Da Brat

Emerging onto the hip-hop landscape in the 1990s, Da Brat stood out as one of the earliest hard-edged female MCs. Although her image incorporated sexuality, this aspect mattered far less to her than it did for Lil' Kim or Foxy Brown; instead, she built her reputation through a tough, profane approach in which her hardcore stance and lyrical abilities faced no challenge. Born Shawntae Harris in Chicago during 1974, she began rapping at age 11. While still a teenager in 1992, producer Jermaine Dupri discovered her after she won an amateur rap contest that led to an introduction with Dupri's protégés Kris Kross. Their support prompted him to sign her to his So So Def label, where he produced her debut album, Funkdafied, issued in 1994. The title track achieved massive success, reaching number two on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and holding the top spot on Hot Rap Singles for nearly three months. That momentum, along with follow-up singles Fa All Y'All and Give It 2 You, allowed Da Brat to become the first female rapper with a platinum-selling album. Funkdafied also claimed the number-one position on R&B Albums, an extraordinary feat for any debut by a female rapper.

Taking greater command of her sound and identity for the 1996 follow-up Anuthatantrum, Da Brat scored hits including "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Ghetto Love." The project again performed strongly, returning her to the R&B Top Five and the pop Top 20. Afterward she delivered high-profile guest spots on tracks by artists such as Mariah Carey, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Total, Dru Hill, and Lil' Kim. She also made her film debut that year in the Shaquille O'Neal comedy Kazaam. Just before issuing her third album in 2000, Da Brat faced arrest on assault charges stemming from an alleged pistol-whipping incident involving another woman at an Atlanta nightclub. She later entered a guilty plea to the reduced charge of reckless conduct and received only a fine, probation, and community service. Her album Unrestricted arrived in spring 2000 and presented her with a somewhat sexier image. It became her second R&B chart-topper while also marking her strongest Billboard 200 showing, climbing into the Top Five, and it yielded hits with the singles "That's What I'm Looking For" and "What'Chu Like."

In 2001 Da Brat returned to the screen in Mariah Carey's ill-fated film Glitter and delivered her next solo release, Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz, in 2003. A couple of years later she co-starred in the fourth season of the VH1 reality series The Surreal Life and joined a remix of Dem Franchize Boyz' hit single "I Think They Like Me." Despite the track's success, it failed to revive her recording career. Over the ensuing years she made occasional appearances with other artists and joined Mariah Carey on tour. Her trajectory was interrupted by a prison term for aggravated assault. She resurfaced in 2013 with the single "Is It Chu" on her Rare Breed label. A few years afterward her profile rose sharply when she joined The Rickey Smiley Morning Show as co-host. Shortly thereafter she guest-starred in an episode of Empire and released the single "#YAK (You Already Know)," which featured Sage the Gemini and Eric Bellinger.