 | | 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. |
 | | |
 | | Part of the original lineup of the superstar group Destiny's Child, LeToya Luckett, who as a solo artist chose to go by her first name only, didn't just sit around after she and Latavia Roberson left the group shortly after the release of 1999's The Writing's on the Wall (neither singer was seen in the "Say My Name" video, which came as a surprise to both of them). |
 | | 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. |
 | | |
 | | Discovered by Michael Bivins of New Edition, 702 is a teenage trio -- Irish, Kameelah, and Lemisha -- who made their recorded debut singing on Subway's hit single "This Lil' Game We Play. |
 | | In 2002 the successful duo of Missy Elliott and Timbaland presented Tweet, a soulful vocalist with hip-hop savvy and unrestrained sexuality. |
 | | Nivea first made waves when she joined Mystikal for his smash hit "Danger." Her self-titled debut appeared on Jive in 2001 and was reissued the following year, thanks to the success of "Danger" and "Don't Mess with the Radio. |
 | | Active for only a short period of time, 2001-2004, urban boy band B2K enjoyed a lot of success, including the number one single "Bump, Bump, Bump," and was the platform from which group member Omarion launched his solo career. |
 | | Born Bobby Wilson in Mississippi but raised in Atlanta, smooth R&B crooner Bobby V -- known as Bobby Valentino until a lawsuit from a British performer of the same name -- had a hard time convincing his skeptical parents that the music business was the place for him. |
 | | The R&B trio Blaque (an acronym for "Believe, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity and Everything") comprised singers Shamari, Natina and Brandi. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Laid-back Washington, D.C.-based R&B vocalist J. Holiday (born Nahum Grymes) signed to Capitol and released the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins-produced single "Be with Me" in 2006. |
 | | In spite of the fact that Faith Evans carved out a lengthy recording career in her own right, her name will forever remain linked in the minds of many to her late husband, the Notorious B. |
 | | As she grew up in Providence, R.I., with her five siblings, Blu Cantrell was toted from one jazz performance to another to watch her mother sing. |
 | | Though she sang in musicals and talent shows throughout her childhood, Charlotte, NC native Sunshine Anderson was discovered while she was waiting in line in a cafeteria at North Carolina Central University, the institution where she earned a B. |
 | | Changing Faces is a New York-based urban soul vocal duo much in the vein of similar all-female bands like TLC and SWV. |
 | | Even before Sisqó became an overnight superstar in summer 2000 with the infamous "Thong Song," he was no stranger to success. |
 | | Chanté Moore, the daughter of a minister, grew up on gospel music and albums by George Duke and Lee Ritenour, sometimes applying her lyrics to their music. |
 | | A native of Toronto, Deborah Cox began singing for TV commercials at age 12, also entering various talent shows with her mother's help. |
 | | If three's a charm, than Toby Ryan and Robby Pardlo of City High must have known immediately that their group was complete when they were introduced to 18-year-old rapper and singer Claudette Ortiz. |
 | | Pleasure P is a contemporary R&B singer who experienced success as a member of the group Pretty Ricky before embarking on a solo career in 2007. |
 | | The second R&B artist to sign with Def Jam Recordings, Montell Jordan yielded one of 1995's biggest hits with his debut single, "This Is How We Do It. |
 | | R&B vocalist Heather Headley was born in Trinidad in the mid-'70s. At an early age, this daughter of a pastor was surrounded by music and performance art. |
 | | Atlanta-based R&B quartet Cherish debuted in 2003 with the single "Miss P." produced by Jermaine Dupri. |
 | | Adult contemporary R&B vocalist Vivian Green grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she started singing at an early age. |
 | | R&B singer Kelly Price spent her early years in the music business behind the scenes, lending backing vocals to records from stars including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Faith Evans, and Brian McKnight. |
 | | Ginuwine was one of R&B's preeminent love men during the '90s heyday of hip-hop soul. Initially teamed with Timbaland, the most innovative producer of the late '90s, Ginuwine's sultry, seductive crooning earned him a substantial female following and made him a regular presence on the R&B charts, even after the futuristic production he favored was eclipsed by the more organic, retro-leaning neo-soul movement. |
 | | A star in the R&B world before she was even out of her teens, Aaliyah's promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. |
