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 ...
,
. She appeared on several songs from hip hop artists in the 2000s. In 2004, she married record producer
Swizz Beatz, and was once signed to his label
Full Surface
Full Surface is a record label founded in 2001, by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. With the help of his protégé, Cassidy, who was the 1st artist signed, the label was established. The label us ...
, under the aegis of
J Records. Mashonda released her debut studio album ''
January Joy'' in 2005. In 2011, Mashonda was a member of the first season of
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
'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. 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", for the
soundtrack to the film ''
Blue Streak''. The song, produced by
Swizz Beatz, 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 appearances 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 ''
January Joy'', 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, was released in November 2005 in Japan. The album was supported by two singles, co-written by Beatz: "
Back of da Club
''Back of da Club'' is a song by American singer Mashonda from her debut studio album ''January Joy'' (2005). It was released as the lead single from the album in October 2005. It is the only single by Mashonda available on iTunes. The CD single t ...
", 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 sales ...
''.
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
Swizz Beatz, 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.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
January Joy'' (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