How Many Licks? remaining on the chart for 20 weeks. "How Many Licks?" also charted in several other countries. It peaked at number six on the Dutch Top 40 chart, and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. The single reached number seven on the Ultratop chart in the Flanders region of Belgium, also remaining on that chart for 13 weeks. It further peaked at number 58 on the German Singles Chart, remaining for eight editions. The song's music video, directed by Francis Lawrence, was shot in the Sylmar, Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Angeles on October 3 and 4, 2000, and premiered
How Many Licks? "a celebration of autonomous female sexuality" to a "vulgar, demeaning moment of black female objectification". Some critics compared "How Many Licks?" to Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj's 2014 single, "Anaconda". Alex Kristelis of "Bustle" noted that both songs focused on men's appreciation of the singer's body. A "Khaleej Times" writer called "Anaconda" a "blatant copy" of "How Many Licks?", with Minaj's song sharing "the lyrical blue print and theme" of Lil' Kim's. "Westword"'s Cory Lamz wrote that Minaj parodied "How Many Licks?" and its associated visuals in the music video for her 2011 single "Stupid Hoe". According to Michael Arceneaux, "How