Meshell Ndegeocello
{{Short description|American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist (born 1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Meshell Ndegeocello
| image = File:MeShell NdegeòCello (222557) (cropped).jpg
| alt = Ndegeocello playing a bass guitar onstage
| caption = Ndegeocello performing in 2016
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Michelle Lynn Johnson
| alias = Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur
Me'Shell Ndegéocello
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1968|8|29}}
| birth_place = Berlin, Germany
| origin = Washington, D.C., United States
| instrument = Vocals, bass, keyboards, drums, guitar
| genre = {{flat list |
- Funk
- soul
- neo soul
- jazz
- hip hop
- reggae
- rock
- progressive soul{{cite magazine|last=Green|first=Tony|date=March 2002|magazine=Spin|page=129|title=Joi: Star Kity's Revenge (Universal)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8s9P_S6njMC&pg=PA129|access-date=January 23, 2021|via=Google Books}}}}
| occupation = Singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, musician
| years_active = 1992{{ndash}}present
| label = Maverick/Reprise/Warner Bros, Shanachie, EmArcy, Decca/Universal, Mercer Street/Downtown, Naïve, Blue Note
| associated_acts = John Mellencamp, Madonna, Benson Taylor, Chaka Khan, Robert Glasper
| website = {{URL|http://www.meshell.com}}
}}
Meshell Ndegeocello ({{IPAc-en|m|ɪ|ˈ|ʃ|ɛ|l|_|ən|ˌ|d|eɪ|g|eɪ|oʊ|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|l|oʊ}} {{respell|mish|EL|_|ən|DAY|gay|oh|CHEL|oh}};{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrQ3fPlYOHc|title=Meshell Ndegeocello on "First Look" with Don Was of Blue Note Records|publisher=Blue Note Records |date=2023-06-16 |accessdate=2023-07-18 |via=YouTube|time=00:00}} born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on some of her mid-career work.{{cite web|last=Layman |first=Will |url=http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/n/ndegeocellomeshell-dance.shtml |title=Me'Shell Ndegeocello: The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidels < PopMatters |publisher=Popmatters.com |access-date=July 18, 2011}} Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rock. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career,{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-24-wk-pop24-story.html |title=Head, heart and soul |access-date=February 28, 2009 |last=Lecaro |first=Lena |date=October 24, 2002 |work=Los Angeles Times |pages=E–12}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rosebudus.com/rosebud/news/07-12.html |title=Grammy Nominations For J J Cale, Bettye LaVette and Meshell Ndegeocello – Just Announced |access-date=February 28, 2009 |date=December 6, 2007 |work=News, December 2007 |publisher=The Rosebud Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226231334/http://www.rosebudus.com/rosebud/news/07-12.html |archive-date=December 26, 2008 }} being nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, and winning three.{{Cite web | title=Me'shell NdegeOcello {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com | url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/meshell-ndegeocello/5220 | access-date=2025-05-17 | website=www.grammy.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nyrock.com/worldbeat/08_2002/081402b.asp |title=Meshell Ndegeocello to Perform at 'You Rock My Soul' GMHC Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on November 11th |access-date=February 28, 2009 |date=August 14, 2002 |work=NY Rock |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408043331/http://www.nyrock.com/worldbeat/08_2002/081402b.asp |archive-date=April 8, 2009}} She also has been credited for helping to "spark the neo-soul movement".{{cite web |url=http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur7644.cfm |title=Me'Shell Ndegeocello: One Tough "Cookie" |access-date=February 28, 2009 |last=Yarbrough |first=Kenya |date=August 9, 2002 |work=EURweb |publisher=Rabercom Enterprises |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407004109/http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur7644.cfm |archive-date=April 7, 2009}}
Biography
Ndegeocello was born Michelle Lynn Johnson in West Berlin, Germany, to US Army Sergeant Major and saxophonist father Jacques Johnson and health care worker mother Helen. She was raised in Washington, D.C., where she attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oxon Hill High School.
