Vanessa “L.A.” Mullings
“Touching the world while staying true to myself, I’ve realized, is my true purpose in life,” former hip hop artist Vanessa “L.A.” Mullings says. During her years of performing, she gradually became disenchanted with the music industry’s enforcement of gender stereotypes in hip hop performance and production. Wanting to stand out rather than fit in, Mullings founded her production company Laseland Entertainment 11 years ago to “knock down walls and focus on creative and progressive content.” She’s worked with Mario Winans, Sean Combs, Destiny’s Child, Akon, Tamia, Brandy, Christina Milian, Britney Spears and Toni Braxton as a songwriter, producer and vocal arranger. Not stopping to rest on her laurels, Mullings is working on a screenplay based on her self-published novel, The Night Trade. -KL
