The Next Big: R&B Star

Monica Floyd, aka Doll Phace, grew up in West Baltimore singing in church choirs and performing in Poly Follies, the annual show put on by her high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. "I always participated in theater groups and on dance teams," she says. "That was a very special part of my life." Then, while at Morgan State University, Doll Phace (a nickname coined by a fellow Poly student) saw an ad in the paper for someone trying to put together an all-girl group. "I got picked and we moved to California," she says. "Although the group didn't pan out, I ended up staying here." She got a degree in film, but ultimately pursued her first love of singing. On her first single "Damn Right," she worked with rapper E-40, who introduced her to Snoop Dogg, with whom she collaborated on her next single "Let's Go To Vegas." She says it was a great experience: "Snoop got up at 5 a.m. to record that track," she says. "He's really elevated my career." Doll Phace is not only a singer, but the CEO of her own entertainment company True Vision Media Group (dollphacemusic.com). She hopes to release her first album, Love Tonic, in January and maybe come back to Baltimore and make a film. "I like the toughness and realness people in Baltimore possess," she says.