United Dyvaz Social Club, Los Angeles

PHOTOS OF DA BRAT WITH HER MOM, NADINE BREWER
Shawntae Harris-D**art (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. She began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album Funkdafied (1994) sold one million copies, making her the first-ever female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification, and the second-ever female rap act (solo or group) after Salt-N-Pepa.

Da Brat was born in Joliet, Illinois, and raised on Chicago's West Side. Her father was David Ray McCoy, a businessman, and mother, Nadine Brewer, a city bus driver. Da Brat lived part of the time with her mother and grandmother and attended an Apostolic church four times a week, where she sang in the choir. She is the paternal half-sister of LisaRaye McCoy.

Da Brat attended Kenwood Academy during her sophomore and junior year, where she ran track and played basketball. She graduated from the Academy of Scholastic Achievement in 1992.

In 1992, Da Brat's big break occurred when she won the grand prize in a local rap contest sponsored by Yo! MTV Raps. For the prize, she met the young rap duo Kris Kross. They introduced her to their producer, Jermaine Dupri, who signed her to his So So Def label.

Da Brat's debut album Funkdafied was released in 1994 and entered the rap albums chart at number 11. The album went platinum, making her the first female solo rapper to sell one million copies. The single "Funkdafied" reached number 1 on the rap singles chart and number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her follow-up single from the same album, "Give It 2 You," reached number 26 on the Hot 100.

In 1996, Da Brat released her second full-length album, Anuthatantrum, which included the single "Ghetto Love" featuring T-Boz of TLC. During the rest of the 1990s, Da Brat came to be known more for her "featured" appearances on other rappers' and R&B singers' albums rather than for her own solo work.

Da Brat was featured with Kris Kross on the title track of their album Da Bomb (1993) as well as on their third album Young, Rich and Dangerous (1996). She contributed a rhyme to the hip hop remix of Mariah Carey's hit, "Always Be My Baby" (1996). She also made her feature film debut that year in Kazaam (1996) with Shaquille O'Neal. In 1997 she and Dupri appeared on the remix of the Dru Hill hit "In My Bed". That same year, Da Brat appeared along with Dupri on a remix of Carey's "Honey (So So Def mix)" (1997) and recorded the hit remix of "Ladies' Night (Not Tonight)" (1997) with Lil' Kim, Left-Eye of TLC, Angie Martinez, and Missy Elliott. Also in 1997, she was featured on "Sock It 2 Me," a track on Missy Elliott's debut album, Supa D**a Fly. In 1999, she appeared, alongside Krayzie Bone, on the remix to Mariah Carey's cover of Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe" (1998). She also appeared as a guest artist with Elliott on Carey's remix of "Heartbreaker" (1999), and on the remix of Brandy's "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)." That year, she was also featured on a remix of the Destiny's Child single "Jumpin', Jumpin'" (1999). Her other albums are Unrestricted (2000) and
Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz (2003)

In 2005, she made a comeback of sorts when she was featured on the remix of the song "I Think They Like Me," by Dem Franchize Boyz, which also featured Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2006, she was an onstage guest on Mariah Carey's The Adventures of Mimi Tour in Atlanta, New York City, Long Island, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles performing her rap verses on the "Heartbreaker" and "Honey" remixes. She was also featured on Kelly Rowland's "Gotsta Go," a bonus track from her 2007 album Ms. Kelly and is also featured on "4real4real", a bonus track from Carey's E=MC². She also co-wrote a song with Carey called "O.O.C." which appears on E=MC² and contributes backing vocals on the track. In 2007, she participated in the fifth season of the VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club. In 2011, she did a remix with Kelly Rowland called "Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne. She released her new single "Is It Chu?" on iTunes and other digital services on July 2, 2013.

She now works for the Rickey Smiley Morning show as a co-host (July 2015 – present) and is part of the Dish Nation cast out of Atlanta. Since 2016, Da Brat has appeared on the reality TV series The Rap Game, as a mentor to young talent. In 2017 Da Brat joined the reality TV series Growing up Hip Hop: Atlanta which follows around Atlanta legends and children of Atlanta legends.

On July 6, 2023, Da Brat gave birth to her first child with Jesseca Harris-D**art. The baby boy arrived at 8:30 p.m. and weighed 7 lbs., 8 oz. His name is True Legend Harris-D**art.

“I can’t believe he came out of me! Feels like a dream. He’s perfect in every way,” Da Brat, 49, told the People magazine. “This journey has been more amazing than we could’ve ever imagined.”

FILMS

1996 Kazaam Herself
1997 Rhyme & Reason Herself Cameo
2001 Glitter Louise
2002 Civil Brand Sabrina
2006 30 Days Camisha
2018 Canal Street Herelf

TELEVISION

1994–95 All That (Herself) 2 episodes
1995–97 It's Showtime at the Apollo (Herself) 4 episodes
1996-2003 Soul Train (Herself) 3 episodes
1997–98 The Parent 'Hood (Bernice "Boo" Walker) 2 episodes
2001 Carmen: A Hip Hopera (Narrator) Television film
2002 Weakest Link (Herself) Episode: "Rap Stars"
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (Baby K2K) Episode: "Shift Happens"
2014–17 The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Herself) 4 episodes
2015 Empire (Jezzy) Episode: "Et Tu, Brute?"
2015–present Dish Nation (Host )Main cast
2016–19 The Rap Game (Herself)
2017 Hip Hop Squares (Herself) 3 episodes
2017 Star (Herself) Episode: "A House Divided"
2017–21 Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta (Herself) Supporting cast: season 1-2a, main cast: season 2b-4
2021 The Chi (Laporsha) Season 4
2022 Step Up: High Water 2 episodes
2023 Saturdays (Princess) Episode: "Don't Clown the Duchess"

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

Grammy Awards

▪1998 "Not Tonight" Remix
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (Nominated)
▪2004 "Got It Poppin'"
Best Female Rap Solo Performance (Nominated)

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards

▪1995 Funkdafied
Best Rap Album (Won)

BET Awards

▪2001 & 2004 Herself
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)

Billboard Awards

▪1994 Herself
#1 Rap Artist (Won)

2023 has arrived