Kelis

Four years before the hornet nest synths of "Milkshake" brought Kelis to the crowded schoolyards of Top 40 radio, the ultra-modern R&B singer 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's spat vengeful verses in the face of an unfaithful lover ("Caught Out There"), locked onto a beach ball beat while sharing the mic with the legendary Too $hort ("Bossy"), shared a hook with Busta Rhymes ("I Love My Bitch"), and traveled to a techno/funk-informed future with Outkast's André 3000 ("Millionaire").

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 as 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," the wicked soprano sample of "Like You," and the rubbery dancehall reggae of Beenie Man's "Jamaica Way."

When superstar production duo the Neptunes say they're onto something, you 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 — everything from the mouth-clicking melody of "What It Is" to the towering hit "Milkshake" — 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 from Kelis' short but satisfying career are the inspired singles she's shared with her hubby, Nas, including the chunky social commentary of "American Way" and the damn naughty "In Public."