Born Simone Wilson in London, Monie Love cut her teeth with the British rap crew Jus Bad before moving to the states in the late-1980s. In 1989, she made numerous appearances as part of the Native Tongues collective alongside Queen Latifah (“Ladies First”), De La Soul (“Buddy Remix”), and the Jungle Brothers (“Doin’ Our Own Dang”). The following year, Monie’s debut LP, DOWN TO EARTH, appeared on Warner Brothers, spawning the Grammy-nominated singles “It’s a Shame (My Sister)” and “Monie in the Middle.” Her sophomore release IN A WORD OR 2 (1993) saw the lyricist working with Marley Marl as well as Prince on the hit “Born to B.R.E.E.D.”