She made her mark by being one of the first female rappers to go platinum.
Da Brat was born Shawntae Harris on April 14, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. Her single “Funkdafied,” from the album of the same name, topped the charts in 1994. She spent the rest of the 1990s not so much as a solo performer but as a contributor to other pop singers' work, such as the hip hop remixes of Mariah Carey's “Always Be My Baby” and “Honey.” She likewise came to be known for getting featured on other rappers' and singers' albums, collaborating with the likes of Lil' Kim, Left-Eye, Missy Elliott, T-boz, and even Destiny's Child.
In 2000, she underwent a transformation from sporting a gangsta look to a sexier, more popular one, following the disappointing reception to her third album "Unrestricted" which came out that year. Da Brat also has several screen credits, such as the 2001 drama Glitter and the 2002 thriller Civil Brand. In 2007, moreover, she was arrested in Georgia for allegedly assaulting a waitress with a bottle of rum.
In 2005, Da Brat was cast in VH1 show
The Surreal Life season 4. The show features celebrities who are said to be past their primes and puts them in a Hollywood Hills mansion for two weeks. As if this is not enough, unforgiving cameras also follow their every move. The challenges for this season include the cast starring in their own kung-fu movie and riding horses. Standing out from the episodes, though, is Da Brat's conflict with guitarist Jane Weidlin. Initially afraid of being in the house with what she called as a bunch of has-been's, she earned the ire of Weidlin, who refused to agree that she is already a has-been. Up the show's final episodes, Da Brat was unrepentant with her supposedly brutal honesty.
(Photo courtesy of VH1)