Ms. Toi

Ms. Toi
In a 2022 interview
In a 2022 interview
Background information
Born
Toikeon Parham

(1973-02-26) February 26, 1973 (age 53)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OriginInglewood, California, U.S.
GenreHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active1999–present
LabelsUniversal, G.O Entertainment

Toikeon Parham (born February 26, 1973), known professionally as Ms. Toi, is an American rapper. She is featured on the Ice Cube song "You Can Do It" with Mack 10, released on the soundtrack albums for the feature films Next Friday and Save the Last Dance. "You Can Do It" became a major club hit in 2000, and its video received airplay on BET.

Early life

Parham was born in Chicago. Her family moved to Inglewood, California, when she was 11 years old. Toi attended Inglewood High School, part of its Class of 1991. After being expelled from school, she moved to Sacramento, where she lived with an uncle and his family.

Career

In Sacramento, Toi began pursuing an interest in hip hop. She performed with a group, Thick and the Girls, initially as a dancer. Her first studio recording, "Life Styles of the Rough and Sexy", was by her and Ronnie DeVoe, the nephew of her manager. She joined a rap group, Militia, and her performance on a remix of their track "Burn" led to further opportunities.

Toi's break came when she was invited to record "You Can Do It" with Ice Cube and Mack 10. The song became a hit. Toi was signed to Universal Records. Her debut album That Girl was released a year later. It features multiple West Coast rappers, including E-40 and MC Ren, along with others like Nelly and producer Dame Grease.

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

2017: Now That's Gangsta - Datpiff.com

Singles

Guest appearances

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shaver, Shonassee (May 3, 2017). "Behind the Music with Ms. Toi". LASentinel.net. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "The Class of Ninety One". Inglewood High School Yearbook. Inglewood, California: Inglewood High School. 1988. p. 120. Retrieved November 27, 2017 – via Classmates.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Birchmeier, Jason (January 2000). "Ms. Toi Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Ms. Toi Billboard Chart". Billboard.biz. Retrieved April 4, 2018.