Released: 2000
In Lil’ Kim’s unapologetic anthem, “How Many Licks?,” featuring Sisqó, the Queen Bee of Hip Hop dubiously queries the prowess and patience of her male counterparts. Applying her signature brash style, Lil’ Kim flips the script on societal norms surrounding female sexuality, brazenly detailing her encounters with a diverse array of men while using the Tootsie Pop metaphor to question how committed they are to satisfying their partners sexually.
We open with her recounting her escapades with men of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Not one to mince her words, Kim keeps it 100, explaining how these men lavished her with gifts and pleasures like “a horse, a Porsche and a farm” and “ate my pussy from dark ’til the morning“. This unabashed embrace of her sexual exploits, free from any semblance of shame or remorse, was her audacious claim to power.
In the choruses, she poses the provocative question: “How many licks does it take ’til you get to the center of the?” This is a lyrical play on the popular 1970’s Tootsie Pop commercial, using the candy metaphor to challenge her male counterparts on their dedication to pleasing their female partners.
In the second verse, Lil’ Kim prioritizes her own sexual satisfaction and calls out to her incarcerated fans, who she knows idolize her. She taunts them with her sexually explicit lyrics, inviting them to “imagine your tongue in between my thighs,” further cementing her as a sex symbol while also acknowledging the power dynamics that flow from her objectification.
The final verse sees Kim likening herself to the Knight Rider with her shiny black Lamborghini, reiterating her status of independence and power. Her balanced blend of sexual prowess and financial success furthers the image of a woman who is as in control of her destiny as she is over her pleasure: a theme recurrent in her body of work.
To put it succinctly, “How Many Licks?” isn’t just a risqué song about sex; it’s a power move. Lil’ Kim flips the script on gender norms, asserting herself as a sexually liberated woman unafraid to demand satisfaction or articulate her desires, making it a bold feminist anthem wrapped in a saucy hip-hop package.
