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's suburbs. May is

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

and partly of

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

descent. She grew up listening to Elton John, Duran Duran 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 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 limi ...

, but was left unsatisfied, eventually turning to rap music. She danced with Big Lez and became and accountant for

Trackmasters The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

. 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 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 R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Cantrell rose to fame in 2001, with the release of her debut single, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)", which peaked at number two on the US ''Billboa ...

it had got slowly rotation on the radio and her and Cantrell performed it together on Soul Train. 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 ha ...

's " A Toast to Men", 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 fou ...

'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 Amil Kahala Whitehead (born September 19, 1973) is an American former rapper and singer. She was prominent in the late 1990s as a Jay-Z protégé, and recorded the single " Can I Get A..." with him for the '' Rush Hour'' soundtrack. Amil's d ...

, 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 stud ...

. May contributed on Jennifer Lopez's 2007 '' Brave'' 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