Michel’le Denise Toussant, who is more famed by her first name only, is a music artist and songwriter. She is a sister of indie hip hop artist Christopher Toussant, performing under stage name Soliarii.
Michel’le gained popularity in the 1980s after providing vocals for World Class Wreckin’ Cru’s hit Turn Off the Lights and her collaboration with Ruthless Records. In 1989, she presented the eponymous debut album, followed by Hung Jury in 1998. After a long hiatus, the musician recorded several songs in the 2010s, including Freedom of Love and Moonlight.
In 2013-2015, Toussant starred in reality series R&B Divas: Los Angeles. In 2016, biographical film Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le told her life story. The same year, she had a part in stage play Love Jones: The Musical.
Michel’le Denise Toussant was romantically linked to Dr. Dre in 1988-1996. Their son Marcel drew his first breath in 1990. Actually, their affair was very troubled. The couple passed through domestic violence and infidelity. The rapper even shot at her.
In 1999, Michel’le tied the knot with Suge Knight, a co-founder of Death Row Records. In 2002, they welcomed a daughter named Bailei. In 2006, they called it quits, but during the divorce proceedings, Michel’le discovered that their marriage was invalid as Suge was officially married to Sharitha Golden. The relationship of Toussant and Knight was rather tense and led to her suicide attempt in 2013.
Currently, the woman is dating chef Robert Stewart. In 2020, they starred together in Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition.
A curious fact: though Michel’le made a contribution to N.W.A.’s success, her character wasn’t included into Straight Outta Compton film.
