Dr. Dre has been working with Truth Hurts since the mid-90s. Initially, he planned to feature her in a group he was developing, but when plans changed, he didn't sever the ties, but continued to work with her as a songwriter. In 1999, he asked her to sing the chorus on "Fuck You Too," a female reply to a song from his Dr. Dre 2001 album. Dre never released the song also featuring Yo Yo, Ms. Toi, and Ms. Roq, but he was impressed by Truth Hurts' work. That Christmas Eve, he called her, and offered to produce her debut album.

"I was really dry about it," Truth Hurts says, recalling her reaction to the celebrated news. "I was half sleep. I sorta had the attitude of 'What do you want?' When Dre said that he wanted to give me a deal, I just said okay. He was shocked that I didn't seem more excited. But the more we began to work together, he started to realize that I don't get hyped on things. That's why he named me Truth Hurts."
Soon after signing to Aftermath, Truth Hurts headed on the road for the Up In Smoke Tour with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Xzibit. "I could do anything now after doing that," Truth Hurts says about her on the job training. "There were thousands of people. I couldn't even see how far back the crowd went. Plus, it wasn't like it was my show. It was a hip-hop show. I admit I was nervous, but Dre was like, 'Get your ass up there.'"

"Dre was the first producer who gave me the liberty to sing the way that I needed to sing," Truth Hurts explains. "Most producers would say, 'No don't say that cuss word, radio, radio, radio.' And I'd say, 'What's wrong? We do this in our everyday lives, so in music we can't be ourselves? I don't get it.'"

Truth Hurts' messages are reinforced by the conviction in her voice as she displays her vocal dexterity, traveling from gospel, opera, and classical styles throughout the album. "It comes from all the different types of ways of singing background that I've had all these years, trying to find my niche. I started off in classical and opera for 8 years, when I was 10-years-old."

Truth Hurts was also able to apply that training to her film roles. She has a cameo part as a lounge singer in Ali, the story of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, and she also plays Snoop Dogg's main girlfriend in the comedy The Wash, also starring Dr. Dre. "My character Vicky was almost like what I do in my music," Truth Hurts explains of her character in The Wash. "She was strong, she was ethnic, she didn't take no shit, but she was smart. She was also about her game, and she had Snoop's back."

As a teenager, Shari Watson, was just as determined. By age 13, she had a fake I.D. and was playing club dates in St. Louis, fronting the noted local jazz band Mystic Voyage, and performing convincing renditions of jazz standards and picks from Anita Baker and Whitney Houston.
After graduating from high school, Truth Hurts moved to California's Bay Area with her family, opting to forfeit her scholarship to study opera at the University of Chicago. But she soon decided to uproot to Los Angeles to pursue a professional recording career. Within 8 months in Los Angeles, she and a friend landed a recording deal with Giant Records as the half hip-hop, half R&B duo Shug And Dap. They only released one single "Anotha Man" before the label folded, and they were dropped from their recording deal.
Truth Hurts took some time off from the business to regroup, and re-emerged as a songwriter, teaming with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs protègè Mario Winans. Over the course of nearly four years, they collaborated on songs for Monifah, L.V., Phajja, and others. She also took on additional writing projects for Eric Benet, Shanice, and Ray J before linking with Dre.

Now that her long over due solo career is ready to launch, she's determined to take her time, and allow things to unfold naturally. "I'm going to take it day by day," she says. "I'm not going to do too much. Any opportunity that presents itself, I'm going to carefully consider. The blessings have been abundant so far. I do want a company. I think that I can bring something to the table at some point as an executive. I want to tailor make artists. I want to bring back the days of Motown."