Ndegeocello adopted her surname, which she says means "free like a bird" in Swahili. Early pressings of Plantation Lullabies were affixed with stickers to help pronounce her name. The spelling has changed in the hands of record labels a few times during her career; the correct spelling of her stage name as of 2001 is Meshell Ndegeocello.{{cite web|url=http://www.freemyheart.com |title=FreeMyHeart.com |publisher=FreeMyHeart.com |date=March 3, 2001 |access-date=July 18, 2011}}
Career
File:MeShell NdegeòCello (222747).jpg
Ndegeocello honed her skills on the D.C. go-go circuit in the late 1980s with the bands Prophecy, Little Benny and the Masters, and Rare Essence.{{Cite news|last = Wiltz|first=Teresa|title=Meshell Ndegeocello Breaks Step With Pop | newspaper = The Washington Post|pages=N01|date=June 19, 2005|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/17/AR2005061700715_pf.html}} Going solo, she was one of the first artists to sign with Maverick Records, where she released her debut album, Plantation Lullabies. This recording presented a distinctly androgynous persona.
Her biggest hit is a duet with John Mellencamp, a cover version of Van Morrison's "Wild Night", which reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts. Her only other Billboard Hot 100 hit besides "Wild Night" has been her self-penned "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", which peaked at No. 73 in 1994. Also in 1994, Ndegeocello collaborated with Herbie Hancock on "Nocturnal Sunshine," a track for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time magazine.
She had a No. 1 dance hit in 1996 with a Bill Withers cover song called "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" (briefly featured in the film Jerry Maguire) as well as Dance Top 20 hits with "Earth", "Leviticus: Faggot", "Stay" and the aforementioned "If That's Your Boyfriend.. Last Night)". Ndegeocello played bass on the song "I'd Rather be Your Lover" for Madonna on her album Bedtime Stories. Ndegeocello was also tapped, at the last minute, to perform spoken word on the same song. This came after Madonna and producers decided to remove Tupac Shakur's rap (which he did while he and Madonna were dating in 1994), after he had criminal charges filed against him. Ndegeocello also performed spoken word on Chaka Khan's single "Never Miss the Water", from the album Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1, released in 1996. The song reached #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Play Chart and #36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart.
Her music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Lost & Delirious, Batman & Robin, Love Jones, Love & Basketball, Talk to Me, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, The Best Man, Higher Learning, Down in the Delta, The Hurricane, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, Soul Men, and Biker Boyz.
She has appeared on recordings by Basement Jaxx, Indigo Girls, Scritti Politti, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. On The Rolling Stones' 1997 album Bridges to Babylon she plays bass on the song "Saint of Me". On Alanis Morissette's 2002 album Under Rug Swept, she plays bass on the songs "So Unsexy" and "You Owe Me Nothing in Return". Also that year, she appeared on Gov’t Mule’s record The Deep End, Volume 2, playing on a cover of The Staple Singers’ song "Hammer and Nails". And in 2009, she appeared on Zap Mama's album ReCreation, playing bass on the song "African Diamond".
She can also be seen in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, singing The Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and The Temptations' "Cloud Nine". In the late 1990s, she toured with Lilith Fair. She also did a remake of the song "Two Doors Down" on the 2003 release Just Because I'm a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton.
Ndegeocello was also a judge for The 2nd, 12th, 13 and the 2015 14th Annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |title=Past Judges |publisher=Independent Music Awards |access-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024722/http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |archive-date=July 13, 2011 }}
Her song "Tie One On" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week on February 23, 2010.{{Cite web |last=Heringer |title=Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week – Meshell Ndegeocello – Tie One On |url=https://www.mark-heringer.com/2010/02/starbucks-itunes-pick-of-week-meshell.html |website=Mark-heringer.com|access-date=2022-08-04 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Heringer |title=Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week list |url=https://www.mark-heringer.com/2008/04/starbucks-itunes-pick-of-week-list.html|website=Mark-heringer.com |access-date=2022-04-12 |language=en}}
In 2016, she provided the theme song, "Nova", for the Oprah Winfrey-produced show Queen Sugar.{{cite web|url=http://www.what-song.com/Tvshow/187/Queen-Sugar |title=Queen Sugar Soundtrack |website=What-song.com |access-date=November 23, 2016}} She also collaborated with French-Cuban duo Ibeyi in the song "Transmission/Michaelion" for the album Ash reciting a poem by Frida Kahlo.
