Kim Kardashian was right: nobody wants to work these days. Back in the early 00s, that was an altogether different story. In a land before the social feed, celebs had to fight tooth and nail to land those coveted TV appearances, fizzy drink deals and hallowed spots on the front page of Heat. No, you couldn’t simply post an artful nude to your Instagram in the face of waning relevancy. You had to go out and work. An ultimately finite number of column inches meant that our turn-of-the-century stars knew how to stay relevant in order to be first in line. And to buttress their increasing profiles, a vast number of these celebs turned their hands (and likenesses) to video games.

Back then, the stars didn’t just attend the launch events, but turned up in droves in the actual games. Sure, we might have Nicki Minaj toting a baby pink assault rifle in the most recent Call of Duty, a glistening Mariah Carey inexplicably turning up in an ad for Game of War, and loads of thesps lending their voice talents to in-game characters. But at the dawn of the new millennium, celeb-led video games were events in and of themselves. The Black Eyed Peas fronted their own Sims spin-off, The Urbz: Sims in the City, Wu-Tang Clan released their own martial arts game, Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style in 1999, while Christina Aguilera made her own Sims appearance in 2003. Countless other stars like 50 Cent, Michael Jordan, and Snoop Dogg all appeared in computer games, but none are more memorable than Lil’ Kim’s star turn in Def Jam’s wrestling series.

Although its first instalment was Def Jam Vendetta in 2003, Lil’ Kim didn’t pop up in the series until 2004, in the sequel Def Jam Fight for NY. The rap icon appears as a playable character with legends like Method Man, Ludacris, Sean Paul and Busta Rhymes, and, along with Carmen Electra and Kimora Lee Simmons, is one of the few women in the game.  Showing up in a loincloth-cum-miniskirt, thigh-skimming leather boots and long, tangerine tresses, the look seemed to borrow heavily from Kim’s December 1999 cover of The Source magazine, where she can be seen sporting a similar outfit next to the headline “Lil’ Kim exposes her private parts” (v subtle!)

In the game, Kim’s character goes through quite the ups and downs, with an arc that includes a bitter rivalry with Carmen Electra, a kidnapping subplot, and getting trapped in a burning building with no means of escape. Fun! And if that wasn’t enough, Kim also appeared in the prequel game Def Jam Fight For NY: The Takeover where she can be seen executing her signature Queen Bee move while bellowing “BROOKLYN!!!!” at the top of her computer-generated lungs. Although Def Jam may have teased a fourth instalment back in 2018, we are yet to see Lil’ Kim respawn on our console screens for another deranged, skull-crushing performance. So, Def Jam – make like both Kims, get your fucking ass up, and work.

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