Rapper Lil Mama broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her mother during a U.S. TV interview.

The colourful hip-hop star was asked about her role model for a segment on Fn MTV and she became emotional as she remembered her late mum, who died last Christmas.

She said, "She raised four kids on her own. I couldn't ask for a better mother."

"I found out my mother was sick about five years ago. It really didn't effect me until the end because my mother has always been a person of her word."

"So she told us, 'I'm gonna be all right,' and we just went, 'All right.'

"She began to get sicker and sicker. I started to come to the conclusion that I was going to lose my mother."

Lil Mama stopped the interview to sob before confessing her mother inspired her to become a strong woman: "I feel like I should continue to do what she wants me to do."

The rapper's mother, Tyra Kirkland, lost her battle with cancer in December.