LADY MARMALADE - LIL' KIM GETS SPIRITUAL DURING PRISON STINT

Jailed rapper LIL' KIM has completely transformed herself during her time jail - because she spends the whole time reading spiritual self-help books. The LADY MARMALADE singer, real name KIMBERLY JONES, has been incarcerated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 19 September (05). She is due to be released from the federal lock-up at 6 am Monday morning (03JUL06), after serving two-thirds of her 366-day sentence for lying to a grand jury about a 2001 rap-war shootout. According to her lawyer L LONDELL MCMILLIAN, the rapper's two favourite books during her prison stay were THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by RICK WARREN and THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS by DEEPAK CHOPRA. He tells the New York Post, "I think you'll see the maturation of Kimberly Jones. I think Kim needed an opportunity to get at peace with herself and regroup." MCMillian insists the rapper's time behind bars was by no means easy, saying, "She did hard labour. It wasn't a cupcake facility. It wasn't where MARTHA STEWART was. "She handled it very well. She didn't complain. She accepted her responsibility. She's extremely tough and street smart." After her release from prison on Monday, Lil' Kim will be taken to an undisclosed location in New Jersey for processing and will then spend 30 days under house arrest at her home.