Monifah

Born January 28, 1972 and raised in New York City, the R&B singer and reality star Monifah found outlets for her creativity at an early age. In addition to appearing off-Broadway, she attended the Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. After finishing her studies, she found work as a back-up singer for Maxi Priest, before being discovered by Heavy D, who took an interest in her career. Her breakout 1996 album Moods…Moments spun off the top forty R&B singles “I Miss You (Come Back Home)”, “You”, and “You Don’t Have to Love Me”. “You” crossed over and became a top 40 hit on the pop chart. Her 1998 follow-up Mo’hogany included the biggest single of her career to that time, “Touch It”, which climbed to number 9 on both the pop and R&B charts. After the release of 2000’s Home failed to make a stir, her recording career ceased. She was a cast member on the reality TV show R&B Divas: Atlanta. She appeared on two tracks on the soundtrack album released in association with the series.