Mashonda Karima Dean (born January 9, 1978) is an American R&B singer from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. She appeared on several songs from hip hop artists in the 2000s. In 2004, she married record producer

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

, and was once signed to his label Full Surface, under the aegis of

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. Mashonda released her debut studio album ''

January Joy ''January Joy'' is the only studio album by American singer Mashonda, released in Japan in November 2005 via J Records and Full Surface Records. The album features tracks, produced by Swizz Beatz and Kanye West, including two singles: "Back Of ...

'' in 2005. In 2011, Mashonda was a member of the first season of VH1's reality show '' Love & Hip Hop: New York''.

Musical career

In 1998, Mashonda signed a publishing deal with Warner Chapel Music. She subsequently wrote for singer

Monifah Monifa Carter (born January 26, 1972), also known as Monifah, is an American R&B singer. She is best known for her association with the late rapper Heavy D and her music from the mid-1990s, including "I Miss You (Come Back Home)", "You" and " ...

and worked with

Full Force Full Force is an American music group of hip hop and R&B singers and producers from Brooklyn, New York. Members *B-Fine (Brian George) - drums and drum programming, backing vocals *Shy Shy (Hugh Junior Clark) - bass guitar, backing vocals ...

. The following year, she signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. In 1999, she was featured on American rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's single "

Girl's Best Friend "Girl's Best Friend" is a 1999 single by rapper Jay-Z that features vocals from Mashonda. It was released on August 9, 1999, as a single to promote the comedy film ''Blue Streak'' and appears on its soundtrack '' Blue Streak: The Album''. In the s ...

", for the soundtrack to the film ''

Blue Streak Blue Streak or Bluestreak may refer to: Entertainment * ''Blue Streak'' (album), a 1995 album by American blues guitarist Luther Allison * Blue Streak (comics), a secret identity used by three separate Marvel Comics supervillains * Bluestreak (co ...

''. The song, produced by

, was also included as a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

on Jay-Z's fourth studio album '' Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'' (1999). Mashonda's vocals also featured on American rapper

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

's song "Gotta Man", produced by Beatz, from her debut studio album '' Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady'' (1999). Mashonda went on to make

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s on American rapper

Cassidy Cassidy may refer to: Personal names * Cassidy (given name) * Cassidy (surname) People * Cassidy (musician) (born 1979), lead singer of Antigone Rising * Cassidy (rapper) (born 1982), American rapper * DJ Cassidy (born 1981), New York DJ * Jame ...

's "Get No Better", produced by Beatz, from his album ''

Split Personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

'' (2004), and American rapper

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

's Beatz-produced song "Listen Baby", from his 2005 album '' All or Nothing''. Mashonda's debut album ''

'', produced by Beatz,

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

, was released in November 2005 in Japan. The album was supported by two singles, co-written by Beatz: " Back of da Club", featuring Beatz, and "Blackout" featuring

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. In March 2009, she released a

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

titled ''The Renovation Series''.. Mashonda took time off from her music career to raise her son.

Other ventures

Mashonda was the author of a column, "Pandora's Box", on ''

Vibe Vixen ''Vibe Vixen'' is a magazine geared towards female readers of ''Vibe Magazine'' that covered fashion, beauty, dating, entertainment, sex, and societal issues for "urban minded females". The magazine was initially released in fall of 2004 and sale ...

''. Mashonda authored a book on co-parenting, titled ''Blend: The Secret to Co-Parenting and Creating a Balanced Family'' (2018), with contributions from co-parents Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.

Personal life

Mashonda began dating

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Kasseem Dean, known as

, in 1998. She had a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

in 2000. She was step mom to Beatz's son Nasir, who was born during her pregnancy and whom she named. She and Beatz married in 2004. Their son, Kasseem Dean, Jr., was born in 2006. In 2008 the couple announced their break up. According to Swizz, they had been separated nine or 10 months by June 2008, after he began his affair with singer

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

. The divorce was finalized in May 2010, citing

irreconcilable differences ''Irreconcilable Differences'' is a 1984 American comedy-drama film starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and Drew Barrymore. The film was a minor box-office success, making over $12 million. For their performances, both Long and Barrymore were no ...

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2005) *Note To Self (2022)

Mixtapes

*''The Renovation Series'' (2009) *''Love, Mashonda'' (2012)

Singles

;As lead artist *2005: Back Of Da Club *2006: Black Out (feat. Snoop Dogg) *2006: Used To (Promo Only) *2009: Dirty Laundry (feat. Eve) *2009: No Panties (Buzz Single) *2011: Intrigued (Buzz Single) *2011: Juicy Fruit *2012: Touch Me *2012: Mystery (feat. Lil Mo) *2020: King *2021: Honey, I See You *2022: Forbidden Fruit *2022: Positive Distraction *2022: Complicated

Guest appearances

Filmography

References

{{Authority control Living people 1978 births 21st-century American singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers Participants in American reality television series 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers African-American women writers