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Meshell Ndegeocello (born Michelle Lynn Johnson in Berlin, Germany) is a singer, rapper, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist. She was born to Army lieutenant (and saxophonist) father Jacques Johnson and her mother, Helen.

Early Life and Music Style

Raised in Washington, DC., Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur (as she became known) adopted the surname Ndegeocello, which means "free like a bird", while still in her teens. She has been hailed in the music press as a redeemer of soul music. Her music incorporates funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, rock and jazz. She has been nominated for 9 Grammys. In the late 90s she toured with Lilith Fair.

Career Rise

Ndegeocello honed her skills on the D.C. Go go circuit in the late 1980s before venturing out as a solo artist. She emerged as a recording artist in 1993 on Maverick Records/Sire Records with her debut, Plantation Lullabies. This recording presented a distinctly adrogynous persona persona.

Her music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Batman and Robin. She has also appeared on recordings by Basement Jazz, Indigo Girls and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among others.

Her biggest hit is a duet with John Cougar Mellecamp, a cover version of Van Morrison's "Wild Night", which reached #3 on the Billboard charts. She appeared on The Rolling Stones' 1997 album Bridges to Babylon, playing bass on the song "Saint Of Me."

Her only other Billboard Top 100 hit besides "Wild Night" has been "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", which peaked at #73 in 1994. She also had a Dance #1 in 1996 called "Who Is He (and What Is He To You?)" as well as Dance top 20's with "Earth", "Leviticus: Faggot", "Stay" and the aforementioned "...Boyfriend".

Although Me'Shell NdegeOcello scored a few hits early in her career, the singer/bassist has opted to concentrate subsequently on more challenging material by exploring the politics of race and sex, among other topics.

Ndegeocello is bisexual, and was a former long time lover of writer Rebecca Walker, with whom she is raising a son, although the relationship has ended. She sang background vocals on the song "I'd Rather be Your Lover" by Madonna on her album Bedtime Stories.

She can also be seen in the documentary movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown, singing The Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me".

Discography

Plantation Lullabies Maverick, 1993

Peace Beyond Passion Maverick, 1996

Bitter Maverick, 1999

Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape Maverick, 2002

Comfort Woman Maverick, 2003

The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance Of The Infidel Shanachie, 2005

The Artical 3 [EP] Emarcy, (December 2006)

The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams Universal France, (April 2007)