Vinia A. Mojica (born March 14, 1970) is a singer-songwriter from

Queens, New York City Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

, United States of America. She is best known for her collaborations with the

Native Tongues The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal me ...

collective and other hip hop artists.

Life and career

Her recording career began in 1989 with the song "Acknowledge Your Own History", from the

Jungle Brothers Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam), and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Known as the pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hip ...

' 1989 album '' Done By the Forces of Nature''. It would be the beginning of her association with the Native Tongues Posse – which would produce

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

's 1991 hit "

A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays" "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"" is a song by American hip hop trio De La Soul, released as the first single from their second studio album, ''De La Soul Is Dead'' (1991). The track includes vocal contributions from rapper Q-Tip, R&B sin ...

" – and continue with

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

and later with its second generation of

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

Hi-Tek Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek (born May 5, 1976), is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi- ...

and

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

. Mojica also made numerous appearances on

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...

's album ''Nuttin' But Love'' (1995) and his 1997 single, "Water Bed Hev"; collaborated with

French hip hop French hip hop is the hip hop music style developed in French-speaking countries. France is the second largest hip-hop market in the world after the United States. History Beginning of French hip hop: the 70s and 80s By 1982 and 1983, a numbe ...

group

Alliance Ethnik Alliance Ethnik was a 1990s in music, 1990s French hip hop band. It was composed of five members from different origins, but all spoke French or were of French origin; Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Italy, and France.Radio Fra ...

in 1995 and 1998; and made guest appearances on albums by

Heltah Skeltah Heltah Skeltah was an American hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Jahmal "Rock" Bush and Sean "Ruck" Price. The two were also members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. Biography Hel ...

Rahzel Rozell Manely Brown (born October 6, 1964) is an American beatboxer and rapper, formerly a member of the Roots. Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and his ...

, and

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongs ...

. Outside of hip hop, she has also recorded and performed with

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

and

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation ''No New York''. In ...

, as well as

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

artists like

Cibo Matto Cibo Matto (, Italian for "crazy food") was an American alternative rock band formed by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori in New York City in 1994. Initially, the band's lyrics were primarily concerned with food, before expanding into broader subject ma ...

DJ Spinna Vincent E. Williamsbetter known by his stage name DJ Spinna, is an American hip hop and deep house producer from Brooklyn. According to Allmusic, he has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent." Life and career Spi ...

, and, in 2005,

Jneiro Jarel Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and Disc Jockey, DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making ali ...

. In 2002 Mojica collaborated with French hip hop and electro artist

DJ Mehdi Mehdi Favéris-Essadi (20 January 1977 – 13 September 2011), better known by his stage name DJ Mehdi, was a French hip hop and house music producer and DJ. He was signed to the label Ed Banger Records, founded by his friend Pedro Winter, in ...

(credited as Espion) on "Anything Is Possible", a track later remixed by Château Flight. In 2003, Mojica finally released her debut single, "Guilt Junkie" (with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Sands of Time").

Discography

;Singles *"Magnificent" (2002) (with

) *"Guilt Junkie" b/w "Sands of Time" (2003) ;Guest appearances *

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

– "Verses from the Abstract" from ''

The Low End Theory ''The Low End Theory'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to ...

'' (1991) *

– "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'" from ''

De La Soul is Dead ''De La Soul Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on ''3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album wa ...

'' (1991) *

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, ''All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Age As a prod ...

– "Searching" from ''

The Main Ingredient The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group best known for their 1972 hit song "Everybody Plays the Fool". Early history The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Dona ...

'' (1994) *

– "Therapy" from ''

Nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

'' (1996) *

– "Mind Blowin'" from '' Soul Survivor'' (1998) * Black Star – "K.O.S. (Determination)" from ''

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star ''Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star'' (often called simply ''Black Star'') is the debut studio album by Black Star, a hip hop duo consisting of emcees Talib Kweli and Mos Def (the latter of whom now goes by Yasiin Bey). The album was released ...

'' (1998) *

– "Climb" from ''

Black on Both Sides ''Black on Both Sides'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Mos Def, released on October 12, 1999, by Rawkus and Priority Records. Prior to its recording, Mos Def had collaborated with Talib Kweli for the album ''Mos Def & Talib Kwe ...

'' (1999) *

– "Honesty & jalousie" from "Honesty et Jalousie (fais un choix dans la vie) (1995)"; "Respect", "Fat Come Back", "Tu Sais Quoi", and "5 Heures Du Mat" from ''Fat Comeback'' (1999) *

Reflection Eternal Reflection Eternal is an American hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. They released their first album, ''Train of Thought'', in 2000. They have since released a mixtape, ''The RE: Union'', in late December 2009, and t ...

– "The Blast" from ''

Train of Thought The train of thought or track of thought refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to ...

'' (2000) *

Da Beatminerz Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 19 ...

– "Take That" from ''

Brace 4 Impak ''Brace 4 Impak'' is the debut album, studio album by American hip hop production team Da Beatminerz. It was released in 2001 via Rawkus Records, and was produced entirely by Da Beatminerz. The album featured guest appearances from Apani B, Black ...

'' (2001) *

– "The Sun God" and "Get Ta Steppin'" from ''

Hi-Teknology ''Hi-Teknology'' is the debut album from producer Hi-Tek, released on Rawkus Records. Most songs feature rapping or singing by other artists, and all are produced by Hi-Tek. A sequel, ''Hi-Teknology 2'', was made for MCA Records but never released ...

'' (2001) *

– "Stand to the Side" from ''

Quality Quality may refer to: Concepts *Quality (business), the ''non-inferiority'' or ''superiority'' of something *Quality (philosophy), an attribute or a property *Quality (physics), in response theory *Energy quality, used in various science discipli ...

'' (2002) *

– "Anything Is Possible" from ''(The Story of) Espion'' (2002) *

– "Ferris Wheel" from ''

Electric Circus ''Electric Circus '' (also known as ''EC'') was a Canadian live dance music television program that aired on MuchMusic and Citytv from September 16, 1988 to December 12, 2003. The name originated from a nightclub that once existed at Citytv's fir ...

'' (2002) *

– "Idols" from ''

Here to There This article represents the discography of progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek. They have released six studio albums, one compilation album, as well as eight singles. Their debut live album was announced on October 2, 2020. Nickel Creek's fi ...

'' (2003)

References

External links

*
Vinia Mojica press release
on Giant Step Records 1970 births American hip hop singers Living people American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters People from Queens, New York Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American women {{US-hiphop-bio-stub