British rapper Monie Love was still a teenager when she appeared on Queen Latifah's feminist anthem "Ladies First" in 1989. A Top 40 hit on Billboard's R&B and dance charts, the song served as a launchpad for Love's debut album, Down to Earth, which was released the following year. Love — born Simone Johnson on July 2, 1970, in Battersea, London — remained busy during the early 1990s, earning Grammy nominations for her chart-topping rap singles "Monie in the Middle" and "It's a Shame (My Sister)." Her second album, 1993's In a World or 2, included the Number 1 dance hit "Born 2 B.R.E.E.D.," which Monie Love co-wrote alongside Prince. That same year, she also collaborated with Prince on new material for Carmen Electra's debut album. During the 21st century, Monie Love retired from performing and began working as a radio DJ, hosting her own shows for hip-hop stations in Philadelphia, Houston, and Atlanta, as well as XM Satellite Radio.
