Miss Monday is one of Japan's most celebrated hip-hop artists; she's a rapper who also sings and performs music that bridges the gaps between rap, R&B, and reggae. Born in 1976, Miss Monday began her recording career in 2000, teaming with the independent I.D. Records label and cutting a pair of singles that earned positive reviews but sold poorly. However, the singles were good enough to attract the attention of Epic Records' Japanese branch, who signed Miss Monday to a new record deal; her first single for the label, "Monday Freak," was a chart success, and her star was on the rise. After several more charting singles, Miss Monday's first full-length album, Free Ya, appeared in 2002. The vocalist began embracing a more sophisticated musical approach on her subsequent albums, 2003's Natural and 2005's Miss Rainbow. Miss Monday parted ways with Epic after the release of 2007's Footstamp, Vol. 1, a collection of her hits; partnering with For Life Records, she issued her fourth album, Kiss the Sky, later the same year. Love and the Light followed in 2009. ~ Mark Deming