Niatia Kirkland, better known as Lil Mama, is a multifaceted and dynamic entertainer, singer, rapper, songwriter, actress, and exceptional dancer. Lil Mama is known for her keen spirit, and in addition to her artistic abilities, she is an inspirational speaker and entrepreneur. Born in Harlem, NY, Lil Mama took to music and dance at an early age. Using poetry as a tool of self-expression, she soon found her voice in music. As she continued to grow, she learned how to combine these skills and her dedication over time led her to global success. In 2006, at 17 years old, she signed to Jive Records and soon after joined Avril Lavigne in Grammy-nominated producer Dr. Luke's remix of Lavigne's song "Girlfriend." Her first full-length album "VYP (Voice of the Young People)" was released just over a year later, debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200, and featuring the hit single "Lip Gloss," making Lil Mama a household name. While continuing to work on her music, Lil Mama brought her dance expertise and charismatic persona to the judge's table on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew" for seven seasons alongside fellow judge JC Chasez and host Mario Lopez. Lil Mama broke into acting in a major way, landing the role of the iconic Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes in the VH1 biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, starring alongside Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora. Lil Mama even joined TLC members Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins' in live performances surrounding the release of the film, including the 2013 American Music Awards. She also co-stars in director Benny Boom's "48 Hours to Live," a 3D hybrid merging the genres of film noir and dance. Most recently, Lil Mama's groundbreaking music video for her song "Sausage" went viral with 3 million views in its first week (and 9.2 million views as of today). The song appears on her mixtape "Take Me Back," released in December 2015, a nostalgic and upbeat ode to the golden years of hip-hop with a fresh millennial appeal. Mama is a passionate and well-rounded artist who understands the importance of constantly honing her craft and staying sharp; with her role as the lead in the raw and powerful true story "Hit a Lick", she further solidifies herself as a formidable contender in the arts and entertainment arena.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 4, 1989 (37)
- Harlem, New York, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
Known for
What are Lil Mama's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 3
Steady 2 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Heroas Left Eye in CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013)
- Shadowas Left Eye in CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013)
- Heroas Keema in All In (2019)
- Allyas Tia in Sisters (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Lil Mama's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Lil Mama's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Deb Is Boss(2026)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
On Ten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
A Hip Hop Story(2024)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Sisters(2023)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Hip Hop Family Christmas(2021)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
True to the Game 3(2021)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
True to the Game 2(2020)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
All In(2019)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
All American(2018)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
48 Hours to Live(2016)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all filmsMercy Mercy Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 56th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 15 titles, 14 of them dated from 2013 to 2026.
Biggest box office
True to the Game 2 (2020)
Highest rated
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013)
Most popular right now
48 Hours to Live (2016)
Film career
- 2013Screen debut· Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Lil Mama's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 12 titles are Divisive.
- Universally Loved1
- Loved with Detractors1
- Divisive7
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Lil Mama work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lil Mama's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Darius McCrary shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Darius McCraryShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Darius McCrary
- Jeremy MeeksShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Jeremy Meeks
- Kris D. LoftonShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Kris D. Lofton
Editors
- Salvatore SclafaniShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Salvatore Sclafani
Producers
- Marvin NeilShared titles: Sisters (2023), True to the Game 3 (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Marvin Neil
- Matthew HeldermanShared titles: Sisters (2023), All In (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Matthew Helderman
- Bruce NahinShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce Nahin
- Manny HalleyShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Manny Halley
Mixed roles
- David WolfgangShared titles: True to the Game 3 (2021), True to the Game 2 (2020)See all 2 shared titles with David Wolfgang
