Strings (rapper)

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Strings

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name = Marinna Teal

| alias = Tateeze

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1975|11|25}}

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| origin =

| genre = Hip hop

| occupations = {{flatlist|

Rapper
singer
songwriter
dancer
actress

}}

| years_active = 1995–present

| label = {{flatlist|

Rockland (1995-1997)
Epic (1998-2000)
Cash Money (2002-2005)

}}

Marinna Teal (born November 25, 1975), better known as Strings and Tateeze, is an American rapper and songwriter formerly signed to Epic and Cash Money Records. She is best known for being featured on R. Kelly's "Gotham City Remix" and Keith Sweat's "Im Not Ready Remix" in the mid and late 1990s.

Early life

Her grandfather was Aaron Moore, a famous bluesman from Chicago.{{cite web|last=|first=|title=About Strings|url=https://www.sonicbids.com/band/strings4/|publisher=Sonicbids.com|accessdate=June 21, 2018}} When growing up, Strings begin singing in the choir in her hometown and won talent show prizes. She had her first baby at 13. After graduating from Chicago Vocational High School she moved to Oklahoma City for five years, where she became an exotic dancer to support her daughter.{{cite web|last=Berry|first=Jahna|title=Strings Gets In Licks On Sisqo|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1123072/strings-gets-in-licks-on-sisq/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802210203/http://www.mtv.com/news/1123072/strings-gets-in-licks-on-sisq/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 2, 2017|work=MTV News|publisher=MTV.com|date=August 14, 2000|accessdate=November 30, 2017}}

Music career

One night when she was out of town she attended an R. Kelly concert she had got her way backstage, where she met R. Kelly she sang for him then when she was done singing R. Kelly took her to a restroom and start beating on a sink while she was rapping for hours. Then one night she got a phone call and it was Kelly he wanted her to fly to Miami to record some songs that she had written. When everything went well, Strings signed to R. Kelly's label Rockland Records and appeared on R. Kelly's "Gotham City Remix". She also performed vocals on his self titled album and appeared on Sparkle's "Vegas" on her self titled album. Strings later left Rockland because they didn't release her solo album. She later signed a deal to Keith Sweat's record label Epic in 1998.

In 1999 she released "Raise It Up", and "Tongue Song" in 2000, which sampled Sisqo's hit "Thong Song". Tongue Song made it to number 24 on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and number 13 on Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. The song received regular airplay on East Coast radio stations, and she performed two singles on Soul Train and on BET Live from LA.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/people/strings/ |title=Strings - TV.com |publisher=TV.com |date= |accessdate=2018-04-19 |archive-date=2018-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420074323/http://www.tv.com/people/strings/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JT5OXaBPT4 |title=Strings Performing on BET Live from LA |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2000-06-15 |accessdate=2018-04-19}} The album's release date was scheduled for November 2000, however it was shelved, and only the Listening Post Edition (Promo CD) and sampler copies were pressed. She was later released from her contract with Epic.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Strings-The-Black-Widow-12-Sampler/master/465866 |title=Strings – The Black Widow (Listening Post Edition) |publisher=Discogs.com |date= 1999|accessdate=2018-04-19}}

When she was a free agent she signed to Cash Money Records, and later changed her name to Tateeze. She was featured on the Big Tymers single "Oh Yeah!" (2002). She planned to release another solo project under their label, but due to Hurricane Katrina it was never released, and two weeks later she left the label.

In 2011 she released her debut Mixtape entitled High Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings.

Discography

=Albums=

2000: The Black Widow

=Singles=

==1990s==

class="wikitable"
style="width:28px;" rowspan="2"\|Year ! style="width:300px;" rowspan="2"\|Single ! colspan="2"\|Chart positions ! style="width:200px;" rowspan="2"\|Album
style="width:80px;"\| U.S. Bub. ! style="width:80px;"\| U.S. Rap
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1"\|1999 \| "Raise It Up" \| style="text-align:center;"\|— \| style="text-align:center;"\|— \| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"\|The Black Widow
style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1"\|2000 \| "Tongue Song" \| style="text-align:center;"\|24[https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2000-07-22/bubbling-under-r-and-b-hip-hop-singles "Tongue Song"], Billboard, July 24, 2000. \| style="text-align:center;"\|13{{cite web \|url= https://www.billboard.com/music/strings/chart-history/rap-song/song/386075 \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180303063355/https://www.billboard.com/music/strings/chart-history/rap-song/song/386075 \|url-status= dead \|archive-date= March 3, 2018 \|title= Tongue Song Chart History \|date=July 2000 \|publisher= www.billboard.com \|accessdate= 2017-11-30 }}

class="wikitable"

style="width:28px;" rowspan="2"|Year

! style="width:300px;" rowspan="2"|Single

! colspan="2"|Chart positions

! style="width:200px;" rowspan="2"|Album

style="width:80px;"| U.S.
Bub.

