Though she had made more than a dozen appearances on soundtracks as well as albums from her Death Row Records cohorts, the Lady of Rage didn't release an album until 1997. A native of Farmville, Virginia, she was discovered by Death Row's Dr. Dre and cut several vocals for the L.A. Posse's 1991 album They Come in All Colors. Her 1994 single for Death Row, "Afro Puffs" (from the Above the Rim soundtrack) placed on the R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot 100 charts, featuring Dre on production and backing vocals by Snoop Dogg. She was also featured on several Death Row albums, including Snoop's Tha Doggfather. Her own album, Necessary Roughness, hit the Top 40 upon release in June 1997. A series of guest appearances and acting gigs followed throughout the next several years, and she worked on a second proper solo album titled Queen Kong. ~ John Bush