Da Brat

Background

Shawntae Harris, better known as Da Brat, was born on April 14, 1974, in Chicago, Illinois. She lived with her family— mother and father — and was cared for by both. When she was a youngster, her parents divorced. At the time, wearing long skirts and participating in the chorus at a strict Pentecostal church attended by Harris, known as Shawnie then, was a must. When Harris initially began listening to artists like Monie Love and LL Cool J, she started moving away from gospel music.

Known for her fast-paced lyrical style, Harris rose to prominence in the 1990s. Singing about drugs and violence helped keep her relevant in the male-dominated hip-hop scene even though she was a female rapper. In October 1996, “Anuthatantrum,” Harris’s follow-up album, was released. Unlike her earlier venture, when Dupri was the only creative power, she was more involved this time around. Aside from receiving mixed reviews, it failed to get the same sales as her previous work. T-Boz from TLC joined her on the hit ‘Ghetto Love.’ Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, and Lil’ Kim have all worked with her on remixes of her songs, including ‘Always Be My Baby,’ ‘Heartbreaker,’ and ‘Sock It to Me.’

Her outspoken persona won over hip-hop and music lovers equally. Rapper and actress Harris rose to fame in the U.S. after receiving two Grammy nominations during a six-year period. She is the first female solo rapper to have an album certified platinum for her first album — “Funkdafied.” However, she is best known for her work as a guest musician on the albums of other composers. Currently, Harris has been in many films and television series as well as being a member of the So So Def Records roster. The actress/rapper acts as a judge on MTV’s reality competition program “Celebrity Rap Superstar.” There are two Grammy nominations for Harris and three Billboard Awards for the artist. Her career has been colored by controversy due to her unpredictable behavior. She has gotten into several legal fights, and she’s even done time in jail.