Erykah Badu November 15, 2007

Erykah Badu established herself as a musical force with her 1997 debut album 'Baduizm' and its hit single 'On and On' which found its way to both the Pop and R&B charts. She has since followed up with the albums 'Mama's Gun' and 'Worldwide Underground.' A one-of-a-kind performer and a master and pioneer of many great African-American musical traditions, Taj Mahal is one of the country's premiere troubadours. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation. The Philadelphia based group, The Roots, showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s, by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Although their album work has been inconsistent, more intent on building grooves than pushing songs, The Roots' live shows are among the best in the business. Keb' Mo' (aka Kevin Moore) is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and a three-time Grammy award-winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Being a product of music industry royalty has its advantages, but talent reigns overall. Nikka Costa is one of the fortunate few; the daughter of famed arranger/producer Don Costa, not to mention the goddaughter of Frank Sinatra. Earning her stripes on the European and Australian charts, Costa's 1996 debut, 'Butterfly Rocket,' earned her a nomination for "Best New Artist" at the annual Australian Recording Industry Awards. Her stateside debut was 2001's 'Everybody Got Their Something.' Her latest is 'can'tneverdidnothin'.'