Remy Ma

Toss out all of your preconceived notions about what a female rapper is, because Remy Ma is about to shake the game up with the release of her highly anticipated debut solo album, There's Something About Remy: Based On A True Story. The Bronx diva finally sets out on her own to achieve the respect and success she deserves. "At first I just wanted to be one of the female rappers that was on top, but I don't want that anymore. That's wack," says Remy, who names Queen Latifah, Salt & Pepa, Missy, and Lil' Kim as veterans deserving of respect. "Women in general aren't given much. They are labeled as one of the girls that happened to pick up a mic. I want my skills to measured against all rappers, so to be placed only among the females is limiting. I would feel like that would be cheatin' myself. I want to one day be labeled with the Jada's, Nas', Pun's, Pac's, Big's and Em's."

Remy's role as the sole female voice of the Terror Squad (TS) has already propelled her to the spotlight with her released mixtapes produced by DJ Kay Slay including The Best of Remy Ma. She has also appeared on a slew of hit street records including M.O.P.'s smash-hit club remix to "Ante Up" where she wowed street listeners worldwide with a memorable encore verse. Growing up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, Remy's upbringing was rough. Dealing with the consequences of drug addiction in her family took a toll on the young Remy who had to look after her four younger brothers and sisters and take care of all household matters at the tender age of twelve. She was forced to assume a great deal of responsibility at a very early age, and was exposed to the worst things one can find in the projects. "I was going to school getting good grades like, 'What am I going for?'" Remy recalls.

But a bright mind and a knack for reading and writing was Remy's saving grace from the troubling realities of "hood life."

Remy had always been an honor student achieving straight A's and landing in classes for gifted students. Writing poetry became her first love; a passion that helped her deal with the ways of the world and the struggles of a young life alone. She directed her fierce rage at the paper, framing her poems into raps that backslapped peers in lunchroom freestyle battles. "It's how I vent," Remy explains. "When I'm mad, I don't want to argue all the time. I grab my pen and I write something; That's how I express myself."

People in the hood talked about the girl from Castle Hill who expressed herself by whipping anyone in a freestyle battle. Word of Remy's lyrical lashings spread though the Bronx and eventually caught the ear of the late great MC, Big Pun. After one meeting and a freestyle session, Pun immediately became her mentor, and with his success, Remy's buzz grew. Pun took the young Remy under his wing and added her on as the sole female member of Terror Squad. Despite all of her quick success came a moment in Remy's life that put her career temporarily on hold; the sudden passing of Big Pun.

Eventually, Fat Joe partnered with Steve Rifkind and signed Remy to SRC Records, his new label with Universal Records.There's Something About Remy: Based On A True Story is the album Pun had been trying to get out of his female prodigy years ago, so it's no surprise that this project makes history as the only album to have an unreleased Pun verse, on the song "Thug Luv."