Lil’ Mo

Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American R&B singer. 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. 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. 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. More collaborations by Ja Rule and Lil' Mo followed, including "I Cry", which repurposed The O'Jays' 1978 hit "Cry Together". On April 10, 2000, Mo released "Ta Da", her first solo single. After years of successful collaborations and features, Mo would finally release a successful hit of her own, "Superwoman Pt. II", her second single from her upcoming album. The single was released on March 6, 2001, and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, helping bring then-underground rapper Fabolous to mainstream attention. 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. 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, she would later criticise Elektra for their lack of support and minimal promotion for the album, which she attributed to being pregnant at the time. 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, Mo was dropped from the Cash Money roster and Syndicated was shelved. 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. Its singles, "Sumtimes I", featuring Jim Jones, and "Lucky Her" failed to chart. In 2008, Mo signed a two-album deal with Global Music Group and began work her fourth album, tentatively titled Tattoos & Roses: The Rebellion Against My Pain. 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. 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. 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. The incident traumatized Mo and left her suspicious of the attack, in which she felt it may have been a potential "set up". Mo confirmed to MTV News that she had to cancel many shows and cease a double-music video shoot for her single "Gangsta" so she could recover from the incident. A reward ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 was issued in hopes of catching the assailant. Though the alleged male attacker was never found, local San Francisco police received anonymous tips that the attacker boasted about his actions at a Hunters Point housing project near San Francisco, California. In 2001, Mo met her first husband, Augustus "Gus" Stone, at a Washington, D.C. gas station. After dating for five months, they wed on August 29, 2001. On August 19, 2002, Mo gave birth to her first child, Heaven Love'on Stone. On February 24, 2005, Mo gave birth to the couple's second child, God'Iss Love Stone. In December 2005, she filed for divorce. Their divorce was finalized in August 2007. Through the marriage, she became the stepmother to his son, Jerez Coleman,