Editing Meshell Ndegeocello (section)

==Career==
[[File:MeShell NdegeòCello (222747).jpg|thumb|In 2016 at Cosmopolite Scene in Oslo]]
Ndegeocello honed her skills on the D.C. [[go-go]] circuit in the late 1980s with the bands Prophecy, Little Benny and the Masters, and [[Rare Essence]].<ref name="washingtonpost">{{Cite news|last = Wiltz|first=Teresa|title=Meshell Ndegeocello Breaks Step With Pop | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]|pages=N01|date=June 19, 2005|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/17/AR2005061700715_pf.html}}</ref> Going solo, she was one of the first artists to sign with [[Maverick Records]], where she released her debut album, ''[[Plantation Lullabies]]''. This recording presented a distinctly [[androgynous]] persona.

Her biggest hit is a [[duet]] with [[John Mellencamp]], a [[cover version]] of [[Van Morrison]]'s "[[Wild Night]]", which reached No. 3 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts. Her only other [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] hit besides "[[Wild Night]]" has been her self-penned "[[If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)]]", which peaked at No. 73 in 1994. Also in 1994, Ndegeocello collaborated with [[Herbie Hancock]] on "Nocturnal Sunshine," a track for the [[Red Hot Organization]]'s compilation album, ''[[Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool]]''. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.

She had a No. 1 dance hit in 1996 with a [[Bill Withers]] [[cover song]] called "[[Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?]]" (briefly featured in the film ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'') as well as Dance Top 20 hits with "Earth", "[[Leviticus: Faggot]]", "Stay" and the aforementioned "If That's Your Boyfriend.. Last Night)". Ndegeocello played bass on the song "I'd Rather be Your Lover" for [[Madonna]] on her album ''[[Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)|Bedtime Stories]]''. Ndegeocello was also tapped, at the last minute, to perform spoken word on the same song. This came after Madonna and producers decided to remove [[Tupac Shakur]]'s rap (which he did while he and Madonna were dating in 1994), after he had criminal charges filed against him. Ndegeocello also performed spoken word on [[Chaka Khan]]'s single "[[Never Miss the Water]]", from the album ''[[Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1]]'', released in 1996. The song reached #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Play Chart and #36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart.

Her music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including ''[[How Stella Got Her Groove Back]]'', ''[[Lost & Delirious]]'', ''[[Batman & Robin (film)|Batman & Robin]]'', ''[[Love Jones (film)|Love Jones]]'', ''[[Love & Basketball (film)|Love & Basketball]]'', ''[[Talk to Me (1996 film)|Talk to Me]]'', ''[[Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls]]'', ''[[The Best Man (1999 film)|The Best Man]]'', ''[[Higher Learning]]'', ''[[Down in the Delta]]'', ''[[The Hurricane (1999 film)|The Hurricane]]'', ''[[Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom]]'', ''[[Soul Men]]'', and ''[[Biker Boyz]]''.

She has appeared on recordings by [[Basement Jaxx]], [[Indigo Girls]], [[Scritti Politti]], and [[The Blind Boys of Alabama]]. On [[The Rolling Stones]]' 1997 album ''[[Bridges to Babylon]]'' she plays bass on the song "[[Saint of Me]]". On [[Alanis Morissette]]'s 2002 album ''[[Under Rug Swept]]'', she plays bass on the songs "[[So Unsexy]]" and "You Owe Me Nothing in Return". Also that year, she appeared on [[Gov’t Mule]]’s record ''[[The Deep End, Volume 2]]'', playing on a cover of The [[Staple Singers]]’ song "Hammer and Nails".  And in 2009, she appeared on [[Zap Mama]]'s album ''ReCreation'', playing bass on the song "African Diamond".

She can also be seen in the documentary ''[[Standing in the Shadows of Motown (film)|Standing in the Shadows of Motown]]'', singing [[The Miracles]]' "[[You've Really Got a Hold on Me]]" and [[The Temptations]]' "[[Cloud Nine (The Temptations song)|Cloud Nine]]". In the late 1990s, she toured with [[Lilith Fair]]. She also did a remake of the song "[[Two Doors Down (Dolly Parton song)|Two Doors Down]]" on the 2003 release ''[[Just Because I'm a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton]]''.