In December 2016, the world premiere of Ndegeocello's Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin, a new theatrical music and art work, was held in Harlem, New York.{{cite web|url=http://thestagereview.net/2016/11/29/harlem-stage-present-world-premiere-meshell-ndegeocellos-can-get-witness-gospel-james-baldwin-december-7-11/|publisher=The Stage Review|date=November 29, 2016|title=Harlem Stage to present the world premiere of Meshell Ndegeocello's 'Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin,' December 7–11}}
In June 2021, The Beatles Channel on Sirius XM Radio began broadcasting A Shot of Rhythm and Blues: Exploring The Beatles and Black Music, a four-part series hosted by Ndegeocello.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/data-privacy-race-and-ethnicity-technology-business-music-3d9352ad2c927cd8cd03ff0bd6b9c601|title=Celebrate Black Music Month on SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher with Exclusive Music Channels, Streaming Stations, and an Original Podcast|author=PR Newswire|date=June 1, 2021|website=Associated Press|access-date=June 8, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thebeatles.com/news/%E2%80%9C-shot-rhythm-and-blues-exploring-beatles-and-black-music%E2%80%9D-beatles-channel|title="A Shot of Rhythm and Blues: Exploring The Beatles and Black Music" on The Beatles Channel|website=TheBeatles.com|access-date=June 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609030013/https://www.thebeatles.com/news/%E2%80%9C-shot-rhythm-and-blues-exploring-beatles-and-black-music%E2%80%9D-beatles-channel|archive-date=June 9, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://blog.siriusxm.com/explore-connection-between-the-beatles-black-music-during-a-new-series/|title=Explore the connection between The Beatles & Black music during a new SiriusXM series|date=June 7, 2021|website=Sirius XM|access-date=June 8, 2021}} The series explores the relationship between the English rock band the Beatles and the black musicians that inspired them.
Ndegeocello joined the Blue Note label with the debut release of her 13th studio album The Omnichord Real Book (2023). The title refers to a set of lead sheets from songs from funk, soul, gospel and more influenced by her father as if a compilation of standards like a real book in jazz repertoire.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=Album: Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book |url=https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/album-meshell-ndegeocello-omnichord-real-book |access-date=2023-06-12 |website=Theartsdesk.com |language=en}}
Activism
In 2002, Ndegeocello collaborated with Yerba Buena on a track featuring Ron Black for the Red Hot Organization's tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot. Proceeds from the album went to various AIDS charities, per the Red Hot Organization's mission.
In June 2010, she contributed a cover of U2's "40" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
In 2010, Ndegeocello contributed to the essay anthology It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living, edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller in the vein of the It Gets Better Project.
Personal life
Ndegeocello is bisexual and previously had a relationship with feminist author Rebecca Walker. Ndegeocello's first son, Solomon, was born in 1989.{{cite web|last=Zwerin |first=Mike |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1994/02/23/meshell.php |title=Me'Shell - Debut on Madonna Label - NYTimes.com |publisher=International Herald Tribune |date=February 23, 1994 |access-date=July 18, 2011}} Since 2005, she has been married to Alison Riley, with whom she has a second son.{{cite web|last=DiGuglielmo |first=Joey |url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/11/10/meshell%E2%80%99s-magic/ |title=Meshell's magic |publisher=Washington Blade |date=November 10, 2011 |access-date=July 10, 2014}}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
!scope="row"|Billboard Music Video Awards
| 1994
| "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
| Best R&B/Urban Clip New Artist
| {{won}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=3|Cash Box Year-End Awards
| rowspan=3|1994
| rowspan=2|Herself
| Urban Singles: Top Rap Female Artist
| {{nom}}
|-
| Urban Singles: Top New Rap Female Artist
| {{nom}}
|-
| "Wild Night"
| Top Pop Single
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=4|GLAAD Media Awards
| 1997
| {{won}}
|-
| 2000
| Bitter
| rowspan=3|Outstanding Music Artist
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2003
| Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2004
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=13|Grammy Awards
| rowspan=4|1995
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|"If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
| {{nom}}
|-
| "Wild Night" (with John Mellencamp)
| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|1997
| {{nom}}
|-
| "Never Miss the Water" (with Chaka Khan)
| Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2003
| Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2006
| The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel
| Best Contemporary Jazz Album
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2008
| "Fantasy"
| Best Urban/Alternative Performance
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2019
| Best Urban Contemporary Album
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2021
| "Better Than I Imagined"From Robert Glasper's Black Radio III featuring H.E.R. alongside Ndegeocello.
