Diminutive diva Lil' Kim is no Jamal 'Shyne' Barrows.

Though they both are going to jail because of "loyalties" to their set, the sexed-up MC and her people had the prescience to know that you've got to keep a presence during your lockup. Of course, Kimberly 'Lil' Kim' Jones only has one year to Shyne's ten, but being one of many famous rappers to hit the pokey in recent years, Kim has probably learned that you might as well make lemonade out of the bitterness of prison.

In a word, it's worked. 'Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown,' the six-part series on BET chronicling the last 14 days of Kim's life, premiered to 1.9 million viewers, becoming the highest-watched debut in the cable network's history. 'Countdown' is also the number one original series among Black households in 2006.

This whirlwind series of last days (reminiscent of Spike Lee's jarring film, '25th Hour') takes us through the highs of video shoots, fashion week, shopping at Versace and partying; to the lows, including the reality of being locked up and the impact of that on one's family, friends and career.

Of the two shows that aired (the third was pre-empted by 'Rip the Runway' March 23), the first was underwhelming. Poor production quality, scattered focus and every other word being bleeped out made it hard to follow. Yet, by episode two, things started to gel and Kim's strong-armed squad of "murda mamis" made for riveting TV.

So far, Kim seems surprisingly calm in the fierce storm of women who swirl around her. As with all reality TV shows, a star has emerged: In this case, it's Kim's gravelly-voiced cousin, LaLa, the pint-sized potty mouth who takes no shorts. It was LaLa's dramatic incident with her husband at the show's end that made mouths drop. After arguing with him on the phone constantly, the mother of three returns home to the Poconos to find a condom on the table. You hear an altercation and her last words before the show fades to black, "Stop." "Stop." "Stop."

Next up is Monique Dopwell, Kim's co-defendant and best friend, who was about to "go in" (to jail) the very next day. "Mo' Better," a single mom of two, goes to a spa, gets ready to be in Kim's video, and argues with her daughter: "I'm about to slap your head right into that wall." In another scene Mo tells Kirk, the director of the video, that she wants a pistol ("I want to be packing, just in case") yet seems truly scared when he explains that they're operating the shoot without the proper permits.

Last of the femme fatales is Hillary Weston, the all-business business manager of the rapper who appears to be the most level-headed of the bunch. She too, was charged with obstruction of justice, but got no jail time. Kim's crew is a group of women who were four hours late to a video shoot, but obviously run a successful business; who will curse you out, but are seemingly scared of what's to come; who are fiercely loyal but obviously misguided at times. Reality? Yes indeed.

Like any intriguing piece of popular culture, 'Countdown' touches on the big themes in life while showing how they play out day-to-day: incarceration, loyalty, family, girl-friendship, domestic violence, motherhood, career. It demands that we look at the sometimes tragic contradictions that are not only present in hip-hop, but in life. Now that's as real as it gets.