Lil’ Kim has come forward to deny allegations that she lied to a federal grand
jury about her knowledge of a daylight shootout in front of Hot 97’s New
York offices in February 2001.
"I am completely
innocent of the charges I have been accused of, and am very confident that my
co-defendants and I will win this case in the courtroom," Lil Kim told
AllHipHop.com in a statement. "This case is a witch-hunt against the Hip-Hop
industry."
As the trial approaches,
Kim is stepping up her charitable work and has announced the formation of the
organization.
"We are encouraging
fans to send letters with requests and charities which they would like me to
visit,” Kim said. “In coming months, I plan to be involved with
a number of causes, including ones for homeless and battered women, group homes
and runaway kids, all issues, which have affected me personally in past years.
I am just getting started and won’t allow this case to deter me or stop me."
Authorities claim
the shootout was sparked by a rivalry between Lil’ Kim and rapper Foxy Brown.
While Kim was not present during the shootout, she had appeared on Hot 97’s
show earlier in the day.
The
confrontation started as the rest of Lil’ Kim’s entourage was leaving
Hot 97 and Capone of Capone-N-Noreaga and his associates were entering to promote their album The
Reunion.
On “Bang
Bang,” a song taken from The Reunion, Brown laid down a scathing
verse aimed at Kim and her album The Notorious K.I.M.
The resulting confrontation
left one man seriously wounded when he was shot in the back.
Police seized a
security camera video tape that captured the incident. They claim that as Kim’s
Limo started to pull away, it paused quickly and allowed several men to jump
in before speeding off.
Lil’ Kim was indicted
for perjury and obstruction of justice. The case goes to trial Feb. 28, 2005.