| {{won}}
|-
| 2024
| {{won}}
|-
| 2025
| No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
| {{won}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2|MTV Video Music Awards
| rowspan=2|1994
| rowspan=2|"If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
| {{nom}}
| rowspan=2|{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0003172/1994/1/ | title=MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) (1994) | website=IMDb }}
|-
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2|Soul Train Music Awards
| 1995
| rowspan=2|Best R&B/Soul Album – Female
| {{nom}}
| {{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0005174/1995/1/?ref_=ev_eh | title=Soul Train Awards (1995) | website=IMDb }}
|-
| 1997
| {{nom}}
| {{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0005174/1997/1/?ref_=ev_eh | title=Soul Train Awards (1997) | website=IMDb }}
{{end}}
Discography
=Albums=
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" colspan="5"| Chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! scope="col" width="35"| US ! scope="col" width="35"| US ! scope="col" width="35"| US ! scope="col" width="35"| AUS ! scope="col" width="35"| UK |
| rowspan="3"|1993
| align="left"| "Dred Loc" | — | 86 | — | — | — | rowspan="4" |Plantation Lullabies |
| align="left"| "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"
| 73 | 20 | 23 | 79 | 74 |
| align="left"| "Outside Your Door"
| 113 | 41 | — | — | — |
| rowspan="2"|1994
| align="left"| "Call Me" | — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left"| "Wild Night" (with John Mellencamp) | 3 | — | — | 18 | 34 |
| rowspan="3"|1996
| align="left"| "Who Is He and What Is He to You" | — | 34 | 1 | — | 80 | rowspan="2" |Peace Beyond Passion |
| align="left"| "Leviticus: Faggot"
| — | — | 15 | — | — |
| align="left"| "Never Miss the Water" (with Chaka Khan)
| 102 | 36 | 1 | — | 59 | {{Non-album single}} |
| 1997
| align="left"| "Stay" | — | 67 | 15 | — | — |Peace Beyond Passion |
| 1999
| align="left"| "Grace" | — | — | — | — | — |Bitter |
| rowspan="2"|2002
| align="left"| "Pocketbook" | — | 116 | — | — | — | rowspan="2" |Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape |
| align="left"| "Earth"
| — | — | 29 | — | — |
| rowspan=2|2006
| align="left"| The Article 3 (EP) | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan=2 {{Non-album singles}} |
| align="left"| Exit Music – Songs with Radio Heads EP 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007
| align="left"| "Lovely Lovely" | — | — | — | — | — |The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams |
| 2014
| align="left"| "Conviction" | — | — | — | — | — | Comet, Come to Me |
| rowspan=3| 2018
| align="left"| "Tender Love" | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan=3| Ventriloquism |
| align="left"| "Sometimes It Snows in April"
| — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left"| "Waterfalls"
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019
| align="left"| "True Vine" | — | — | — | — | — | {{Non-album single}} |
| rowspan=4| 2023
| align="left"| "Virgo" | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan=4| The Omnichord Real Book |
| align="left"| "Vuma" {{small|(featuring Thandiswa and Joel Ross)}} | — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left"| "The 5th Dimension" {{small|(featuring the HawtPlates)}} | — | — | — | — | — |
| align="left"| "Clear Water" {{small|(featuring Deantoni Parks, Jeff Parker, and Sanford Biggers)}} | — | — | — | — | — |
| colspan="12" style="font-size: 85%"|"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
=Other appearances=
- 1994 – Madonna, Bedtime Stories: "I'd Rather Be Your Lover" (Maverick/Sire/Warner Bros.)
