 | | In 2000, the female vocal group known as Mis-teeq took Britain by storm with their debut single, "Why?" The single was originally an R&B-style tune, but with the aid of garage exponent Matt "Jam" Lamont, a remix was born which became a smash in the underground garage scene and huge radio hit. |
 | | With his accessible urban charm and his talent for matching breakbeat culture's incendiary phobias with the Hi-NRG of pop and acid R&B, MJ Cole was one of U. |
 | | During the late '90s and early 2000s, the Artful Dodger represented the rising status of garage within the U. |
 | | During a period of three years, Craig David transitioned from aspiring songwriter and DJ to major U. |
 | | b. Jason Chue, London, England. Chue’s unusual moniker is a reference to the Star Wars movies. He is known to his friends as ‘Chuey’, which is how the character Han Solo refers to Chewbacca, a fictional creature called a Wookie, in Star Wars. |
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 | | The young production duo of Skillz and Fingaz was the masterminds behind Big Brovaz, a collective that emerged from South London in early 2002. |
 | | Different from the rap group and the drum'n'bass unit with a similar name, the Dreem Teem are (with Tuff Jam) the kings of speed garage, the manic dance style which brought crowds of club kids back to house music from jungle in the late '90s, in large part because speed garage producers hijacked many techniques from drum'n'bass, including rewinds, vocals on the ragga tip, DJs adept at scratching, and even the occasional breakbeat lifted from jungle. |
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 | | Ms. Dynamite (aka Niomi McLean-Daley) grew up in North London, listening to reggae and turning to hip-hop at the age of 12. |
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 | | Though he gets less credit from stateside DJs and producers (at least compared to labelmates like Armand Van Helden), Todd Edwards created an innovative blend of rhythmic, cut-and-paste vocal samples, rubbery basslines, and slapping percussion that helped propel Britain's Sunday clubscene into the genuine cultural phenomenon of speed garage. |
 | | Neo-soul multi-instrumentalist Lewis Taylor began his professional career as guitarist for the re-formed Edgar Broughton Band before stalking the limelight on his own under the pseudonym Sheriff Jack, and later under his given name. |
 | | Contemporary R&B singer/songwriter Tony Rich first attracted attention as a staff writer at LaFace Records, where he authored hits for acts including Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC, and Toni Braxton. |
 | | b. Edwin Makromallis, London, England. This leading UK garage DJ can trace his love of dance music back to the late 80s, when he first began attending illegal raves and warehouse parties. |
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 | | After making it big in her native U.K., soul-pop princess Shola Ama issued her American debut In Return in fall 2000. |
 | | Referring to his style as "urban pop," vocalist Luxland is influenced by contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and reggae. |
 | | Hip-hop/urban soul supergroup Lucy Pearl was formed in the summer of 1999 as the brainchild of Tony! Toni! Toné multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Raphael Saadiq (formerly known as Raphael Wiggins), who left the band he co-founded with his brother D'Wayne in 1998. |
 | | T2 had been producing garage tracks for a few years when he scored a number two hit in the U.K. with "Heartbroken" (November 2007), a single featuring lyrics and vocals from fellow Leeds, England, native Jodie Aysha. |
 | | Pop-oriented R&B singer Amerie, the daughter of a Korean mother and an African-American father who was a career military member, grew up on bases from Alaska to Germany. |
 | | D'Angelo was one of the founding fathers and leading lights of the neo-soul movement of the mid- to late '90s, which aimed to bring the organic flavor of classic R&B back to the hip-hop age. |
 | | Smooth R&B singer Lemarvin survived a number of career setbacks before landing his breakthrough hit, "Around My Way," in 2009. |
 | | Mike Skinner's recordings as the Streets marked the first attempt to add a degree of social commentary to Britain's party-hearty garage/2-step (and later grime) movement. |
 | | Joe is an accomplished vocalist of smooth and sultry R&B productions with occasional hip-hop beats, and his extensive background in gospel music has allowed him to produce his albums as well as sing on them. |
 | | After joining Immature/IMx as a young adolescent in the early '90s, vocalist Marques "Batman" Houston crossed over into television as a recurring cast member of Sister Sister and took on production duties with some of his IMx mates (as Platinum Status) for B2K and Destiny's Child. |
 | | Along with fellow founders D'Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell was enormously important in defining and shaping the neo-soul movement that rose to prominence over the latter half of the '90s. |
 | | The genesis for this group was MC Megaman and MC Romeo, both of whom were promoting various British garage club shows as well as other parties. |
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 | | Detroit-based crooner, songwriter, and producer Rashad (born Rashad Morgan) fell in love with the Motown sound at an early age. |
 | | Canadian-born singer/songwriter Glenn Lewis' sensational debut for Epic, World Outside My Window, was like a breath of fresh air when it was issued on March 19, 2002, just two days before the first day of spring. |
 | | A crooner/producer/rapper who mixes the styles of Akon, Robin Thicke, and Robbie Williams, Mams Taylor was born and raised in Cricklewood, North London. |
 | | The Chicago-based male vocal trio Vi3 was among the edgier, more gritty teen pop acts that emerged in the early '00s. |
 | | It took eight long years of solidifying his sultry vocals and songwriting before London R&B artist Lemar could get his first record deal. |
 | | Sometimes a little Madness can help a lot. Jack Allsopp -- better known as Just Jack -- had worked as a flower arranger, gardener, and cleaner ("anything to put crust on the table") before he landed a job at RGRecords. |
 | | The Phat Cat Players' "Sundress" from their Make It Phat, Baby began climbing Billboard's hip-hop/R&B charts in early spring 2000. |
 | | Featuring R.L. Huggar and brothers Terry "T-Low" Brown and Raphael "Tweet" Brown, contemporary R&B trio Next formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota after they were introduced by the Brown's uncle, a gospel choir director. |
 | | The Atlanta-based urban trio Nine20 debuted in early 2002 with their "What Would You Do?" single, followed by their Pryme Tyme full-length for MCA Records. |
 | | High-school friends Larry "Jazz" Anthony, Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, and James "Woody Rock" Green formed Dru Hill in 1992, named in honor of their Baltimore neighborhood, Druid Hill Park. |
 | | Hailed as the "new voice of ghetto soul" and the first act signed to basketball great Magic Johnson's Magic Johnson Music, Cleveland native Avant (born Myron Avant) debuted in 1998 with the song "Separated," released on Payton Entertainment -- the label operated by his manager, Eric Payton. |
 | | A multi-talented artist, Jaheim is most famous for his R&B vocals, although he has also rapped, modeled, and acted, and appeared in Source and other hip-hop publications. |
 | | Singer, model, and reality show contestant Deelishis, aka London Charles, came to fame thanks to VH1's television series Flavor of Love 2. |
 | | Hand-picked by veteran R&B artist Michael Bivins, the three members of the Transitions represent a classic '70s soul sound for the 21st century. |
 | | Southeast Washington, D.C. native, and soul revivalist Ricky Fanté, was weaned on endless Motown, Stax, and Blue Note records. |
 | | Mya is a dancer turned smooth urban R&B vocalist who released her eponymous debut in the spring of 1998, when she was just 18 years old. |
 | | Songwriter, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Jon B. brought a distinctive focus on smooth melodies to contemporary R&B. |