Ndegeocello was also a judge for The 2nd, 12th, 13 and the 2015 14th Annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |title=Past Judges |publisher=Independent Music Awards |access-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024722/http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp |archive-date=July 13, 2011 }}</ref>

Her song "Tie One On" was chosen as the [[Starbucks]] [[iTunes]] Pick of the Week on February 23, 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heringer |title=Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week – Meshell Ndegeocello – Tie One On |url=https://www.mark-heringer.com/2010/02/starbucks-itunes-pick-of-week-meshell.html |website=Mark-heringer.com|access-date=2022-08-04 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Heringer |title=Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week list |url=https://www.mark-heringer.com/2008/04/starbucks-itunes-pick-of-week-list.html|website=Mark-heringer.com |access-date=2022-04-12 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2016, she provided the theme song, "Nova", for the [[Oprah Winfrey]]-produced show ''[[Queen Sugar]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.what-song.com/Tvshow/187/Queen-Sugar |title=Queen Sugar Soundtrack |website=What-song.com |access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> She also collaborated with French-Cuban duo [[Ibeyi]] in the song "Transmission/Michaelion" for the album ''[[Ash (album)|Ash]]'' reciting a poem by [[Frida Kahlo]].

In December 2016, the world premiere of Ndegeocello's ''[[Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin]]'', a new theatrical music and art work, was held in Harlem, New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestagereview.net/2016/11/29/harlem-stage-present-world-premiere-meshell-ndegeocellos-can-get-witness-gospel-james-baldwin-december-7-11/|publisher=The Stage Review|date=November 29, 2016|title=Harlem Stage to present the world premiere of Meshell Ndegeocello's 'Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin,' December 7–11}}</ref>

In June 2021, [[The Beatles Channel]] on [[Sirius XM Radio]] began broadcasting ''A Shot of Rhythm and Blues: Exploring The Beatles and Black Music'', a four-part series hosted by Ndegeocello.<ref name="AP 2021">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/data-privacy-race-and-ethnicity-technology-business-music-3d9352ad2c927cd8cd03ff0bd6b9c601|title=Celebrate Black Music Month on SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher with Exclusive Music Channels, Streaming Stations, and an Original Podcast|author=[[PR Newswire]]|date=June 1, 2021|website=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref><ref name="TheBeatles.com 2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.thebeatles.com/news/%E2%80%9C-shot-rhythm-and-blues-exploring-beatles-and-black-music%E2%80%9D-beatles-channel|title="A Shot of Rhythm and Blues: Exploring The Beatles and Black Music" on The Beatles Channel|website=TheBeatles.com|access-date=June 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609030013/https://www.thebeatles.com/news/%E2%80%9C-shot-rhythm-and-blues-exploring-beatles-and-black-music%E2%80%9D-beatles-channel|archive-date=June 9, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="SiriusXM 2021">{{cite web|url=https://blog.siriusxm.com/explore-connection-between-the-beatles-black-music-during-a-new-series/|title=Explore the connection between The Beatles & Black music during a new SiriusXM series|date=June 7, 2021|website=[[Sirius XM]]|access-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref> The series explores the relationship between the English rock band [[the Beatles]] and the black musicians that inspired them.<ref name="AP 2021" /><ref name="TheBeatles.com 2021" /><ref name="SiriusXM 2021" />

Ndegeocello joined the [[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]] label with the debut release of her 13th studio album ''[[The Omnichord Real Book]]'' (2023). The title refers to a set of lead sheets from songs from funk, soul, gospel and more influenced by her father as if a compilation of standards like a [[Real Book|real book]] in jazz repertoire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=Album: Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book |url=https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/album-meshell-ndegeocello-omnichord-real-book |access-date=2023-06-12 |website=Theartsdesk.com |language=en}}</ref>