Da Brat was a pioneer as far as females rappers go. Instead of focusing primarily on sex appeal to gain fans like most other female rappers, Da Brat crafted the image of a rough exterior and let her lyrical ability do the talking.

Da Brat was born in Chicago in 1974, and it didn't take long for hip-hop to pique her interest. She was rapping by the age of 11 and was discovered by producer Jermaine Dupri when she placed first in an amateur rap contest when she was 18. She signed with Dupri's label So So Def and released her debut album, Funkdafied, in 1994. The album, headlined by its title track, was an immediate hit, storming up and eventually topping the R&B chart. Funkdafied became record by a female rapper to go platinum.

Her sophomore effort, Anuthatantrum, shot to the R&B top five and the Pop Top 20. The album's popularity led to collaborative efforts with artists such as Mariah Carey and fellow- female lyricists Missy Elliot and Lil' Kim. In 2000 Da Brat was arrested on assault charges to which she pled guilty and received no jail time for. Her third album, Unrestricted, was dropped later that year with the rapper sporting a sexier image than in the past. Again, Da Brat found herself atop the R&B charts. Unrestricted also resonated with mainstream listeners, climbing to the fifth spot on the pop charts. It remains the highest position any Da Brat album has reached on the pop charts to date.

Da Brat has appeared in a number of films, such as 1996's Kazaam and 2001's Glitter. She also appeared on the VH1 reality television show The Surreal Life. Her most recent album, Ghetto Love, was released in 2005. Da Brat's take-charge, in-your-face style garnered her quite a bit of attention when she burst onto the rap scene, but her ability as a lyricist has helped her endure as a formidable artist in the male-dominated world of rap.