There was still definitely a pop route. No, it wasn't edm electronic music but Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Britney, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, etc were most certainly "bubble gum" pop and huge at the time and far more mainstream than Lil' Kim rapping about being on the block.

The point was she most certainly didn't go the mainstream/pop route of the time, regardless of whether it was EDM dance music like today or bubblegum pop like Mandy Moore back then.

Meh this wasn't really shade

I'll drag ray j if anything

LOL. What a dumb bird

That throne was snatched when Your Slay came into existence

Kim would've done the same if she were popular in the 2010s. She said that Nicki took her idea for an EDM song (referring to Automatic) that she was working on, and that she wanted to experiment with that sound. She didn't care if her fans would've liked it or not because that was a sound (EDM) she wanted to do. No female rapper in the 2010s is getting anywhere without catering to the YTs, and that's Nicki print. Good or bad.

why was she doing that with her head/neck?

This hoe can't write to save her life.

But...I'm not talking about in the 2010's. I'm talking about in the late 90's early 2000's when Kim was coming up/at her peak. If if's and but's were candies and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

The point still remains Nicki sold out to mainstream during her time, far more than Kim did during her time so obviously she is going to be ranking in more money thank Kim did when she was big.

Gathered and unbothered.