Lil Mama

Niatia Kirkland, aka Lil Mama, is giving new meaning to "commercial rap." The green-eyed 17-year-old had a massive hit this summer with Lip Gloss, a catchy boom-bap clap-happy rap about the wonders of L'Oreal and Mac cosmetics.

A charismatic Brooklyn native, Lil Mama first started "poppin" in the Big Apple, after NYC radio station Hot 97 put her remix of Jay Z's Show Me What You Got in heavy rotation. Not much later, she signed with Jive Records and has recently scored guest spots on remixes of Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend and Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls.

Lil Mama's debut album, Voice of the Young People, is scheduled for release at the end of the year and features production by Dr. Luke, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. The video for her latest single, G-Slide (Tour Bus) could be a sign of what's to come: a children's song chorus and more over-the-top L'Oreal product placement.