 | | The most visible Winans family member outside the world of gospel, Mario Winans gravitated toward percussion at an early age and eventually learned piano. |
 | | Equally rooted in gospel, soul, and hip-hop, 112 were the first and most successful urban vocal group to emerge from Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records roster. |
 | | Given a high-profile spot on the all-star compilation Roll Wit tha Flava as their first recording opportunity, Zhané lived up to the pressure and came away with one of the hip-hop party anthems of all time, "Hey, Mr. |
 | | Contemporary R&B star Jazmine Sullivan spent several years learning the ropes of the recording industry before signing to J Records and making her solo recording debut in 2008 with the number one R&B single "Need U Bad. |
 | | A native of Canada, contemporary R&B singer and songwriter Tamia got an early start in the music industry, singing on the Rod Temperton-penned "You Put a Move on My Heart," the first single from Quincy Jones' 1994 hit album Q's Jook Joint, when she was only a teenager. |
 | | Rough-but-smooth male vocal quartet Jagged Edge formed in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of identical twin brothers Brandon "Case Dinero" Casey and Brian "Brasco" Casey, who had moved from their native Hartford, Connecticut; Kyle Norman (aka "Quick"), whom they'd met through church activities; and Richard Wingo (aka "Wingo Dollar"), a late addition to the group suggested by Xscape's Kandi Burruss, who took their demo to superproducer Jermaine Dupri. |
 | | Vocalist Lumidee (born Lumidee Cedeño) began singing and rapping at the age of 12, and was 19 years old when her recordings first hit the streets. |
 | | A native New Yorker, Case got his start in the music biz in the '90s, singing backup on albums by several renowned R&B artists (such as Usher). |
 | | Atlanta R&B vocalist Monica debuted in 1995 with the platinum Top Ten singles "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" and "Before You Walk Out of My Life. |
 | | Whether she was singing pop-friendly urban soul or acting in her own family-oriented sitcom, Brandy's winningly wholesome persona helped catapult her to stardom during her teenage years. |
 | | The female vocal quartet En Vogue was conceived and put together by the production team of Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, both former members of Club Nouveau. |
 | | Not that he'd wish it on anyone, but it was during his ten-year sentence in prison that Lyfe Jennings developed his honest sound, thanks to isolation and Erykah Badu. |
 | | The female R&B quartet Xscape debuted singing at producer Jermaine Dupri's birthday party in 1991, and were the recipients of a platinum album just two years later. |
 | | TLC were one of the biggest-selling female R&B groups of all time, riding a blend of pop, hip-hop, and urban soul to superstardom during the '90s. |
 | | With their 1992 debut, It's About Time, the all-female new jack swing trio SWV scored a string of Top Ten R&B hits that established them as one of the most popular urban R&B groups of the '90s. |
 | | Fantasia Barrino may have won the third season of American Idol with "I Believe," but it was her passionate take on George Gershwin's "Summertime" that had everyone talking for weeks. |
 | | Former Guy vocalist Aaron Hall made his solo debut in 1993 with The Truth. Although quite erratic, the best songs displayed the confident, authoritative voice and range Hall had demonstrated while with Guy. |
 | | LSG is Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, a trio of urban R&B stars who have collected thirty number one R&B hits and album sales of more than thirty million between themselves. |
 | | Prior to turning 13, Tiffany Evans, a singer and actor from the Bronx, won the Grand Champion title in the junior singer division of Star Search. |
 | | Cedric and Joel Hailey comprise the romantic R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, who were one of two pairs of brothers that made up the chart-topping '90s group Jodeci. |
 | | One of the top R&B vocal groups of the '90s, Blackstreet was founded by singer, producer, and new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley after the breakup of his seminal trio Guy. |
![Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) [Australia Single] Album Cover](http://images.slacker.com/isv1/album/v1/684113/aol/1/center/5,0/70.jpg "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) [Australia Single] Album Cover")
![The Way That I Love You [Main Version] Album Cover](http://images.slacker.com/isv1/album/v1/1196000/aol/1/center/5,0/70.jpg "The Way That I Love You [Main Version] Album Cover")
![Turn It Up [1 Bonus Track] Album Cover](http://images.slacker.com/isv1/album/v1/837472/aol/1/center/5,0/70.jpg "Turn It Up [1 Bonus Track] Album Cover")
![Foolish [International Single] Album Cover](http://images.slacker.com/isv1/album/v1/5547685/aol/1/center/5,0/70.jpg "Foolish [International Single] Album Cover")
