Claim: Tyra Banks was an African American singer.
Evidence: Tyra Lynne Banks -LRB- born December 4 , 1973 -RRB- is an American television personality , producer , businesswoman , actress , author , former model and occasional singer.
Born in Inglewood , California , she began her career as a model at age 15 , and was the first African American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue , on which she appeared twice.