Shareefa wasn’t always as clear in her ambitions, nor was her road to stardom smooth. Let’s just say she took a New Jersey drive to end up where she is today. At 14, she relocated to Charlotte, N.C., with her mother, and subsequently joined a local car-theft ring. The fast times slowed down when she got busted for auto theft. She ended up doing four months in jail after her codefendant turned on her. "She put everything on me," says Shareefa. The experience forced Shareefa to ditch the chop shops and focus on her musical chops instead. New jack swing architect Teddy Riley was the first to take an interest in her untapped street appeal. "There came a turning point in my life where I realized what I wanted to do."
With the forthcoming release of Shareefa’s untitled debut, the throaty vocalist will attempt to stand out among other R&B darlings. Her brash, horn-driven lead single, "I’ll Be Around," also featured on Ludacris Presents...Disturbing tha Peace, sets the tone with lyrics like: "Prissy chicks don’t want me in the place...I might punch a silly chick in the face."
Shareefa shakes her jitters and nails her performance during Ludacris and Field Mob’s rousing rendition of "Georgia." And you can’t blame the upstart for wanting to upstage her more experienced crew. "I ain’t stepping on nobody’s toes," she says. "But being onstage with Luda, and watching Bobby do his thing, really soups me up. It’s a rush." Which makes stealing the spotlight no big deal.
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