1. She started a music career at a young age with hip hop legends like MC Hammer and Tupac Shakur. Keyshia and her brother, Sean, met MC Hammer and recorded with him when she was only 12 years old. She later befriended Tupac and he even promised to help her career take off by asking her to write a hook for one of his upcoming projects on the same night he passed away. Keyshia’s been known to hold her own when it comes to her music and isn’t afraid to speak her mind about what she wants so perhaps her inspiration to be strong in the industry came from this impressive experience.
2. She was signed to a record deal when she was 21 years old. After moving to Los Angeles from Northern California when Keyshia was just 18, she collaborated with various artists. A few years later in 2002, A& M Records heard her unfinished single “Love,” which would become her first platinum single, and offered her a record deal.
3. She’s been nominated for a Grammy Award four times. Keyshia’s first two nominations came in 2008. They were in the categories of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Contemporary R&B Album for her song “Let It Go.” The other two nominations happened a year later in 2009 in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song “Heaven Sent.” She’s also been nominated for several other awards, including BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and an American Music Award.
4. Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood is not the first reality series she’s been a part of. Her part in L&HH will focus on her return to music and her challenges in raising a child while going through a divorce, but Keyshia’s appeared in three other reality television series that were centered on her life, including Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is from 2006-2008, Keyshia & Daniel: Family First in 2012, and Keyshia Cole: All In in 2015.
5. She met her biological father for the first time in 2016. Family’s always been a big deal to Keyshia. She was married to former NBA player Daniel Gibson for almost six years before announcing a divorce in 2017. The former couple have a son, Daniel, 7, and the singer found out that her biological father is popular boxing trainer, Virgil Hunter in 2016. After sadly having a drug addicted mother as a child, she was put up for adoption and had never met Virgil before.
Season 4 of Love & Hip Hop:Hollywood featuring Keyshia will premiere on July 24, 2017 on VH1.
HollywoodLifers, what’s your favorite thing about Keyshia? Tell us here!