| Lady May | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rhonda Robinson |
| Also known as | Mae West |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, actress, model |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Crazy Cat, Arista |
Lady May (born Rhonda Robinson) is an American rapper from New York City's suburbs.
May was born in the 1980s and grew up listening to Elton John, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson. At the age of fifteen, May stopped attending high school and became a hip hop dancer in music videos for artists such as LL Cool J and Jodeci, but was left unsatisfied, eventually turning to rap music.[1]
She began rapping in the late '90s under her stage name, Mae West; her rapping skills would eventually gain notice from fellow producer/rapper, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, who introduced her via his 2000 solo debut album, Tell 'Em Why U Madd, on the track "Shysty Broads" alongside with former Timbaland protégé, Babe Blue.[2] He later renamed her, Lady May, introduced her to Crazy Cat Productions and she eventually landed a contract deal with Arista Records in 2001.
May released her debut single in 2002, "Round Up", which featured R&B singer and former label-mate Blu Cantrell. Her next selected single was to be "Dick & the Doe"; a music video was shot for the single but in the midst of the pushbacks for May Day, which was first scheduled for a release in May 2002, then to July 16, 2002, then finally to August 2002, the single and video as well as the album were altogether shelved after the poor reception gained from "Round Up" - the album eventually leaked onto P2P sites. She was also featured on former label-mate Rob Jackson's 2002 single "Boom Boom Boom",[3] which was slated to appear on his debut album, For the People, but was eventually shelved as well. In 2003, she was featured on Willa Ford's "A Toast to Men", also appearing in its video.
The same year she appeared on DJ Kayslay's Streetsweeper Vol. 1 on the song "Seven Deadly Sins", which also featured Vita, Angie Martinez, Duchess, Amil, Sonja Blade, and Remy Ma.[4]
May contributed on Jennifer Lopez's 2007 Brave album credited as a song-writer on several tracks.
Contents |
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. R&B | U.S. dance sales | |||
| 2002 | "Round Up" (featuring Blu Cantrell) | 93[5] | — | May Day |
| "Dick & the Doe" | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "A Toast to Men" (Willa Ford featuring Lady May) | — | 11[6] | SexySexObsessive |