Robin Yvette Allen, better known to hip-hop heads everywhere as The Lady Of Rage, is not only a skilled rapper, but also a singer and actress. Although The Lady Of Rage sometimes tends to be one of the forgotten few in the game, her talent, passion, and confidence are undeniable, and she definitely left her mark on the hip-hop game.
The Lady of Rage | The Origin
According to Ali Talks Music, Lady Of Rage got an interest in music and rapping at an early age. As early as the sixth grade, she was writing rhymes and rapping. By her senior year of high school, after a classmate of hers teasingly called her “Lady of Rage,” she decided to take it as her name.
Although there were a few female rappers out at the time, like Roxanne Shante and Salt-N-Pepa, The Lady Of Rage wanted to be like the boys. “…I didn’t look to girls for inspiration or nothing like that. Rakim was the one that was blowing my mind, and I was like ‘If I wanna be like somebody, if I wanna mold after an MC, Rakim would be the one.;”
In 1988, Shahkim of the Outlaw Brothers rap group discovered 20-year-old Lady of Rage in Queens, New York. Admiring her skill so much, he asked her to join his group, and she accepted. The group went on to sign a record deal with L.A. Posse.
In 1991, Lady Of Rage collaborated with Chubb Rock on the song “Bring Em Home Safe,” performing under the name “Rockin’ Robin.” That same year, she was featured on L.A. Posse’s album, They Come In All Colors. L.A. Posse let Dr. Dre hear Lady Of Rage’s skills, and he decided that he wanted to sign her to his then-up-and-coming label, Death Row Records.
Life On Death Row
Lady Of Rage immediately went to work after choosing to sign with Death Row Records. She was featured on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic in 1992. Due to her work on this album, Lady Of Rage’s popularity started to grow. Of course, this would mean that it’s time to get an album out, right? It wound up being a bit more complicated than she would expect.
Plans were made for her to release her first album, Eargasm, but due to the rise of labelmate Snoop Dogg’s popularity, the powers that be decided that it would be better to hold off on Lady Of Rage’s album and release Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle instead.
Despite this disappointment, Lady Of Rage scored a win when her song, “Afro Puffs,” was placed on the soundtrack to the movie, Above the Rim. Although she didn’t think people would like the song, it actually reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. With this success, this had to mean that her album would be pushed to the front, right?
Not exactly….
The label decided to push her album back once again and release Tha Dogg Pound’s album, Dogg Food, instead, where she was featured on their song, “Do What I Feel.” Not to mention that Tupac had recently signed to the label. Because of this series of events, her album was pushed back even deeper down the pipeline.
After the deaths of labelmate Tupac and fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., The Lady Of Rage took a step back. She felt like things were getting way out of hand with the violence in rap, and it was becoming too dangerous and just too much overall. However, she eventually decided to try one more time.
Time To Shine
When 1997 rolled around, Rage was finally able to release her debut. Necessary Roughness hit number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 7 on the R&B Albums chart. This album featured songs like “Rough Rugged & Raw,” “Get With Da Wickedness,” and “Raw Deal.” Although this should have been an exciting time for the rapper, it wound up being more frustrating than anything. By the time her album came out, Tupac had passed away, Snoop Dogg had left the label, Suge Knight was in jail, and Dr. Dre had also left. In addition to that, the entire label was slowly coming apart, and a lot of the support she needed to promote and hype up her album simply was no longer there. It was a really unfair situation.
By 1998, Rage decided to leave Death Row Records and move her focus to acting. She appeared on shows like Kenan & Kel, The Steve Harvey Show, and even the movie Next Friday.
In the 2000s, she decided to make a slight return to music by making appearances on Snoop Dogg’s projects, Tha Last Meal, Snoop Dogg Presents…Doggy Style Allstars Vol. 1, and Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss. She continued her work with Snoop Dogg and signed to his wife Shante Broadus’ label, Boss Lady Entertainment, where she released a mixtape called From VA 2 LA in 2006.
In 2008, Rage joined the Movement/Group FEM(Females Earning Money), with MCs Babs, Lady Luck, and Amil. The group, minus Amil, eventually released a mixtape called Set It Off.
Rage found herself in another group in 2011 called N’Matez, with Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, and RBX.
The Music
We can’t have an article about Lady Of Rage without featuring her best-known song! I love the G-Funk sound and the way she delivers her lyrics so rough and raw. She was definitely hanging with the boys! And if you listen to those lyrics – she’s a beast!
If this track doesn’t show she could hold her own with the guys, I don’t know what will! It honestly makes me even madder that they held her album back for so long. We really missed out on some major work from her!
Where Is The Lady Of Rage Now?
The Lady of Rage is pretty quiet these days, but you can still see her featured on many songs – trust me, she still has it! She also continues to act and is phenomenal at it!
In 2017, she was hospitalized with a mysterious illness, which has now been diagnosed as Sjorgren’s Syndrome.
She is now a mother to three children and keeps her personal business to herself. I can respect it!
Where To Find The Lady Of Rage
Follow The Lady Of Rage on TWITTER, SPOTIFY, and YOUTUBE
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