Monie Love
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monie Love | ||
|---|---|---|
 Monie Love from the cover of 1990's
Down To Earth album |
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Simone Wilson | |
| Also known as | Monie Love Simone Gooden |
|
| Born | July 2, 1970 | |
| Origin |  London, England |
|
| Genre(s) | Hip hop BritHop New jack swing |
|
| Instrument(s) | Microphone | |
| Years active | 1989–Present | |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros. | |
| Associated acts |
Native Tongues Posse | |
Simone Wilson or Simone Gooden[1] (born July 2, 1970, in London) known by her stage name Monie Love, is a female, English rapper and current radio personality in the United States. Love was a well respected figure in British hip hop, and made an impact with American hip hop audiences as a protégé of female American rapper Queen Latifah, as well as through her membership in the late 1980s/early 1990s Native Tongues Posse.[2] Love was one of the first BritHop artists to be signed and distributed world-wide by a major record label.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Early years
Love was born in the Battersea district of London on July 2, 1970. She is the younger sister of techno musician Dave Angel, and was a daughter to a London-based, jazz musician father.[1]
[edit] Musical career
Love began her hip hop/BritHop career as a rapper in the British Jus Bad crew, which featured DJ Pogo, Sparki, and MC Mell'O'. The group released the single "Free Style/Proud" on the indepedent Tuff Groove record label in 1988.
Love first gained critical and commercial notice in the United States 1989 for her cameos in Queen Latifah's Grammy-winning and pro-feminist single "Ladies First", in the Jungle Brothers' well-received single "Doin' Our Own Dang", and in De La Soul's hit single, "Buddy". The acclaim led her to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, making Love one of the few British rap efforts released by a major label.[2]
Love also has a place in hip-hop history as a member of the Native Tongues Posse, a positive-minded rap collective which included Queen Latifah, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, and a number of other acts.
Love's debut album, Down To Earth, spawned two, Grammy-nominated hits, "Monie In The Middle" (a high school-set track dealing with a woman's right to determine what she wants out of a relationship), and "It's a Shame (My Sister)" (which sampled The Spinners' "It's A Shame" written for the band by Stevie Wonder). The album reached #26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[2]
Love was featured on her brother Dave Angel's remix of Whitney Houston's dance hit, "My Name Is Not Susan", in 1991. Love's 1992 single, "Full Term Love", from the Class Act movie soundtrack, reached #7 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.[3]
Love collaborated with Prince and Marley Marl for her 1993 sophomore album, In A Word Or 2. In A Word Or 2 featured the Prince-produced single, "Born To B.R.E.E.D." (which reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music chart and #7 on the Hot Rap Singles chart), as well as a re-release of "Full Term Love".[3]
Love's last musical release was the EP "Slice of Da Pie" in 2000.
[edit] Radio career
From 2005 until the week of December 11, 2006, Love was the morning drive host on Philadelphia's WPHI-FM 100.3. The December 22, 2006 edition of the Philadelphia Daily News confirmed that Love left WPHI-FM on amicable terms after contract negotiations stalled.[4]
Love is also an Official MySpace.com DJ, according to her MySpace page.
Love currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the single mother to three children.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Down To Earth
|
 |
In A Word Or 2
|
[edit] Solo EPs/Singles
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
 |
Slice Of Da Pie EP
|
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cole, Bethan. MixMag Interview: Dave Angel. techno.de. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Henderson, Alex. All Music Guide Down To Earth Review. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
- ^ a b Henderson, Alex. All Music Guide In A Word Or 2 Review. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
- ^ Conrad, Laurie T. (2006-12-22). Tattle: No mo' Monie. Philadelphia Daily News (philly.com). Retrieved on December 25, 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- A site focusing on the early days of Hip Hop development in the UK
Categories: 1970 births | Living people | American radio personalities | British expatriates in the United States | English dance musicians | English rappers | English female singers | Female rappers | Music from London | Native Tongues Posse | People from Battersea | People from Philadelphia | Rhythmic contemporary musicians
