LaVita Gwendolyn Raynor (born January 27,1976), known simply as Vita, is an American

rapper 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 ...

, songwriter and actress. Raynor is perhaps best known for her role as Kionna, the mistress of Tommy "Buns" Bundy (portrayed by DMX), in the 1998 crime drama film '' Belly''. As a rapper, Raynor is known for her appearances on the songs " Lapdance" by

N.E.R.D N.E.R.D. (a backronym of No-one Ever Really Dies) was an American rock and hip-hop band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1994. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin. After producing songs for several artists ...

, " Put It on Me" by

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

, and " Down 4 U" by

Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...

. In 2014, Raynor was included in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s list of the "31 Female Rappers Who Changed Hip-Hop".

Biography

Career

Raynor had a minor role in the 1998 crime drama film ''Belly'' as 16-year-old girl Kionna (who is one of Tommy "Buns" Bundy's girlfriends). In the same year, Raynor also appeared in the video of the song " Break Ups 2 Make Ups" by

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

and

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

, playing the former's girlfriend. By 2000, Raynor was signed to

Murder Inc Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group active from 1929 to 1941 that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included Italian-American Mafia, the Jewish ...

. In 2001, Raynor appeared on the hook of “The Learning (Burn),” the first single released from the

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

album

Infamy Infamy is notoriety gained from actions considered dangerous, disrespectful, immoral, unethical, or otherwise perceived in a negative manner. An infamous person or organization is one considered to have said or done something that provokes publ ...

. Raynor contributed vocals and appeared in the official music video for the remix to Ja Rule's " Holla Holla", and made a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

in the video for Ja Rule's "6 Feet Underground". In 2002, Raynor contributed to the

-produced hit single " Down 4 U" with

, Ashanti, and Charli Baltimore from the Murder Inc. compilation album '' Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.''. The song was another hit for Vita, peaking within the top ten on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. In July 2002, Vita parted ways with Irv Gotti and Murder Inc. Consequently, Vita's debut album on Murder Inc., ''La Dolce Vita'', which was originally scheduled to be released on December 11, 2001 then delayed to Fall 2002, was ultimately shelved. With the first single "Justify My Love" not gaining attention,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

shut her down from making her re-make original, as she recorded a version with her rapping, but Madonna did not clear the version with the rap. Her debut album was later released on

DatPiff DatPiff was an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Me ...

. Raynor made a comeback in 2012 with the mixtape, ''Pre-cumm'', a title given for "pure shock value"; she has also worked on producing a lingerie line.

Personal life

Raynor is the younger sister of singer Kima Raynor.The Motherlode, 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop By Clover Hope · 2021
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Discography

Mixtapes

Filmography

References

External links

Vita at MySpace
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vita Living people 1976 births African-American women rappers 21st-century American women rappers American actresses 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians