Picture this: It’s 1994, and a 19-year-old girl from Chicago with cornrows, baggy jeans, and a voice like a firecracker explodes onto your radio. “Funkdafied” is everywhere, car stereos, roller rinks, boomboxes on the block. That girl? Shawntae Harris, better known as Da Brat.

In one summer she became the first female solo rapper to sell a million copies of an album, while looking like the cool cousin who’d beat you in basketball.

Born April 14th on Chicago’s rough West Side, Shawntae grew up splitting time between her mom (a city bus driver) and her dad (a musician). She was a total tomboy from jump, hooping in the park, rocking jerseys, and talking trash better than most boys. Church choir gave her killer vocals, but the streets gave her an edge. By high school she was sneaking into talent shows and winning every single one.Then came the big break.

In 1992, Da Brat entered a rap contest run by Yo! MTV Raps. She won the local round and smoked the national competition. The prize? A meeting with two brand-new producers named Jermaine Dupri and Kris Kross. Jermaine took one look and said, “You’re signing with me.” Two years later, Funkdafied dropped, and the world was ready. The album was pure summer barbecue energy: bouncy beats, playground chants, and Da Brat bragging like a dude but with way more style. Songs like “Give It 2 You” and the title track had everybody trying to do her signature shoulder bounce.

Da Brat kept the hits coming. Her second album, Anuthatantrum (1996), went platinum too. She jumped on monster remixes: Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” (the “So So Def” version), Lil’ Kim’s “Not Tonight (Ladies Night),” and Missy Elliott’s “Sock It 2 Me.” Every time she touched a track, she stole the show with her raspy laugh and rapid-fire flow. People started calling her the female Snoop Dogg, but honestly, nobody before or after sounded quite like her.

Life wasn’t all platinum plaques, though. In 2000 she got into a fight at an Atlanta nightclub and ended up hitting someone with a bottle. She served some jail time and had to restart her career. Most artists would’ve disappeared. Not Da Brat. She came back stronger, dropping albums, acting and even winning a season of The Surreal Life.

Then, in 2020, she shocked the world again—this time for love. At age 45, Da Brat came out as a lesbian on Instagram, posting cute pictures with her wife, Jessica “Judy” Dupart, a millionaire hair-product boss. They got married in a fairy-tale Georgia wedding (hundreds of guests, white horses, the whole thing) and later welcomed a son named True Legend in 2023. Suddenly the tough Chicago rapper was posting baby pics and crying happy tears on her show Brat Loves Judy. Fans lost their minds in the best way because everybody loves a happy ending.

Today, at 51, Da Brat is still winning. She co-hosts the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, judges on Dish Nation, and keeps dropping new music whenever she feels like it but the real flex is her legacy. She opened the door for every female rapper who came after, whether they wear crop tops or jerseys. Da Brat didn’t just make history. She made it look easy, and she made it look cool as heck while doing it.

Don’t forget to support LGBTQ+ Media.