Rap's Lil' Kim sues trial witness

Lil' Kim claims her name, image and likeness were improperly used

Rapper Lil' Kim, shortly to begin a jail term for perjury and conspiracy, is taking legal action against a former associate who testified against her.

Lil' Kim, real name Kimberly Jones, said James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd planned to release a DVD called The Chronicles of Junior Mafia Part II: Reloaded.

Kim said the DVD was unauthorised and is seeking $6m (£3.4m) in damages. Mr Lloyd was unavailable for comment.

She must serve a year in jail for lying to a grand jury to protect friends.

Lil' Kim had claimed she did not see Damion Butler and Suif Jackson at the scene of a shooting incident outside a radio station in Manhattan in 2001.

But Mr Lloyd and fellow Brooklyn rapper Antoine "Banger" Spain - who performed with Lil' Kim in her rap group Junior Mafia - testified that they were with her at the time.

Lil' Kim, 29, is thought to be the first high-profile female rap star to be sent to prison in the US.

Her legal action against Mr Lloyd said he made it public knowledge the DVD will include interviews with him and other musicians about their involvement in her trial.

Her case against him said she separated from Junior Mafia in 2001 over personal and business differences.

The company that produced Mr Lloyd's DVD, Ground Zero Entertainment, is also listed as a defendant in the case.

Lil' Kim won a Grammy in 2001 for her part in the hit remake of Lady Marmalade alongside Christina Aguilera, Pink and Mya.

She releases her next single, Shut Up Chick, in September.