Born Shawntae Harris on April 14, 1974, in Joliet, Illinois, Brat was raised on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. Born to David Ray McCoy (1935–1988), a Chicago businessman and Nadine Brewer, a Chicago city bus driver, Her parents never married. Brat was subsequently raised in two different households. Da Brat lived part of the time with her mother and grandmother and attended a strict Apostolic church four times a week, where she sang in the choir. Da Brat attended Kenwood Academy during her sophomore and junior year, where she ran track and played basketball. She graduated from the Academy of Scholastic Achievement, a continuation charter school that caters to at-risk students in 1992.[citation needed]\n', '

In 1992, Da Brat\'s big break occurred when she won the grand prize in a local rap contest sponsored by Yo! MTV Raps. For the prize, she met the young rap duo Kris Kross. They introduced her to their producer, Jermaine Dupri, who signed her to his So So Def label. Dupri cultivated Da Brat\'s image as a "female Snoop Doggy Dogg," and she became one of the first female "reality-based" rappers. Da Brat told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her stage name was inspired from being "a spoiled only child." Da Brat\'s debut album Funkdafied was released in 1994 and entered the rap albums chart at #1. The album went platinum, making her the first female solo rapper to sell one million copies. The eponymous single reached #1 on the rap singles chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her follow-up single from the same album, "Give It 2 You," reached #26 on the Hot 100.[citation needed]\n', '

In 1996, Da Brat released her second full-length album, Anuthatantrum, which included the single "Ghetto Love" featuring T-Boz of TLC. During the rest of the 1990s, Da Brat came to be known more for her "featured" appearances on other rappers\' and R&B singers\' albums rather than for her own solo work. Da Brat was also featured with Kris Kross on the title track of their album Da Bomb (1993) as well as on their third album Young, Rich and Dangerous (1996). She contributed a rhyme to the hip hop remix of Mariah Carey\'s hit, "Always Be My Baby" (1996). She also made her feature film debut that year in Kazaam (1996) with Shaquille O\'Neal. During the summer of 1997, Da Brat appeared along with Dupri on a remix of Carey\'s "Honey (So So Def mix)" (1997) and recorded the hit remix of "Ladies\' Night (Not Tonight)" (1997) with Lil\' Kim, Left-Eye of TLC, Angie Martinez, and Missy Elliott. Also in 1997, she was featured on "Sock It 2 Me," a track on Missy Elliott\'s debut album, Supa Dupa Fly. In 1999, she appeared, alongside Krayzie Bone, on the remix to Mariah Carey\'s cover of Brenda K. Starr\'s "I Still Believe" (1998). She also appeared as a guest artist with Elliott on Carey\'s remix of "Heartbreaker" (1999), and on the remix of Brandy\'s "U Don\'t Know Me (Like U Used To)." That year, she was also featured on a remix of the Destiny\'s Child single "Jumpin\', Jumpin\'" (1999).\n', '

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