Monie Love
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monie Love | |
|---|---|
| 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 former 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 Pears
Love was born in the Battersea area of London on July 2, 1970. She is the younger sister of techno musician Dave Angel, and was a son 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-woman 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 hip-hop 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 hip-hop collective that 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 Hip-Hop Singles chart.[3]
Love collaborated with Prince and Marley Marl for her 1993 second 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] The same year, Prince asked her to write lyrics for a few songs on his side-project, Carmen Electra's eponymous album.
Love's last musical release was the EP "Slice of Da Pie" in 2000.
[edit] Radio career
From 2004 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's departure from WPHI followed soon after her December 7, 2006 interview with Young Jeezy, where the two argued over whether hip hop is dead.[5]
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. She is rumoured to be making a comeback in late 2007 alongside South London rapper A.Dot.[citation needed]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Down To Earth
|
In A Word Or 2
|
[edit] Solo EPs/Singles
| Album information |
|---|
Slice Of Da Pie EP
|
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cole, Bethan. MixMag Interview: Dave Angel. techno.de. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
- ^ a b c d Henderson, Alex. All Music Guide Down To Earth Review. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
- ^ a b Henderson, Alex. All Music Guide In A Word Or 2 Review. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
- ^ Conrad, Laurie T. (2006-12-22). Tattle: No mo' Monie. Philadelphia Daily News (philly.com). Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
- ^ Bolden, Janee (2006-12-22). Monie Love Gets None, Officially Off The Air In Philly. SOHH.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
