil' Kim got a whole lot larger in the big house.
The hip-hop hottie who bears the moniker Notorious K.I.M. looked more like her rap mentor, the Notorious B.I.G., when she was released from a federal prison in Philadelphia yesterday after serving a 10-month stint for lying about a shooting outside a lower-Manhattan radio station.
Sources told The Post the rapper's cellmates regularly brought her breakfast in bed, and also tailored her clothes.
Even Kim herself acknowledged her expanded waistline. One of the first things she told reporters yesterday was that she was desperately trying to satisfy a persistent craving.
"I'll be eating some french fries," she joked. "I don't need to, but . . . "
Lil' Kim's publicist, Tracy Nguyen, said the Queen Bee yesterday was celebrating her newfound freedom with family and friends in her New Jersey home, where she enjoyed a catered feast that included macaroni and cheese, barbecued chicken, a salmon pasta salad, rice and peas and a fruit plate.
She was looking forward to a red velvet cake from Sean "Diddy" Combs' restaurant, Justin's, in Chelsea.
But Nguyen said the Queen Bee didn't want to rap about her weight gain.
"She didn't really get into that," Nguyen said. "Imagine if you were locked up for 10 months. She's gotta get back to work."
Lil' Kim was released at 6 a.m., nearly two months early, getting a jump on Independence Day with a new appreciation for freedom, her associates said.
She was greeted in the morning sun by hundreds of screaming, album-cover-waving fans. She wore a cleavage-baring white outfit that she could easily save for her next video.
With a blouse by Vivian Westwood, pants by Juicy Couture, a bag by Louis Vuitton, and Marc Jacob sunglasses, Lil' Kim looked like she was headed to a Vibe cover shoot instead of a meeting in Newark with her parole officer.
"She's gotta walk out in style," Nguyen said.
She also has to ride in style. The Queen Bee was picked up in a gleaming silver Rolls-Royce Phantom that she shared with her mother, an unidentified male friend and a bouquet of white roses.
"She came home in style," said Kim's lawyer, L. Londell McMillan. "She didn't overdo it. There wasn't a red carpet, but there was a Phantom."
"We love and support her," said fan Karimah Bethea, 24, of Trenton, who was in Philadelphia at 3 a.m. to catch a glimpse of her favorite rapper.
"She makes the music that I relate to. She's a brave, humble soul."
The hip-hop star, whose saucy raps spill off her tongue as easily as the alphabet, was short on words yesterday, communicating instead with a few blown kisses and a mass-distributed statement.
"Today is a joyous day for me and my family," the woman, born Kimberly Jones, said in the statement. "I am extremely grateful and happy to be home.
"I'd like to thank the city of Philadelphia for the overwhelming support that I received, in addition to the staff at the FDC [Federal Detention Center] and all of my supporters.
"Many special thanks go out to my fans who were critical in helping me get through these past 10 months. I am looking forward to adjusting back to my normal life and getting back to work."
mailto:john.doyle@nypost.com
