Watch Lil’ Mo Perform on ‘BET HER LIVE! Hosted by Yo-Yo’
What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas when Yo-Yo sat down with Lil’ Mo (aka Cynthia Karen Loving) for a conversation celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop in front of an audience for the new interview and performance series, BET Her LIVE! Hosted by Yo-Yo. And Lil’ Mo quickly got the crowd hyped with grand opening and grand closing performances of her timeless club bangers “Superwoman” and “4 Ever.”
Claiming 2023 as her “Jordan Year,” the 48-year-old multi-hyphenate reveals during the interview that she’ll continue to make moves. “Everybody knows that Jordan is one of the goats,” Lil’ Mo shared. “And [for me] to make it twenty-three years in this thing, as a Black woman—and I’m still here!”
But the road to fame hasn’t always been paved with platinum hits. Lil’ Mo confessed that there were many times when she wanted to give up on her career but knew her songs gave people strength. “I would perform and people would be like, ‘Your music has got me through.’ I realized even at my lowest moments, I was always able to sing about love and empowerment—and I always knew that would push me up.”
And when it comes to fighting for respect from a hip hop community that hasn’t always embraced female talent, Lil Mo chokes back tears. “It took me to go through so much to get to this point, so now when I step on stage and people applaud and show so much love as if these songs just came out… Now I realize it don’t have to happen in the beginning, it’s going to happen.”
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, and the milestone of the 20th anniversary of her album “Meet the Girl Next Door,” here are five things you didn’t know about one of the genre’s most soulful singers.
FROM JA RULE TO JAY-Z
Missy Elliott is the one who ultimately pushed Lil’ Mo to start writing music. “When I first met Missy Elliot, she was like, “Make sure you write,” Mo told Vibe, “That just stuck with me, and it’s what’s carried me. It’s just like journalism. So, I’m actually a journalist, but I sing my words.”
Lil’ Mo has built a career that has allowed her to craft songs and collaborate with some of the biggest names in hip hop including Missy Elliott (“Five Minutes” for the Why Do Fools Fall in Love soundtrack and “Hot Boyz”), Lil’ Kim (“Ten Commandments”), Ja Rule (“I Cry and Put it On Me”), Fabolous (“Superwoman” and “Superwoman, Pt. II”), Tupac (“Niggaz Nature”), LL Cool J (“Cry”) and Foxy Brown (“Bullet Proof Love/One Love”).
FROM MUSIC TO MULTI-HYPHENATE MAGIC
In addition to spinning award-winning tracks, Lil’ Mo’s been a radio co-host for two shows in Baltimore and starred for two seasons as a fan favorite on the reality TV series R&B Divas: Los Angeles. She recently thanked 50 Cent for her appearance on Power Book II: Ghost, where she sang “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
FROM CROONING TO COMEDY
Fans can catch Lil’ Mo on the road as she opens for belly-busting comedian Katt Williams on his “23 and Me Tour.” The two stars go way back. Williams reportedly bought the singer a Cadillac Escalade in 2016.
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FROM FAME TO FAMILY
Lil’ Mo has balanced being an artist, a wife, and a mother for over two decades. “Being a mom is the best job—I think that’s better than being Lil Mo.” With two daughters and three sons ranging in age from 8 to 21, her superwoman skills are always being tested, but luckily she gets a lot of help from her parents and sister.
FROM CHURCH GIRL TO SUPERWOMAN
Lil’ Mo’s uncle is legendary gospel artist John P. Kee, who she toured with in high school before launching her own music career. “Before that, I was leading songs in the church.” She also credits the prince of gospel with blessing her with her stage name, Lil’ Mo.
Watch Lil' Mo perform on “BET Her Live! Hosted by Yo-Yo” and look for this and other episodes of the series featuring DaBrat, MC Lyte, and 702.
