Hicks graduated in 1993 from Grace Dodge Vocational High School in Bronx, New York.
Hicks began her career with a role alongside Robert De Niro in the 1993 film A Bronx Tale. Her subsequent film roles were small, 1995's Just Cause with Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne, 1996's Educating Matt Waters and The Preacher's Wife with Whitney Houston. It wasn't until 1997 in Sax Cantor Riff Showtime original film Subway Stories that audiences began to take notice. As the "Woman with Flowers", singing to her mother on the payphone, her performance was widely deemed to be one of the best in the film. In 1998, she was also involved in the Hype Williams-directed gangster film "Belly", which also featured hip hop stars Nas, DMX, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Method Man. She was also the co-star in the video "Put That Woman First" by Jaheim as his girlfriend.
Hicks signed a deal with Motown Records (then-headed by Andre Harrell) and released a single solo album This Time. Her first song, "Ooh, Ooh Baby", produced, written and featuring Missy Elliott charted on the Billboard R&B singles chart. However, the lead single intended to debut her singing career was Distant Lover; an uptempo track produced by Teddy Riley. The album didn't take off until the second single, Silly, a remake of the classic R&B hit by Deniece Williams was released. Featuring a black-and-white video directed by Hype Williams, the single became successful.
With collaboration on the video Silly, Hype Williams cast Hicks in his directorial film debut, 1998's Belly as Kisha, DMX's abused girlfriend. The video for Silly appeared in one of the film's scenes. It wasn't until 2000 that Hicks appeared again on screen in the short film Are You Cinderella? with actor Wood Harris. Two television guest roles followed: 2002's 100 Centre Street in the episode titled Fathers, and in a 2003 episode of Soul Food: The Series titled The New Math.
Upcoming projects for Hicks include 2005's The Salon with Vivica A. Fox, Terrance Howard and Darren DeWitt Henson, and Forbidden Fruits with Ella Joyce, Fredro Starr and R&B singer Keith Sweat.
Taral Hicks will be appearing in the Soul Kittens Cabaret, which also includes ex-Brownstone singer Nicci Gilbert, R&B singer Monifah, TonDalaya Gallant. Sara Stokes and Demetria McKinney. The musical journey of the Soul Kittens Cabaret begins in Harlem during the 1920s; then moves through the Motown era, making stops in the '70s and '80s. It concludes with original hits from the upcoming the Soul Kittens Cabaret soundtrack. She is currently married to Loren Dawson, whom she has a son with.
