Tonya Michelle Johnston (born July 17, 1973), better known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Solé, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from Kansas City,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Biography

Solé was born in 1973 in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, to Phyllis Frazier and James Johnston, Her siblings are Sean and Charles (Chuck) Johnston, Sierra and Tamika Gamble. She is of West African, East African, Tamil (South Indian), Native American and Eastern European descent. She attended cosmetology school and college in the early 90’s where she studied Political Science and Psychology before securing a record deal with Dreamworks Records and Red Zone Entertainment

Musical career

Solé descended from a family of musical talent, song writers, singers and musicians. She began rapping at the age of 6 and formed a group called Divine with her best friend Shurhea Mitchell in 1986. The would perform at local talent shows and in 1990 they won a trip to the BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) in New Orleans, Louisiana, to perform at a showcase in front of record label execs and other artists. They were offered a record deal by JDK Records and flew to New York to record. Her father, who was managing them at the time, didn’t feel it was a good deal so they went back home and started college. She once again began recording in 1997 with

Tech 9 The Intratec TEC-9, TEC-DC9, KG-99 and AB-10 are a line of blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols. They were developed by Intratec, an American subsidiary of the Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Introduced in 1984, the TEC-9 was ...

and Don Juan of Kansas City fame and traveled to LA to record. She met Thabiso Nkhereanye who introduced her to

Christopher Tricky Stewart Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

of Red Zone Entertainment, who signed her to a production deal. Her career took off as a hardcore female hip hop artist by attracting attention in the summer of 1999 with her appearance on

J.T. Money Jeffrey Jermaine Thompkins (born September 14, 1972), known by his stage name JT Money, is an American rapping, rapper and the leader of Miami-based hip hop group Poison Clan. Thompkins began his career in the late 1980s as a protégé of Luthe ...

's hit single "Who Dat," which reached number 1 on the US Rap chart, remaining there for 8 weeks (a record at the time), winning number 2 on the US R&B chart, and number 5 on the US Hot 100. Who Dat won "Rap Single of the Year" at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards as well. In September 1999, she released her debut album ''Skin Deep'', which was an overall success in the United States attaining Gold status and garnered her a nomination for "Rap Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards. She also went on to win several ASCAP Music awards that same year. Her highly anticipated return to music was guided by a desire to offer music that is empowering and inspiring, reflective of the path that she embarked upon when she left the industry. In 2011 she was featured on “Naal Naachna" by UK based Bhangra artist

Jassi Sidhu Jassi Sidhu (born 1978, Birmingham, United Kingdom) is a Bhangra singer and the former lead singer of bhangra band B21. He split from the group, declaring that they would "never, ever reconcile" and that "(B21 was) nothing more than a glorifi ...

lead singer of British Indian bhangra band B21. In February 2012 she featured on a song called "A New Look" by Focus. In 2017 she was featured on "SocMed Digital Heroin" from

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

30th-anniversary album "Nothing Is Quick In The Desert". On September 29, 2019, Solé released her second album ''Encoded.''

Personal life

Solé met

Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic Records as a solo ...

in June 1999 and began dating in October 1999. The two became engaged in August 2000. They resided in Brandywine, Maryland. They have two daughters together: Story (born March 29, 2001) and Dream Sarae Lumpkin (born November 1, 2002). Solè married Ginuwine on September 8, 2003 in

Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles ( ...

. Solé has 4 daughters in total and one grand daughter. Her daughters De'jan Nicole Lee born in 1992 and Cypress Soleil Lee born in 1995 are from a previous relationship. Her granddaughter, Sage Lotus Lee was born May 17, 2020. In 2014, Solé filed for divorce and it was made public when In November 2014

announced he and Solé had separated. Their divorce was finalized July 22, 2015. On August 27, 2017, Solé married

band member and rapper

Professor Griff Richard Griffin (born August 1, 1960), better known by his stage name Professor Griff, is an American rapper, spoken word artist, and lecturer currently residing in Atlanta. He was a member of the hip hop group Public Enemy, serving as the grou ...

, taking his last name Shah and legally changing her full name to Aja Shah.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Solo

As featured performer

Guest appearances

References

External links

Solé's Official Website
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Solé's Official Fansite
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Solé interview on Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sole 1973 births Living people Rappers from Kansas City, Missouri DreamWorks Records artists African-American women rappers African-American women singer-songwriters American women rappers Hardcore hip hop artists Midwest hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from Missouri 21st-century women rappers