Reminisce Kioni Smith (formerly Mackie; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by the late rapper Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. Her debut solo album, There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story (2006), sold 37,000 copies in its first week. Ma's most commercially successful songs include "Lean Back", "Conceited", and "All the Way Up".
She is one of five multi-time winners of the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, which she won in 2005 and 2017. Ma is the recipient of two Vibe Awards, two Source Awards, and has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. From 2015 to 2020, she starred on VH1's reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York, alongside her husband at the time, Papoose.
Early life and career beginnings
Smith was born in The Bronx, and grew up in Castle Hill Projects. She was exposed to her family's drug abuse at an early age. She was forced to take care of her younger brothers and sisters at a young age and retreated from her home life issues by writing poetry. Her reputation spread around the Bronx, eventually getting the attention of Big Pun. After a meeting and freestyle session, Pun took Ma under his wing and became her mentor.
