Underground female MC, Ladybug Mecca (birth name: Mary Ann Vieira) was born in Silver Spring, Maryland on July 25, 1973. She is best known for being a member of the jazz rap trio Digable Planets during the early 1990s with such hits as, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That)” and “Nickel Bags (of Funk)” from their debut album, February 1995’s Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and their follow-up album, October 1994’s Blowout Comb. After the group disbanded in 1995, Ladybug embarked on a solo career and released her debut album, June 2005’s Trip the Light Fantastic on her label Nu Paradigm Entertainment with her partner Nkosi Gray.

Ladybug has also collaborated with the likes of Jurassic 5, The Roots, Masta Ace and Del The Funky Homosapien. In 2016, Mecca teamed up with Rodrigo Brandão and legendary producer Prince Paul to form Brazilian hip-hop fusion group BROOKZILL! they released their debut album, Throwback to the Future on October 7, 2016, via Tommy Boy Music label.