Best known for her work in Black cinema,[2] Long rose to prominence after starring in the film Boyz n the Hood (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1991–1995).

Also, in the second season of the show (episode 8 – "She Ain't Heavy" 1992), Long appeared as Claudia, a love interest of Smith's, alongside Queen Latifah.

In 2000, Long auditioned for the role of Alex Munday in Charlie's Angels, but did not get the part because she "looked too sophisticated and too old next to Drew Barrymore."

[14] In 2003, Long joined the cast of the drama Third Watch, where she played NYPD officer Sasha Monroe, continuing until the series finale in 2005.

In 2016, Long was cast as Giuliana, a Las Vegas club owner, in a recurring role on the TV series Empire.

She has also played a leading role, or was a member of the primary ensemble, in several films,[11] including Soul Food, Love Jones, Boiler Room, Big Momma's House, Are We There Yet?, and The Best Man.

Long has also starred alongside Michael Beach in the film Soul Food and on the TV series Third Watch.

[citation needed] Long made a cameo appearance in the video for Kanye West's "Touch the Sky".

Long won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2004 for her performance on Third Watch.

After Long was revealed to be pursuing an interracial relationship in the film, she explained: "We're living in a modern world where it happens and it's OK and it's no disrespect to any black man.

Director Malcolm D. Lee also supported the interracial relationship being portrayed in the film: "African-American women who are extremely successful can't always find black male counterparts on that level so it's a little bit of a reflection of reality that black women are starting to date outside their race — and why not?