A South Jersey township tried to shut down a Lil’ Kim concert on this week in Philly history

In the late summer of 1997, as hip hop culture started reshaping mainstream entertainment, controversial rapper Lil’ Kim was booked to perform in South Jersey.

The concert was scheduled for Aug. 29 at an indoor flea market on Route 130 in the sleepy township of Edgewater Park.

But a week before showtime, township officials wanted to shut it down.

Metro Marketplace had space to fill.

Linda Anderson was president and part-owner of the 152,000 square-foot building, and her plan was to push its multi-purpose possibilities — booking dog shows and motorcycle clubs and basketball leagues — to help offset its struggling flea market business.

And with Lil’ Kim, a best-selling artist with overtly raunchy lyrics, Anderson saw money. She wanted to pack in 6,000 teenagers at $20 a pop.

But Edgewater Park officials saw utility concerns and safety hazards. They saw thousands of young people packed into a venue that wasn’t equipped to hold them, let alone host a concert.

Anderson pointed to past years: She’d bring in 5,000 people and their furry companions for kennel club shows.

The township said comparisons weren’t fair: the building was zoned for a shopping center, and not for a concert hall.

Anderson, as well as the concert promoter, called the township officials prejudiced against rap music and racist against the concert’s likely audience, which were mostly Black kids from Trenton and Camden.

“It has absolutely nothing to do with the type of music or the individuals involved,” insisted Edgewater Park Mayor James Williams.

So the two sides ended up in court.

With fewer than five hours before the doors were set to open, a two-judge appellate panel upheld a lower New Jersey court decision to allow the rapper to perform.

But Anderson couldn’t pack in 6,000 people. The panel capped the number of attendees at 4,500, and added a few other safety measures.

A few nearby businesses, including a McDonald’s, closed early.

Police officers were called in from several neighboring departments to help patrol the area. A Philly-based private security force of about 45 was also brought in for crowd control.

And after all that, only about 300 people showed up.

The promoter still claimed to have sold about 2,000 tickets.

The event started at 7 p.m. with a few opening acts, but Lil’ Kim’s white stretch limo didn’t pull up until after 11 p.m.

She took the stage around 12:30 a.m., and performed until about 1 a.m.

And then the small crowd dispersed.