Lil' Kim signs with Roc Nation

Last year, Lil' Kim attempted to revive her career and she nearly landed herself a hit. During the early spring of 2009, she united with T-Pain and Charlie Wilson for the single, "Download." The song was a favorite among fans, but could not land any traction with the Billboard Hot 100. The song was supposed to be the lead single of her fifth studio album, Vintage.

Atlantic Records decided to push the album back in time for Lil' Kim to record some more tracks for the album. Still due before the end of 2009, her label scrapped the album. Upset with the lack of support and promotion from Atlantic Records, Lil' Kim left the only label she has ever known. For the entire year of 2010, Lil' Kim has been a free agent.

On the other side, there is Jay-Z, who left his longtime label, in which he created at Roc-A-Fella Records. The time came for more money and he had sold his label to Def Jam. As a result, he was under contract like everyone else and he could no longer move the label. Because of this, when he struck his deal with Live Nation, Jay-Z announced the formation of Roc Nation. While he remained with Roc-A-Fella Records, he stopped any executive work with the label to focus on Roc Nation.

While working on The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z paid Def Jam $5 million to let him leave the label before his contract expired and for the rights to his music. Jay-Z landed a distribution deal for himself at Atlantic Records and a distribution deal for the overall label with Sony Records. Quickly, he would sign J. Cole, his protege since 2007. Now, Jay-Z has pinned the future of Roc Nation upon the shoulders of Cole, but he has tried to place a strong supporting cast around him. Throughout his career as a record label owner, Jay-Z has promised to let struggling stars release their albums with little struggle.

Making this promise to Lil' Kim, she quickly ended her relationship with Atlantic Records and headed over to the Roc Nation created by Jay-Z. Not only is she signed to the new label, but Lil' Kim wants Jay-Z to be the executive producer of her next album. It is unclear if Vintage will be the title of the next album Lil' Kim releases. She is expected to make an official announcement sometime later in the week about her status with the label.