Kelis

Four years before the hornet nest synths of "Milkshake", ultra-modern R&B singer Kelis seemingly appeared out of nowhere on Ol' Dirty Bastard's swanky, slightly mad club single "Got Your Money". Always straddling the line between pop, rap, and R&B, she spat vengeful verses in the face of an unfaithful lover ("Caught Out There"), and travelled to a techno/funk-informed future with OutKast's André 3000 ("Millionaire").

She could teach you, but she'd have to charge . . . Kelis wants you to have her Next Steps.

Don't tell her husband, hip-hop icon Nas, but there's something about Kelis' cutting-edge tracks that screams "sex symbol". And not in the clothing-optional manner of Lil' Kim, either — it mostly stems from her self-assured, smooth-as-moisturized skin approach to singing. Hear it coast across the robotic minimalism of "Weekend" and the wicked soprano sample of "Like You".

When superstar production duo the Neptunes say they're onto something, you'd best believe they're onto something. Such was the case with their early support for Kelis, which was evident on every one of her twisted R&B albums, except for the recently released, Neptunes-free Kelis Was Here. The shadow of the trio's choice collaborations looms heavily over that album as well, from Scott Storch's shimmering take on "Trilogy" to Mr. Bangladesh's buoyant, 808 beat-basted "Bossy". Also of note are the inspired tracks she's shared with her hubby, Nas, including the rather naughty "In Public".