Biography

Tameka Dianne Harris (née Cottle, born July 14, 1975), known professionally by her nickname Tiny, is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the multi-platinum R&B vocal group Xscape. She received a Grammy Award for her writing contributions on the TLC hit "No Scrubs". She is also known for her marriage to T.I. She acquired the nickname 'Tiny' due to her small stature of 4'11". She joined the R&B quartet Xscape in 1992 while attending Tri-Cities Performing Arts High School. Xscape was discovered by producer Jermaine Dupri while singing at his birthday celebration in Atlanta, Georgia. Dupri immediately signed the group to his then new record label, So So Def Recordings. As a member of the group, she has contributed to three of the band's platinum albums: Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha, Off the Hook, and Traces of My Lipstick. As a member of Xscape, she has received two Soul Train Music Awards for Best New R&B Artist and Best R&B Album and the A-Town Music Award for Best Duo/Group. Cottle sang lead vocals on six of Xscape's hit singles: "Understanding", "Do You Want To?", "All I Need", "Love's a Funny Thing", "My Little Secret", and "Am I Dreamin'". She has also recorded on soundtracks for Soul Food, Panther, Bad Boys, and Love Jones. In 1998, after the release of Xscape's third album, Traces of My Lipstick, the band parted ways. In 2000, she and fellow former Xscape group member Kandi Burruss were honored with a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for penning TLC's hit single "No Scrubs". Cottle's other accomplishments include an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers award in the R&B and Pop Music categories for "No Scrubs", as well as the ASCAP Rap Award for her work on the Sporty Thievz track "No Pigeons". She has also worked with T.I., 8Ball & MJG, Lil' Kim and Bow Wow. After a five-year hiatus, she reunited with sisters LaTocha and Tamika Scott and added a new member, Kiesha Miles, to release a Xscape album entitled Unchained and released the single "What's Up" in 2005. She is involved in a project with Kiesha Miles called the OMG Girlz. Cottle's daughter, Zonnique, is a part of the musical trio.[3] She appeared in her husband's video for "Hello", along with their family and the OMG Girlz. In June 2009, her reality series, Tiny and Toya, made its debut on BET and lasted for one season. On July 22, 2014, she returned to the music industry under her new label Pretty Hustle, with her first solo single "What The F*ck You Gon Do?". Within a few hours of "WTFYGD" being released it reached the number 5 spot on the iTunes R&B/Soul charts, and less than 24 hours after release it became the number one song on the charts for the genre. She and bandmate Kandi Burruss, also have writing credits on the song Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. In 2018, she took a break from her XSCAP3 EP Promo to spend some quality time with her one-year-old daughter Heiress. In December 2011, T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle premiered on VH1. The series chronicles the lives of her and T.I. plus their family. Tiny and Shekinah's Weave Trip premiered on VH1 on October 13, 2014. The series chronicled her and her best friend Shekinah Anderson in a mobile hair salon across the country.