Lil' Mo

birth_date = education = birth_place = Long Island, New York, U.S. spouse = occupation = children = 5 awards = Full list years_active = 1998–present module =

Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, radio personality, television personality and actress. She is best known for her 2001 single "Superwoman Pt. II" (featuring Fabolous), which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is credited with launching Fabolous' career. Regarded as Missy Elliott's protégé, Elliott guest appeared on Lil Mo's 1998 debut single "5 Minutes", which was released for the Why Do Fools Fall in Love film soundtrack. The following year, Lil' Mo appeared alongside Nas, Eve, and Q-Tip on Elliott's 1999 single "Hot Boyz". She guest performed alongside Vita on Ja Rule's 2000 singles "Put It on Me", as well as his 2001 single "I Cry", the former of which was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.

Early life Mo was born into a military family. Her father, Bishop Jacob D. Loving, and her mother, First-Lady Cynthia Loving Sr., raised her primarily in Long Island, but moved regularly due to her father's military assignments. The family lived in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina before settling in Baltimore. As an adult, Mo moved to New York City's Manhattan borough to pursue her music career.

Career Beginnings (1996–2000) Mo began her career as a backing vocalist, session musician and songwriter. In early 1998, while submitting demo material to Elektra Records for Nicole Wray's 1998 debut album, Make It Hot, Mo caught the attention of Missy Elliott, who helped land her a contract deal with Elektra. On June 29, 1998, Mo released her debut single "5 Minutes" from the soundtrack for the Frankie Lymon biographical film Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The song was planned to appear on Mo's debut album, however when it underperformed in the US, it was pulled from the final track listing. Mo's debut album was originally set to be released in March 1999, however, it was pushed back multiple times during Elektra's attempts to revamp Mo's image and sound.

Mo gained further exposure during this time for her features on Ol' Dirty Bastard's cover of Billie Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache", Missy Elliott's record-breaking single "Hot Boyz", which spent 18 weeks at number one on the Hot Rap Singles from December 4, 1999, to March 25, 2000, and Ja Rule's single "Put It on Me", which was a hit on both urban and pop radio, and reached number eight on the US pop charts. On June 26, 2001, Mo's debut album, Based on a True Story was released to generally favorable reviews. The album peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and attained a gold certification from the RIAA, making it Mo's successful album to date. In August 2001, Mo released the follow-up single "Gangsta (Love 4 the Streets)", however, it failed to match the success of its predecessor.

Meet the Girl Next Door, career struggles (2002–05)

While recovering from being assaulted with a champagne bottle after a performance in San Francisco, Mo began her radio career, working as a part-time anchor for Baltimore urban radio station WERQ-FM. That same year, Mo began preparations for her second album, Meet the Girl Next Door. The album was released on April 29, 2003, preceded by the singles "4Ever" and "Ten Commandments". While Mo promoted the singles on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Soul Train,

Mo's contract with Elektra expired as the label was absorbed by Atlantic Records, and in July 2004, she signed Universal's Cash Money Records to record her third album, then titled Syndicated: the Lil' Mo Hour. The album was scheduled for an early 2005 release, before being pushed back to October, after its four singles (including "Hot Girls" and "Dem Boyz") failed to create any buzz. Following the destruction of Cash Money's New Orleans studio by Hurricane Katrina,

Independent releases, Pain and Paper, P.S. I Love Me (2006–12) Mo began releasing singles as an independent artist under her production company HoneyChild Entertainment, which was first founded by Mo in 2000. On August 28, 2007, Mo released the album Pain & Paper, distributed by Koch Entertainment and DrakeWeb Music Group and selling only 6000 copies. The album was initially planned to include a second disc featuring Mo's live performances, however this was eventually scrapped. On May 8, 2011, Mo released the mixtape P.S. I Love You. On November 1, 2011, Mo released P.S. I Love Me in conjunction with Bronx Bridge Entertainment and distributed by Fontana Distribution. The album was preceded by the singles "On the Floor", "I Love Me", featuring Tweet, and "Take Me Away", featuring Maino.

Television career, The Scarlet Letter, retirement (2013–present) In 2013, Mo became a cast member of the reality television series R&B Divas: Los Angeles, which premiered on TV One on July 10, 2013. The season's reunion special garnered a total of 834,000 viewers, tying with the debut of the sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show as the network's No. 1 telecast among adults 25–54 in TV One history. On September 10, 2013, Lil' Mo released the song "I'm a Diva" via iTunes. Another non-album single, "L's Up", was released the following week.

