Strings

Marinna Louise Teal (born November 25, 1975), better known by her stage names Strings and Tateeze, is an American rapper and jeweler. She is best known for her appearances on the remixes of R. Kelly's 1997 single "Gotham City" and Keith Sweat's 1999 single "I'm Not Ready". Often considered a protégé of both singers, she signed with the former's Rockland Records in 1995 and the latter's Sweat Records in 1998. Her 2000 single, "Tongue Song", entered the Hot Rap Songs chart and was intended to lead her debut album, The Black Widow, which was never released. She was the second female artist to sign with Cash Money Records in 2002.

Early life Strings is the granddaughter of Aaron Moore, a famous bluesman from Chicago. As a young girl Strings sang in her local church choir and won talent show prizes, but her aspirations to become a rapper were put on hold after she became pregnant at 13 years old. After graduating from Chicago Vocational High School she moved to Oklahoma City for five years, where she became an exotic dancer to support her daughter.

Music career While living in Oklahoma City, Strings attended an R. Kelly concert where she auditioned for him backstage. An album was scheduled to be released in November 2000 but was shelved, and only the Listening Post Edition and sampler copies were pressed. Strings was later released from her contract with Epic.

After Strings signed to Cash Money Records, she changed her stage name to Tateeze. She was featured on the Big Tymers single "Oh Yeah!" (2002).

2000s

Album appearances 1998: "Vegas" Sparkle - Sparkle 1999: "Im Not Ready Remix" Keith Sweat - Im Not Ready 2000: "Whatcha Like" Keith Sweat - Didn't See Me Coming 2002: "Get That Dough" Lil Wayne - 500 Degreez 2002: "." Baby - Birdman 2002: "Oh Yeah!" Big Tymers - Hood Rich 2003: "Beat It Up" Big Tymers - Big Money Heavyweight 2003: "Chi-Town" Boo & Gotti - Perfect Timing 2004: "Beat It Up" Big Tymers - No Love (Beautiful Life) 2004: "Shake That A**" Mannie Fresh - The Mind of Mannie Fresh 2005: "Smoke Out" - Birdman - Fast Money 2005: "Addiction" - Kanye West - Late Registration 2009: "Dope Money" D Boyz - Life Of A D-Boy

Mixtapes + List of mixtapes, with year released Title Album detailsHigh Maintenance Music 101 The Mixx Education of Strings Released: 2011 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download