Rhonda Natasha Robinson (born March 6, 1974), known professionally as Lady May, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

's suburbs.

Early life

May is

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

and partly of Asian descent. She grew up listening to

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. At the age of fifteen, May stopped attending high school and became a

hip hop dance Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in ...

r in music videos for artists such as

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

and

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and K-Ci & JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo ...

, but was left unsatisfied, eventually turning to

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

. She danced with Big Lez and became an accountant for

Trackmasters The Trackmasters, also known as Poke & Tone, is an American hip hop production outfit composed of Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier born January 21, 1970; Brooklyn, New York ) and Tone (Samuel Barnes born January 20, 1969; Brooklyn, New York). Active fro ...

Career

She began rapping in the late 1990s under 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 ...

, Mae West; her rapping skills would eventually gain notice from fellow producer/rapper, Deric "

D-Dot Deric Michael Angelettie (born July 31, 1968), also known by his stage names D-Dot, Papa Dot, and the Madd Rapper, is an American record producer. He served as executive producer and A&R for the album '' No Way Out'' (1997) by Puff Daddy & the ...

" Angelettie, who introduced her via his 2000 solo debut album, ''Tell 'Em Why U Madd'', on the track "Shysty Broads" alongside former

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

protégé, Babe Blue. He later renamed her, Lady May, introduced her to Crazy Cat Productions and she eventually landed a contract deal with

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

in 2001. May released her debut single in 2002, " Round Up", which featured R&B singer and former label-mate

Blu Cantrell Tiffany Cobb (born March 16, 1976), known professionally as Blu Cantrell, is an American contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two ...

it had got slowly rotation on the radio and her and Cantrell performed it together on

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

. Her following planned single was "Dick & Doe"; a music video for the song was shot but in the midst of the pushbacks for ''May Day'' (first scheduled for a release in May 2002, then to July 16, 2002, then August 2002), the single and video as well as the album were altogether shelved after the poor reception gained from "Round Up" - the album eventually leaked onto P2P sites. She was also featured on former label-mate Rob Jackson's 2002 single "Boom Boom Boom", which was slated to appear on his debut album, ''For the People'', but was eventually shelved as well. In 2003, she was featured on

Willa Ford Amanda Lee Williford (born January 22, 1981), known by her stage name Willa Ford, is an American interior designer and former singer, songwriter, television personality, film actress, dancer, and model. She released her debut album, '' Willa Wa ...

's " A Toast to Men", also appearing in its video. The same year she appeared on DJ Kayslay's ''Streetsweeper Vol. 1'' on the song "Seven Deadly Sins", which also featured Vita,

Angie Martinez Angela "Angie" Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, podcaster, singer, former rapper and actress. Dubbed "The Voice of New York", Martinez is widely known for her 28-year run at New York City station WQHT, Hot 97 ( ...

, Duchess,

Amil Amil Kahala Whitehead (born September 19, 1973) is an American former rapper and singer. Based in New York City, she signed with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, in a joint venture with Columbia Records in 1997. The following year, she appeared al ...

, Sonja Blade, and

Remy Ma Reminisce Kioni Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper and songwriter. Discovered by the late rapper Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad ...

. May contributed on

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

's 2007 ''

Brave Brave(s) or The Brave(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Brave, an adjective for one who possesses courage * Braves (Native Americans), a Euro-American stereotype for Native American warriors Film and television * ''Brave'' (1994 film), a concept ...

'' album credited as a songwriter on several tracks. ''May Day'' was ultimately released online on all platforms on August 30, 2023, nearly 21 years after it was ultimately shelved. It contains a few more interludes that were not present on the tracklist of the initial promotional copies that circulated physically.

Discography

Singles

Album appearances

Filmography

References

External links

VH1 BioMTV News: You Hear It First
* {{DEFAULTSORT:May, Lady Living people 1974 births American rappers of Asian descent People from Long Island Rappers from New York (state) African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters African-American women rappers African-American rappers East Coast hip-hop musicians Arista Records artists Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Hardcore hip-hop artists Actresses from New York (state) American film actresses African-American actresses 21st-century American rappers 21st-century African-American women rappers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American women rappers