b. Monifah Carter, Harlem, New York, USA. This US singer enjoyed widespread acclaim in the late 90s with her soulful and intelligent brand of urban R&B. Carter was brought up surrounded by music in the Spanish Harlem district of New York City. A talented child, she landed her first role in an off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream before studying at the La Guardia High School of Performing Arts. Following her graduation she began to sing for a living, touring around the world as a backing vocalist with reggae artist Maxi Priest. Acting on a recommendation from rapper Heavy D, New York’s Uptown Records signed her as a solo artist. She enjoyed almost immediate success with the 1995 radio hit ‘I Miss You (Come Back Home)’, which was featured on the New York Undercover soundtrack. The following year’s Moods… Moments was produced by Heavy D with additional help from Trackmasterz and Vince Herbert.
The main attraction, however, was Monifah’s cool, understated voice, with the singer shining on gospel-inspired ballads such as ‘You Should Have Told Me’ and a cover version of the Commodores’ ‘Jesus Is Love’. Equally compelling were the sensual ‘You’ and the bluesy ‘You Don’t Have To Love Me’. Monifah was credited as executive producer on the follow-up Mo’Hogany, although an impressive list of guest producers included Mario Winans, Jack Knight, Raphael Saadiq, and Queen Latifah. ‘Monifah’s Anthem’/‘Bad Girl’ (featuring Queen Pen), the ballad ‘Better Half Of Me’, and the hit single ‘Touch It’ were just some of the highlights on this classy hip-hop-orientated album. Teddy Riley was brought in as executive producer and co-writer on Home, which returned the singer to her soul roots.