- 1994 – Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool: "Nocturnal Sunshine" with Herbie Hancock
- 1995 – Higher Learning (soundtrack): "Soul Searchin' (I Wanna Know If It's Mine)" (Epic)
- 1995 – Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality: "For You" with Guru (Chrysalis)
- 1995 – White Man's Burden: "Time Has Come Today" (Chrysalis)
- 1995 – Panther (soundtrack): "Freedom (Theme)" (Mercury)
- 1997 – Love Jones (soundtrack): "Rush Over" with Marcus Miller (Columbia)
- 1997 – Money Talks (soundtrack): "The Teaching" (Arista)
- 1997 – Batman & Robin (soundtrack): "Poison Ivy" (Warner Bros.)
- 1997 – Queen Pen, My Melody: "Girlfriend" (Interscope)
- 1998 – How Stella Got Her Groove Back (soundtrack): "Let Me Have You" (Flyte Tyme/MCA)
- 1998 – Down in the Delta (soundtrack): "My Soul Don't Dream" (Virgin)
- 1999 – Scritti Politti, Anomie & Bonhomie: "Die Alone" (Virgin)
- 1999 – The Best Man (soundtrack): "Untitled" (Sony)
- 1999 – Eric Benét, A Day in the Life: "Ghetto Girl" (Warner Bros.)
- 2000 – Love & Basketball (soundtrack): "Fool of Me" (New Line)
- 2002 – Gov’t Mule, The Deep End, Volume 2: "Hammer & Nails" (Ato)
- 2003 – The Blind Boys of Alabama, Go Tell It on the Mountain: "Oh Come All Ye Faithful", vocals and piano (Real World)
- 2005 – Joshua Redman, Momentum: "Greasy G", bass (Nonesuch)
- 2007 – Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur: "Imagine" by John Lennon (Warner Bros.)
- 2007 – Talk to Me (soundtrack): "Compared to What" with Terence Blanchard (Atlantic)
- 2012 – Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio: "The Consequences of Jealousy"
- 2014 – Jason Moran, All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller: producer with Don Was, and vocals (Blue Note)
- 2020 – Pat Metheny, From This Place: "From This Place" (Nonesuch)
- 2022 – Antonio Sanchez, SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II): "Comet, Come to Me" (Warner Bros.)
- 2022 – Robert Glasper, Black Radio III: "Better Than I Imagined" with H.E.R. (Lomo Vista)
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Wesley |date=2024-08-01 |title=Meshell Ndegeocello Could Have Had Stardom but Chose Music Instead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/arts/music/meshell-ndegeocello-james-baldwin.html |access-date=2024-08-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |url-access=subscription}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{official website}}
- {{AllMusic}}
- {{discogs artist}}
- {{MusicBrainz artist}}
- [http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2009/01/meshell-ndegeocello-revolutionary-soul.html Extensive audio interview] on The Sound of Young America
{{Meshell Ndegeocello|state=expanded}}
{{Grammy Award for Best R&B Song}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndegeocello, Meshell}}
Category:African-American women rappers
Category:African-American women singer-songwriters
Category:American women singer-songwriters
Category:African-American guitarists
Category:American women guitarists
Category:American funk bass guitarists
Category:American funk singers
Category:American hip-hop musicians
Category:American jazz bass guitarists
Category:American jazz singers
Category:American multi-instrumentalists
Category:American reggae musicians
Category:American rhythm and blues bass guitarists
Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
Category:American rock bass guitarists
Category:American women rock singers
Category:Bisexual women musicians
Category:EmArcy Records artists
Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners
Category:Progressive soul musicians
Category:American women bass guitarists
Category:American LGBTQ singers
Category:American LGBTQ songwriters
Category:African-American LGBTQ people
Category:American neo soul singers
Category:Musicians from Berlin
Category:Maverick Records artists
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Category:Guitarists from Washington, D.C.
Category:20th-century American bass guitarists
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Category:Naïve Records artists
Category:Shanachie Records artists
Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people
Category:20th-century African-American women singers
Category:20th-century American women singers
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:21st-century African-American women singers
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C.
Category:21st-century American women rappers
Category:American bisexual writers