Yes, Cole has range, but the strength she projects from every end of the spectrum is as unmistakable and unwavering as her voice. She has blazed that trail ever since, commissioning verses from heavy hitters like Lil Wayne, Future, and Young Thug while singing on behalf of women who’ve been treated wrong or cheated on while seeking true love. Also on the latter album: a posthumous verse from 2Pac himself, underlining the fact that Cole frequently reversed the typical R&B singer and rapper relationship by featuring MCs on her tracks. 22), produced by ReeceBeats featuring another fellow Oakland native, Keyshia Cole for All Me. Cole explored that duality across her albums while also bringing more women into her circle: 2007’s Just Like You featured a club-ready slice of boisterous female empowerment co-starring both Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim (“Let It Go”), and 2008’s A Different Me included a duetted ode to devotion with Monica (“Trust”). Kehlani Teams Up w/ Keyshia Cole For New Track ‘All Me’ LISTEN Singer Kehlani dropped an unexpected new track for fans as an early Christmas gift on Sunday (Dec. But it was the heartrending “Love” that exposed the softer side of her bluntly titled 2005 debut, The Way It Is. When Cole at last found her own spotlight, it was over a Kanye West beat on 2004’s “I Changed My Mind,” an ex-skewering anthem cowritten by John Legend. Three years later, in 1996, she was set to record with 2Pac when he was gunned down. After cold-calling MC Hammer at age 12, the local hero gave her a shot at studio backing vocals. At the age of 15, she moved to Los Angeles and was later introduced to A&M Records.

Her career began when she met MC Hammer at the age of 12, and later met rapper Tupac Shakur.

The Oakland singer (born in 1981) started her career early, immersed in rap. Keyshia Myeshia Cole (ne Johnson born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. And, of course, it’s in her throaty voice, powerful at both a quaver and a wail. It’s in her unbridled emotion, which rings true whether she’s wounded or hopeful.

It’s in her style, which bridges R&B’s earnestness to hip-hop’s realness.

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