Interview of the Week: Shareefa

Like the truest of New Jersey girls, R&B/Hip-Hop singer Shareefa keeps it real. Very real. Shareefa, whose full name is Shareefa Cooper, has drawn comparisons to a young Mary J. Blige, partially due to her voice, but more because of her bold, take-no-mess attitude on some of her songs. In an interview with your Guide to R&B, 'Reefa talks about her troubled early life, being discovered and what to expect on her debut album, Point of No Return, which drops on Oct. 24.

• Shareefa interview
• Shareefa's "Cry No More" audio in Windows Media
• "Cry No More" streaming in RealMedia

Shareefa photo © Universal Def Jam.