Earlier this week (Nov. 16), Lil Kim was honored with the WEEN Icon Award during a ceremony at Espace in New York.

The Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) is a non-profit organization of all genders and races, supporting the positive portrayal of women in entertainment and society. The Queen Bee is certainly one of them. "I have received many awards and many awards that I have been super excited about, but there’s something so special about receiving an award that a group of women got together to give me," Kim says. "I was excited from the moment I heard about it. I do this for my fans because they love me unconditionally."

Kim as well thanked Teyana Taylor, who was also honored at the event. She paid tribute to the rapper earlier this year at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. The Hard Core creator, which turned 20 this month, said that the criticism she received at the beginning of her career no longer affects her. "When I first got into this industry, I received a lot of hate, I still receive a lot of hate," she says. "It used to bother me, but [God] let me know, no matter how much they hate, they can not stop what he has for me."

In addition to Kim and Taylor, Meagan Good, music executive Ethiopia Habtemariam, actress Yara Shahidi, Teen Vogue editor Elaine Weltheroth, executive Dia Simms, and Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, were also celebrated.

Watch Kim's acceptance speech at the 13-minute mark above, with photos from the evening included below.

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