Brandi Younger, professionally known by her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Gripsta, is an

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

-born female rapper. Discovered by

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

at the age of 13, she was featured on song titled "Funky Gripsta" off of his 1993 album ''

Home Invasion A home invasion, also called a hot prowl burglary, is a sub-type of burglary (or in some jurisdictions, a separately defined crime) in which an offender unlawfully enters into a building residence while the occupants are inside. The overarching i ...

'' and later signed to Tuff Break/

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

in the 1990s. Her debut single "Pop Goz the 9" was partially leaked in January 1994, its music video was directed by

. However Gripsta's debut single was never officially released. The Tuff Break label on A&M Records was dropped before her scheduled release date. She was later featured on Ice-T's seventh solo studio album '' The Seventh Deadly Sin'', as well as numerous features on record label

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

's '' The Murder Squad'' album. She worked with many artists under that association. She was featured on song “Knock on Wood” alongside Grammy award winning L.V of South Central Cartel (who won a Grammy in 1995 for his feature on Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”)

South Central Cartel South Central Cartel is an American West Coast hip hop/gangsta rap group based in Los Angeles, California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coas ...

Spice 1 Robert Lee Greene Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1991, where he gained p ...

, B.G. Knocc Out, Dresta, Jayo Felony, Young Murder Squad and Sh’killa. Gripsta was also featured in a principal role in the movie ''

Dangerous Minds ''Dangerous Minds'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith, written by Ronald Bass, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It is based on the 1992 autobiography ''My Posse Don't Do Homework'' by retired U.S. Mar ...

'' in which she played one of the many troubled teens that actress

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

sought to reform. Other acting credits include a guest star appearance in the "Leaving the Life" episode of the CBS television show ''

Promised Land In the Abrahamic religions, the "Promised Land" ( ) refers to a swath of territory in the Levant that was bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants by God in Abrahamic religions, God. In the context of the Bible, these descendants are originally ...

'', a semi popular spin-off of CBS more successful show ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...

''.'. As of June 2023 Gripsta released a video on YouTube. This video “This is Cali” is an answer to new female rapper Scarlip “This is New York”. This song details the harsh realities of gang life and dangers of California.

Discography

*"Pop Goz The 9"/"Can't Fade This" (

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

) (Tuff Break Records, 1994) ;Guest appearances * "Funky Gripsta" (with

, from ''

'') (Rhyme $yndicate/

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Silkk the Shocker, Jay-Z, Paris, Mack 10, 504 Boyz, Brotha Lynch Hung, ...

, 1993) * "

Knock on Wood Knock on Wood may refer to: * Knocking on wood, an act of superstition Music * Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd song), "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd song), a 1966 song by Eddie Floyd, covered by many performers * Knock on Wood (Amii Stewart album), '' ...

" (with

, Sh'Killa, from '' Murder Squad Nationwide'') (G.W.K. Records/ DJ West, 1995) * "Female Rydaz", "Now U Wanna Come Back (Reunited We're Not)" and "Whatever It Takes" (with Sh'Killa, from ''Gangstrez From Da Bay'') (G.W.K. Records/Priority Records, 1996) * "Hardcore" (with

, from '' The Seventh Deadly Sin'') (Coroner/

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

, 1999) * "Squeeze On'em" (with T.W.D.Y., from '' Derty Werk'') (Thump Street Records, 1999) * "Nasty" (with

Celly Cel Maurice "Marcellus" James McCarver, better known by his stage name Celly Cel, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He released his first single, "Lifestyle of a Mack", on his independent record label Realside Records in 1992. He releas ...

, from '' Deep Conversation'') (Realside Records, 2000) * "Boss Bitches" (with T.W.D.Y., from '' Lead the Way'') (Thump Street Records, 2000)

References

Living people Gangsta rappers Rappers from Oakland, California 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women rappers {{US-RnB-singer-stub