Neal was an accomplished dancer and appeared in several
hip hop and
R&B music videos in the early 1990s. One of her earliest jobs was as a
background dancer in
Chubb Rock's music video for "Just the Two of Us." Other music videos Neal has appeared in include
Black Sheep's 1992 video for
Strobelite Honey,
Father MC's 1991 video for "
Lisa Baby",
Aretha Franklin's 1998 video for "
A Rose Is Still a Rose",
Trick Daddy's 2001 video "
I'm a Thug", and
Vanessa Williams' video "Work to Do". Neal was featured in the November 2007 edition of
King Magazine. Neal also appeared as a backing dancer in the music video for
Dannii Minogue's 1993 single "
This Is It". Neal made her film debut in
Spike Lee's
Malcolm X (1992). She then played fighter pilot
J.J. Fredericks on the series
seaQuest 2032. Neal was cast in the high-profile role of
Hallie in
Scream 2. Her character was originally written to be one of the killers of the movie, but due to a script leak her role was changed. She portrayed school teacher Scrappie in
Rosewood. Her breakout role was being cast as Yvonne Hughley, the wife of
D.L. Hughley in the television
sitcom The Hughleys (1998−2002). She received two
NAACP Image Award nominations for
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in the series. Following
The Hughleys, Neal portrayed kindergarten teacher Tia Jewel in
All of Us. She left the series in 2005. She has made guest appearances on
Law & Order, ''
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Other film credits include: Paid in Full, Money Talks, and Mission to Mars. In Restaurant, she played Jeanine, a waitress who aspires to be a singer. Neal acted in a 2001 remake of Brian's Song'' as the wife of
Gale Sayers. Neal received her third NAACP Image Award nomination in 2006, in the category of
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the film
Hustle & Flow as Yevette, the wife of
Anthony Anderson's character. Her role in the 2007 film
4 Life also marked her first soundtrack single, "I'm Down Baby". She also appeared in the series
K-Ville as Ayana Boulet. Expanding her role as producer, Neal is creating and developing several multimedia projects: a reality show based on her R&B group, "Assorted Flavors", a fitness and lifestyle brand, and several feature projects through her development deal with Mandalay Bay Entertainment. She appeared on reality show
Hollywood Divas. She played Alana in
Love Ranch (2010). Neal guest starred on an episode of
The Soul Man. She portrayed singer
Gladys Knight in biopic
Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014). In a negative review of the film,
Jon Caramanica opined Neal was the best actor in the production. Neal played Kathryn Munson in the 2017 superhero film
Logan and appeared on television series
Into the Dark. ==Filmography==