Ms. Melodie, the stage name of Ramona Parker (''née'' Scott; March 21, 1969 – July 17, 2012), was an American emcee. She was associated with KRS-One's group

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

(BDP) and was for a time married to KRS-One. She was described by Vibe as "one of the ladies who could sonically spar with the fellas, spit raw lyrics, rhyme from a female's perspective, and hold their own."

Career

She participated in the 1989 "Self Destruction" piece created by the

Stop the Violence Movement Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

. AllMusic said that her single, "Hype According to Ms. Melodie", featured an "aggressive style" and was "excellent". Ms. Melodie and the rest of BDP appeared in the

Keenen Ivory Wayans Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and the creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch comedy ...

film ''

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' is a 1988 American blaxploitation parody film written, directed by, and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans in his directorial debut. Featured in the film are several noteworthy African-American actors who were part of the ...

''. Her only album, ''Diva'', was released the following year by Jive/

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

and was largely produced by KRS-One, with contributions from Sam Sever and the Awesome 2's DJ Teddy Tedd. The single "Wake Up, Wake Up" reached the Top 20 of Billboard's

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart; the music video to its follow-up single "Live on Stage" was a hit on video stations. She appeared in the music video for

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

's single "Ladies First".

Discography

* ''Diva'' (1989)

Personal life

She was raised in the Flatbush section of the New York City

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of Brooklyn. She was the younger sister of former BDP member Harmony (Harmony, born Pamela (Scott) Pettway went on to sing gospel as a lead vocalist for Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - winning six Grammy awards, the most of any gospel choir). She was married to KRS One from 1987 to 1992. She had two sons. Scott died on July 17, 2012, at the age of 43 of complications from an undisclosed illness.

References

External links

* * Ms. Melodieat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

* 1969 births 2012 deaths American women rappers African-American women rappers Jive Records artists Rappers from Brooklyn Place of death missing Place of birth missing 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women {{US-hiphop-bio-stub