! style="width:80px;"| U.S. Rap

style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1"|1999

| "Raise It Up"

| style="text-align:center;"|—

| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|The Black Widow

style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1"|2000

| "Tongue Song"

| style="text-align:center;"|24[https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2000-07-22/bubbling-under-r-and-b-hip-hop-singles "Tongue Song"], Billboard, July 24, 2000.

| style="text-align:center;"|13{{cite web

|url= https://www.billboard.com/music/strings/chart-history/rap-song/song/386075

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180303063355/https://www.billboard.com/music/strings/chart-history/rap-song/song/386075

|url-status= dead

|archive-date= March 3, 2018

|title= Tongue Song Chart History

|date=July 2000

|publisher= www.billboard.com

|accessdate= 2017-11-30

}}

==2000s==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Single ! colspan="3"\| Chart positions{{cite web \|url= https://www.billboard.com/music/tateeze \|title= Tateeze Chart History \|date= \|publisher= www.billboard.com \|accessdate= 2018-06-21 }} ! rowspan="2"\| Album
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="50"\| US Hot 100 ! width="50"\| R&B ! width="50"\| Rap
rowspan="2"\| 2002 \| align="left"\| "Oh Yeah!" {{small\|(Big Tymers feat. Tateeze & Boo & Gotti)}} \| 46 \| 23 \| 13 \|Hood Rich
align="left"\| "Do That..." {{small\|(Baby feat. P. Diddy, Mannie Fresh & Tateeze)}} \| 46 \| 23 \| 13 \|Hood Rich
2004 \| align="left"\| "Jeet Lo Dil" {{small\|(Euphoria)}} \| — \| — \| — \| —
rowspan="1"\| 2005 \| align="left"\| "Conversation" {{small\|(Mannie Fresh feat. Tateeze)}} \| — \| 91 \| — \| The Mind of Mannie Fresh

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="3"| Chart positions{{cite web

|url= https://www.billboard.com/music/tateeze

|title= Tateeze Chart History

|date=

|publisher= www.billboard.com

|accessdate= 2018-06-21

}}

! rowspan="2"| Album

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="50"| US Hot 100

! width="50"| R&B

! width="50"| Rap

rowspan="2"| 2002

| align="left"| "Oh Yeah!"
{{small|(Big Tymers feat. Tateeze & Boo & Gotti)}}

| 46

| 23

| 13

|Hood Rich

align="left"| "Do That..."
{{small|(Baby feat. P. Diddy, Mannie Fresh & Tateeze)}}

| 46

| 23

| 13

|Hood Rich

2004

| align="left"| "Jeet Lo Dil"
{{small|(Euphoria)}}

| —

rowspan="1"| 2005

| align="left"| "Conversation"
{{small|(Mannie Fresh feat. Tateeze)}}

| —

| 91

| —

| The Mind of Mannie Fresh

=Album appearances=

1998: "Vegas" Sparkle - Sparkle
1999: "Im Not Ready Remix" Keith Sweat - Im Not Ready
2000: "Whatcha Like" Keith Sweat - Didn't See Me Coming
2002: "Get That Dough" Lil Wayne - 500 Degreez
2002: "." Baby - Birdman
2002: "Oh Yeah!" Big Tymers - Hood Rich
2003: "Beat It Up" Big Tymers - Big Money Heavyweight
2003: "Chi-Town" Boo & Gotti - Perfect Timing
2004: "Beat It Up" Big Tymers - No Love (Beautiful Life)
2004: "Shake That A**" Mannie Fresh - The Mind of Mannie Fresh
2005: "Smoke Out" - Birdman - Fast Money
2005: "Addiction" - Kanye West - Late Registration
2009: "Dope Money" D Boyz - Life Of A D-Boy

=Mixtapes=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" \|+ List of mixtapes, with year released ! scope="col" style="width:11em;"\| Title ! scope="col" style="width:16em;"\| Album details
scope="row"\|High Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings{{cite web\|url=http://www.datpiff.com/Strings-High-Maintenance-Music-101-The-Mixx-Education-Of-S-mixtape.250469.html \|title=Strings - High Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings // Free Mixtape @ \|publisher=Datpiff.com \|date=2011-07-18 \|accessdate=2018-04-19}} \| Released: 2011 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of mixtapes, with year released

! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title

! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Album details

scope="row"|High Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings{{cite web|url=http://www.datpiff.com/Strings-High-Maintenance-Music-101-The-Mixx-Education-Of-S-mixtape.250469.html |title=Strings - High Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings // Free Mixtape @ |publisher=Datpiff.com |date=2011-07-18 |accessdate=2018-04-19}}

Released: 2011
Label: Self-released
Format: Digital download