Sharissa

Sharissa Dawes was born on August 21, 1975, in New York City's borough of Brooklyn.[1][2][3] She is the oldest of three children.[4] Raised in the Bronx' Edenwald Projects, she became interested in music at age seven.[1] When Sharissa was about 13, she performed with neighborhood children[2] and sang in her school cafeteria.[1] She was influenced by her mother's music collection (which included Deniece Williams and Patti LaBelle),[2] and recorded and studied televised music specials.[1] Sharissa's father nicknamed her "Little Stevie Wonder".[1] Growing up, she felt pressure within the community: "People expected me to do nothing but have babies and depend on the system. I fought through all that."[4]

Sharissa joined the group Triple Dose as a teenager,[1][2] and became part of the "urban vocal quartet" 4Kast in 1995.[5][6] 4Kast released their debut album, Any Weather on October 13, 1998, on RCA Records.[5][6] Its lead single, "Miss My Lovin'", features Mic Geronimo.[6] Released as the second single on August 21, 1998,[7] "I Tried" reached number 46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart on October 10, 1998.[8] It remained on the chart for 12 weeks.[8] To promote the album, the group performed as part of a fundraiser at Madison Square Garden.[7]

Sharissa contributed "Bring Out The Freak" (featuring ILL Bread) to the 1996 compilation album, The Ultimate Mix.[9] The following year, she released the solo single "Keep It Simple" through Emotive Music.[10] Sharissa became a backing vocalist for a number of singers, including Wyclef Jean, Beanie Sigel, Father MC, and Carl Thomas.[1] Three of her songs appeared on the 2001 compilation album, Bullet Proof Love, Vol. 1: "Money Ain't Gonna Change Us" (including verses from The Prodigy and Bars-N-Hooks), "Gone 2 Long", and "I Can't Wait".[11] Sharissa was also featured on Carl Thomas' "Cold, Cold Wind", on the compilation album BMG Dance Compilation #69, that year.[12]

Jimmy Henchman discovered Sharissa in November 2002.[2] Her 2002 debut album, No Half Steppin', was released through Henchmen and Motown on February 26 of that year.[1][13] Ayana Byrd of Vibe called its sound a "brand of gritty, hip hop-influenced R&B, and its lyrics revolve around tales of love, heartbreak, and independence"; according to Bryce Wilson, the album was inspired by 1970s music.[2] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic identified No Half Steppin' as part of Motown's attempt "to break new artists into the urban market", and the label was presenting Sharissa in a style similar to Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah.[13] Other music critics also compared the singer to Blige.[14][15]

The album received mainly-positive reviews,[2][13][14] although some criticized its production.[13][16] It peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200 chart on March 16, 2002 (remaining on the chart for 10 weeks),[17] number seven on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Billboard chart[18] and number 44 on the Top Album Sales Billboard chart.[19] Sharissa performed material from the album at the Blazin' Hip-Hop and R&B Concert in Pittsburgh on June 16, 2002,[20] and released a mixtape version.[21]

"Any Other Night"'s music video was "the story of a woman getting her groove back after being neglected by her man".[2] The single peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 6, 2002, remaining on the chart for 14 weeks.[22] It reached number 21 on the Adult R&B Songs Billboard chart,[23] number 23 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay,[24] number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,[25] and number 70 on the Radio Songs Billboard charts.[26] The album's title track was also released as a single,[27] and was promoted with a video.[28][29] It peaked at number 75 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay[24] and number 78 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard charts.[25] The third (and final) single from the album was "I Can't Wait".[30]

Sharissa was featured on "You Say Keep It Gangsta" with Butch Cassidy on Wyclef Jean's third studio album, Masquerade, which was released on June 18, 2002.[31][32] The singer featured on The Ranjahz's "Animal Life", from the album Say What You Say, that year.[33][lower-alpha 1] She also played Yanesha in the 2002 television film, Play'd: A Hip Hop Story.[35] Sociology professor Geoff Harkness wrote in a 2015 article that Yanesha is an example of the bad-girl archetype, which he defined as "sexually insatiable females who emphasize their physical attributes and downplay other aspects of their identity".[36]

On November 11, 2003, Sharissa contributed "Take Me as I Am" to the soundtrack of the 2003 romantic comedy film Love Actually; it features Wyclef Jean.[37][lower-alpha 2] An accompanying music video was released.[40] The song peaked at number 96 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart.[25] Baria A. Razzaq of Vibe criticized the song: "Wyclef Jean misleads her into regurgitating one of his ditties from The Carnival era".[41] Sharissa attended the film's New York City premiere.[42]

EMI Music Japan and Virgin released her second album, Every Beat of My Heart, in Japan on October 25, 2005.[38][43][44] The album was originally scheduled for a full release on September 27 of that year.[45] Sharissa has co-writing credits on all its songs, and said about the process: "I can't sing about things that I haven't experienced, so it was important for me to work with producers who understood my struggle."[46] Baria A. Razzaq praised the album for the collaborations with R. Kelly and Millie Jackson.[41]

Singles from the album were "I'm In Love With a Thug", featuring R. Kelly,[46] and "I Got Love".[47] The track "You Can Do Better featuring R&B singer Tank" reached number 28 on the Adult R&B Songs Billboard chart.[23] Before Every Beat of My Heart, Sharissa had released "Guess Who's Back", "See If I Won't", "You Make It Easy", "I'm Heat" and "Drop on Me" as singles.[48][49][50] "I'm Heat" features verses by The Game, and "Drop on Me" includes verses by The Notorious B.I.G.[50]

Sharissa designed a MaDame Bluez & Co. line of "street couture" in 2005[45] and participated in the reality competition show, Survive This![51] She performed at a Masonic Temple event in Decatur, Illinois, on February 17, 2006, to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS.[52] Sharissa's song, "Further", was included on the compilation album Dear Summer, Vol. 1 the following year.[53] She released "All or Nuth'n" in 2011 through the Assirahs Music Group.[54][lower-alpha 3]