Editing Lil' Kim (section)

== Early life, family and education ==
Jones was born in the [[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford–Stuyvesant]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], New York City, the second child of Linwood Jones, a former [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]].<ref name="Driven2003">''Driven: Lil' Kim.'' ''[[Behind the Music]].'' 2003. VH1 Networks. Viacom Publishing.</ref> She has an older brother, Christopher.<ref name="TVGuideBiography">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lil-kim/bio/198393/|title=Lil' Kim Biography|work=TV Guide|access-date=August 7, 2015}}</ref> As a child, Jones attended [[Queen of All Saints Church (Brooklyn, New York)|Queen of All Saints Elementary School]] in Brooklyn.<ref name="bio.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/lil-kim-21254313#early-life|work=Biography.com|title=Lil' Kim Biography – Reality Television Star, Rapper (1975–)|access-date=August 7, 2015}}</ref> When she was nine years old, her parents separated, and Jones was raised by her father, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship.<ref name="bio.com" /> At fourteen, she left home, began living on the streets, and ultimately dropped out of high school.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2000/09/03/the-mask-of-lil-kim/b9a06fe7-adde-49fa-9259-aa1dbf71e655/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601020141/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2000/09/03/the-mask-of-lil-kim/b9a06fe7-adde-49fa-9259-aa1dbf71e655/ |title=The Mask of Lil' Kim |last=Zook |first=Kristal Brent |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |date=September 3, 2000 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

As a teenager, Jones met Christopher Wallace, known professionally as [[the Notorious B.I.G.]] Wallace was a key figure in both her personal and artistic life, particularly after he gained popularity and influence through his relationship with [[Bad Boy Records]].<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p198619/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Lil' Kim - Biography|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas| year= 2008 |access-date= March 30, 2009}}</ref> Jones attended Sarah J. Hale Vocational High School for two-and-a-half years. She and her friends often skipped school. As she was not completing her schoolwork, the decision was made for her to transfer to [[Brooklyn College Academy]] to finish her remaining year and a half of high school.<ref>{{cite journal |date= July 2003|title=What I was like in High School – Lil' Kim: Always a style diva and trend setter|journal=[[YM (magazine)|YM]] |page= 128}}</ref>