On October 28, 2014, Mo released her fifth album, The Scarlet Letter, under Penalthy Entertainment. The album was preceded by the single "Should've Never Let You Go", as well as her second mixtape No Shit Sherlock, which featured contributions by Da Brat and songwriter Tiyon "TC" Mack. On April 29, 2015, R&B Divas: Los Angeles ended after its third season.

In January 2016, Mo began hosting the WKYS radio show The Fam in the Morning with DJ Quick Silva. She was fired from the show in February 2017. Later that year, Mo joined the cast of VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York and appeared in an episode of Couples Court with the Cutlers. She would also appear in We TV's Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars 12 — Hip Hop Edition.

On October 25, 2018, Mo announced her retirement from the music industry to pursue a career in law.

Personal life Assault On June 22, 2001, while being escorted to a limousine, Lil' Mo was assaulted by a male at a San Francisco concert venue. She was bludgeoned in the head by the man's champagne bottle and was immediately hospitalized at California Pacific Medical Center, where she received 20 stitches. A reward ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 was issued in hopes of catching the assailant. On July 10, 2012, Mo gave birth to her fourth child, Jonah Maddox-Phillip Bryant. The couple separated due to his infidelity and officially divorced on September 15, 2014. On August 28, 2015, Mo gave birth to Karl Sharif Dargan Jr., her fifth child and Karl's third. In 2018, at the reunion special of Love & Hip Hop: New York, Mo announced that she was expecting her sixth child. Mo admitted on social media that she had suffered a miscarriage a month before the reunion aired. In May 2019, Mo announced that she had left Karl, after he had spat on her in front of their children during an argument. Mo revealed in later interviews that he had been physically abusive throughout their marriage. Their divorce was finalized in April 2021.

Personal struggles In 2003, Mo revealed to Vibe magazine that she struggled with an eating disorder since 2000.

In 2019, Mo revealed that she had struggled with an opioid addiction.

Religion Mo was raised in a Christian household; her parents are Holiness preachers. In a 2017 episode of Love & Hip Hop: New York, Mo revealed that she had converted to Islam three years prior as a result of her marriage to Karl, and is seen praying in hijab.

Feuds Ja Rule A feud between Mo and former collaborator Ja Rule embroiled in late 2001, when Murder Inc. began favoring Ashanti over her. In January 2003, while co-hosting 106 & Park: Prime, Mo sent a shout-out to 50 Cent, just seconds after she premiered a Ja Rule video. In May 2003, Mo released a freestyle diss to Ja Rule.

In April 2003, controversy arose regarding payment for Lil' Mo's contributions on "I Cry" and "Put It on Me". In 2005, Lil' Mo filed a lawsuit against Ja Rule, Murder Inc. and Def Jam for over $15 million. In 2010, the two reconciled, and the next year, recorded a track together titled "U & Me".

Keyshia Cole The feud between Lil' Mo and R&B singer Keyshia Cole originated in August 2005 via the radio series Star and Buc Wild Morning Show. Mo was reported to have dismissed the vocal talent of a new crop of R&B performers, saying that they relied on dancing. Cole took offense and went to Dream Hotel in New York City, where she encountered Lil' Mo's manager Phil Thornton and a stylist, allegedly stating "You all are traitors. [Lil' Mo] is the enemy.". which Cole denied.

In March 2013, Cole was criticized by urban media outlets for her Twitter critique of Beyoncé's "Bow Down/I Been On". This led to Mo and Cole exchanging hostile tweets over the next few days. Despite the exchanges, in May 2013, Mo said there was no beef between her and Cole, which led to the two exchanging hostile messages again via Instagram and Twitter.

Discography

Studio albums Based on a True Story (2001) Meet the Girl Next Door (2003) Pain & Paper (2007) P.S. I Love Me (2011) The Scarlet Letter (2014)

Tours Lilith Fair (with Missy Elliott) (1998) Missy Elliott: Live in Hamburg/Germany (1998–1999) Sprite Simon Dtour Live (with 3LW) (2003) Rock the Mic Tour (with Jay-Z and 50 Cent) (2003) Seagram's Gin Live Tour (with Xscape) (2005)

Filmography Television + Television 2013–15 R&B Divas: Los Angeles Herself Main Cast 2014 Black Dynamite Rondell's Mom / Offscreen Nurse / Woman in Horse Carriage 4 episodes 2017 Love & Hip Hop: New York Herself Main Cast 2019 Marriage Boot Camp Herself Main cast 2023 Power Book II: Ghost Herself Episode: "Your Perception, Your Reality"

Awards and nominations