Solé
American rapper
Tonya Michelle Johnston (born July 17, 1973), known professionally as Solé, is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri.
Early life and education
Solé was born on July 17, 1973, in Kansas City, to Phyllis Frazier and James Johnston, Her siblings are Sean and Charles (Chuck) Johnston, Sierra and Tamika Gamble. She is of East African, Tamil (South Indian), Native American descent through her mother's side and North African, Eastern European and British descent through her father's side. She attended cosmetology school and college in the early 1990s, where she studied Political Science and Psychology before securing a record deal with DreamWorks Records and RedZone Entertainment.
Career
Solé descended from a family of musical talent, songwriters, singers and musicians. She began rapping at the age of 6 and formed a group called Divine with her best friend Shurhea Mitchell in 1986. They would perform at local talent shows and in 1990 they won a trip to the BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) in New Orleans, to perform at a showcase in front of record label execs and other artists. They were offered a record deal by JDK Records and flew to New York to record. Her father, who was managing them at the time, didn't feel it was a good deal so they went back home and started college.
She once again began recording in 1997 with Tech N9ne and Don Juan of Kansas City fame and traveled to LA to record.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Solé” is american rapper. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Solé, American and rapper, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “american rapper” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7559068. VIAF identifies the subject as 131152742907327731496. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1973, 1986, 1990 and 1997.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Solé”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Solé primary sources, Solé archive and Solé research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Solé”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Solé” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.