Robin Yvette Allen (born February 6,
[1966), known professionally as the Lady of Rage, 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 ...
, singer and actress best known for her collaborations with several other Death Row Records
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...
artists, including Dr. Dre and 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, ...
on the seminal albums, ''The Chronic
''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place ...
'' and ''Doggystyle
''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg). It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's ...
''. The Lady of Rage has been described as "one of the most skillful female MCs" with a "mastery of flow
Flow may refer to:
Science and technology
* Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid
* Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology
* Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set
* Flow (psych ...
" and " hard-core lyrics".
Biography
In the summer of 1988, the Lady of Rage met Shahkim, now known as Black Rushn of the Original Outlaw Brothers, a rap group from Queens, New York
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 Is ...
. Once Shahkim convinced the Lady of Rage that he could get her a record deal, he brought her into his group. The members of the Outlaw Brothers made Rage a member of the group, and they eventually signed to a production deal with the L.A. Posse
The L.A. Posse is a multiplatinum American hip hop record production team.
History
L.A. Posse was initially made up of founders Dwayne "Muffla" Simon and Darryl "Big Dad" Pierce who were later joined by Bobby "DJ Bobcat" Ervin and Mark "DJ Poo ...
(who went on to produce several big hits for LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
). At the time, the L.A. Posse had several artists within their group including, MC Wind, and the Real Roxanne. The L.A. Posse also had several relationships with different labels. Rage, along with all of the artists in the camp worked diligently writing and recording out of Chung King Studios in lower Manhattan. In 1991, the Lady of Rage met with Chubb Rock
Richard Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock (born May 28, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York) is a New York-based rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out o ...
, providing vocals for the track "Bring Em Home Safe" on his album '' The One'', which she recorded under the name of 'Rockin’ Robin'.
Dr. Dre discovered the Lady of Rage after hearing the vocals she recorded for the L.A. Posse's album, ''They Come in All Colors'' (1991). She later appeared on several tracks on Dr. Dre's 1992 album ''The Chronic
''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place ...
'', and on Snoop Dogg's ''Doggystyle
''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg). It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's ...
'' in 1993.
On July 26, 1994, the Lady of Rage released the hit single " Afro Puffs" (from the soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to '' Above the Rim'') which reached No. 5 on the ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart. She also made an appearance on Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting ...
's album '' Dogg Food'' on the track "Do What I Feel". Though she had made more than a dozen appearances on soundtracks as well as albums from her Death Row Records cohorts, the Lady of Rage didn't release her debut album until 1997. Her debut solo album, '' Necessary Roughness'', was released in June 1997 and peaked at No. 7 on the ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' R&B Album chart and 32 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Albums chart. Her solo album was originally called ''Eargasm'', but it was continually pushed back - the album was meant to have been the next album on Death Row Records
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...
after ''The Chronic
''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place ...
'', and then after ''Doggystyle
''Doggystyle'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg). It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's ...
'', before finally being released in 1997.
After the release of her album and a guest-appearance with alongside Kurupt
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg ...
("You Know My Steez (Three Men and a Lady Remix)") in 1998, Rage left Death Row Records and the music industry to focus on acting, appearing in an episode of ''Kenan & Kel
''Kenan & Kel'' is an American buddy comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from July 15, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows mischievous Kenan ...
''. The Lady of Rage then went on to be featured in the sitcom ''The Steve Harvey Show
''The Steve Harvey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB from August 25, 1996, to February 17, 2002. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.
Synopsis
Steve Hightower ( Steve Harvey) is a 1970s f ...
'' on The WB
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...
as Coretta Cox, a recurring role she played from 1997 to 2000. She also had a role in '' Next Friday'' as Baby D, the sister of Day Day's ex-girlfriend.
From 2000 to 2002, she made three appearances on songs by Snoop Dogg: "Set It Off" from his album ''Tha Last Meal
''Tha Last Meal'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on December 19, 2000. It was his third and final studio album released on No Limit, his first album on his newly founded label Doggy Style in the United S ...
'' (2000), a solo track, "Unfucwitable", on '' Snoop Dogg Presents...Doggy Style Allstars Vol. 1'' (2002), and "Batman & Robin", from his album '' Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss'' (2002).
In 2007, Rage signed to Shante Broadus
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, ...
' label, Boss Lady Entertainment, and recorded a mixtape called, ''From VA 2 LA
From may refer to:
* From, a preposition
* From (SQL), computing language keyword
* From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email
* FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company
* Full range of motion, the travel in a range of ...
''. She also made appearances on '' Bigg Snoop Dogg Presents…Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album'' (2005) and '' Cali Iz Active'' (2006) in the song ''"Keep it Gangsta".''
In 2008, Rage was a part of the FEM (Females Earning Money) Movement along with fellow female rappers Babs (of Da Band), Lady Luck
Lady Luck, a personification of luck, may refer to:
Fiction and mythology
* Fortuna, in Roman mythology, goddess of fortune
* Tyche, in Greek mythology, goddess of fortune
* Lady Luck (comics), a character created by Will Eisner
Film
* ''La ...
, and Amil. In 2008, she performed with MC Lyte
Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...
, Yo-Yo
A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two cylinder, disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a wikt:spool, spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also ca ...
, and Salt-n-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, '' Hot ...
at the BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, a ...
. In the summer of 2010 she joined Snoop Dogg during his headlining set at the Rock the Bells festival concert series, along with Warren G
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...
, RBX, and Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting ...
for a performance of the ''Doggystyle'' album in its entirety.
In 2011, Rage was part of the group N'Matez, along with Daz Dillinger
Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and ga ...
, Kurupt
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg ...
, and RBX. They released the track "Trajical".
Rage signed on to play herself in ''Dogg Pound 4 Life'', a biographical film focusing on the rise of the 1990s rap group, Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo made up of rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success.
Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting ...
and was pictured in an Instagram post with Daz Dillinger
Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and ga ...
.
Rage also made an appearance on MC Eiht's 2017 album '' Which Way Iz West'' on the track "Heart Cold".
Discography
Studio albums
* '' Necessary Roughness'' (1997)
Mixtapes
* ''VA to LA'' (2006)
Filmography
Film
Television
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Of Rage, The
Living people
American women rappers
African-American women rappers
Death Row Records artists
African-American actresses
American actresses
Rappers from Virginia
Southern hip hop musicians
People from Farmville, Virginia
Gangsta rappers
21st-century American rappers
21st-century women rappers
1968 births
21st-century American women