Yoon Mi-rae

Natasha Shanta Reid (born May 31, 1981), known by her Korean name Yoon Mi-rae, is an American-born South Korean rapper and singer. She is part of the Korean hip hop crew The Movement and current member of MFBTY.

She is married to Tiger JK, and has one son with him. She was selected the 12th best new female emcees dominating mics worldwide by MTV IGGY in 2011.

Biography

Early life and education

Reid was born in Fort Hood, Texas to a South Korean mother and a black American father. She often faced discrimination because of her mixed heritage. Her father, Thomas J. Reid, was a DJ when she was young, so she naturally became acquainted with music. Because her father was also in the military, Reid lived in multiple locations, including Fort Lewis, Washington, Washington, D.C. and Germany.

Career

In 1995, she accompanied a friend to a World Records audition for a group which would later become Uptown. She did not audition herself, but a World staff member heard Tasha singing the lyrics to songs outside of the audition room and casted her immediately. Uptown debuted in South Korea in early 1997, when Reid was just 16. Tasha was one of the first mixed race artists in Korean music, causing much criticism in a homogeneous society. Tasha later revealed her struggles in her 2007 single, "Black Happiness", which spoke of how industry executives told her to deny her African American heritage.