Rhonda Natasha Robinson (born March 6, 1974), better known by her stage name Lady May, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Long Island,

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

's suburbs. May is

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

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, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band wen ...

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 one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. 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, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

and

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of lim ...

, but was left unsatisfied, eventually turning to

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. She danced with Big Lez and became and accountant for Trackmasters. She began rapping in the late 1990s under her stage name, Mae West; her rapping skills would eventually gain notice from fellow producer/rapper, Deric " D-Dot" 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, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

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 North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

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

Blu Cantrell Blu Cantrell (born Tiffany Cobb; March 16, 1976) is an American contemporary R&B, R&B and soul music, soul singer-songwriter. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at num ...

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. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

. 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 singer, songwriter, dancer, model, television personality and film actress. She released her debut album, '' Willa Was Here'', in 2001. Ford also h ...

's "

A Toast to Men "A Toast to Men" is a song by American singer Willa Ford featuring Lady May. A pop track, Toby Gad, who wrote it with Ford and Rhonda Robinson, produced it. Ford's record label Lava approached Gad for the collaboration after he was strugglin ...

", also appearing in its video. The same year she appeared on

DJ Kayslay Keith Grayson (August 14, 1966 – April 17, 2022), professionally known as DJ Kay Slay, was an American disc jockey (DJ) from New York City. He is referred to by '' The New York Times'' as "Hip Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults". He released f ...

's ''Streetsweeper Vol. 1'' on the song "Seven Deadly Sins", which also featured

Vita Vita or VITA (plural vitae) is Latin for "life", and may refer to: * ''Vita'', the usual start to the title of a biography in Latin, by which (in a known context) the work is often referred to; frequently of a saint, then called hagiography * Vit ...

Angie Martinez Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, rapper, singer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to jo ...

, Duchess, Amil, Sonja Blade, and

Remy Ma Reminisce Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut st ...

. May contributed on Jennifer Lopez's 2007 ''

Brave Brave most commonly refers to: *Brave, an adjective for one who possesses courage *Braves (Native Americans), a EuroAmerican stereotype for Native American warriors Brave(s) or The Brave(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Brave'' (199 ...

'' 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 African-American women rappers American women 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 singers 21st-century women rappers