Bbma Artist Biographies

YOUNG JEEZY

While the "drug rap" era has been captivating the hip-hop world, Young Jeezy remains one of its main purveyors with his gruff voice and grimy street-corner rhymes. The charismatic Atlanta rapper and self-proclaimed "Snowman" first gained recognition as one-fourth of Bad Boy's Southern collective Boyz N Da Hood, but eventually distinguished himself as a solo star with his 2005 debut "Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101" (Corporate Thugz Entertainment/Def Jam).

The disc bowed at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while spawning the singles "Go Crazy" and "Soul Survivor" featuring Akon. Jeezy told Billboard last March, "You're going to feel me. You're going to feel sad with me, you're going to go through the struggle with me, you're going to hang out with me, you're going to hit the trap with me. You're going to see the 'hood through a young man's eyes who has really seen it, really felt it, really touched it, really tasted it." And that he has done.

Amid Def Jam's high-profile fourth-quarter release schedule is Jeezy's follow-up "The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102," led by the single "I Luv It." Due Dec. 12, the album features guest appearances from Ludacris, T.I., Keyshia Cole, Three 6 Mafia, Young Buck and Timbaland, among others. Jeezy also won best new R&B/hip-hop artist at Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in September in Atlanta.



GWEN STEFANI

A decade ago, Gwen Stefani was all over pop radio as the frontwoman of No Doubt. Today, it's Stefani the solo artist that rules the airwaves. Her 2004 Interscope solo debut, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," has sold more than 3.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and spawned a host of hits, including "Hollaback Girl," which spent four weeks at No. 1 on0 The Billboard Hot 100.

Originally from Fullerton, Calif., Stefani joined No Doubt in her late teens. The group signed to Interscope in 1991 but didn't break into the mainstream until 1995's "Tragic Kingdom," which featured mega hits "Just a Girl" and "Don't Speak." After an eight-year run, Stefani took a break from the band to focus on her solo career.

Recruiting such collaborators as Linda Perry, André 3000, Dr. Dre and the Neptunes, Stefani created "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."—named for each member of her four-woman entourage the Harajuku Girls. Ever fashion-forward, Stefani also launched clothing line L.A.M.B.

After taking a break this year to raise her son with rocker Gavin Rossdale, Stefani is now back in the spotlight with her second solo set, "The Sweet Escape." Due Dec. 5 via Interscope, the album is led by the single "Wind Up" and features Akon, Stefani's No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley, Nellee Hooper, Sean Garrett, Swizz Beatz and Dave Stewart.



LUDACRIS

A former radio jock-turned-rapper, Ludacris has made a lasting impression in the last few years not only with his music but via substantial roles in Academy Award-winning films "Crash" and "Hustle & Flow." This year the Atlanta native also earned his third No. 1 album when "Release Therapy" (Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam) bowed atop The Billboard 200, selling 309,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Lead single "Money Maker" featuring Pharrell topped The Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.

Having played the jokester in many of his rhymes ("Ho," "Area Codes"), Ludacris finally turned serious on "Release Therapy"—at least half of it, anyway. The "Release" portion of the album finds the rapper exposing a more personal side of himself, with rhymes about child abuse ("Runaway Love"), among other subjects, while the "Therapy" portion features the humorous club tracks for which Luda has become renowned.

"It was also time for me to release," Ludacris told Billboard in September. "I'm really getting a lot of stuff off my chest [on this album]; something my career has been leading up to. You get to a phase where you want to try new things."

And while the rapper-turned-actor phenomenon continues to run its course, Ludacris has been critically praised for his natural talent and charisma, earning roles on TV's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," among other opportunities. Next, he will play an angry elf in the Warner Bros. holiday comedy "Fred Claus," starring with Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti and Kevin Spacey. Ludacris is also planning a tour featuring his Disturbing Tha Peace roster, which is home to Shawnna, Bobby Valentino, Shareefa and Field Mob.



MARY J. BLIGE

With her seventh studio effort, "The Breakthrough," Mary J. Blige proved once again that R&B divas can make stunning comebacks (see Mariah Carey). The Geffen disc bowed atop The Billboard 200 (her third such achievement) in December 2005 with 727,000 first-week sales—the biggest opening week by a solo R&B female artist in Nielsen SoundScan history. The set has sold 2.6 million copies thus far.

At the top of the year, lead single "Be Without You" crowned the R&B/hip-hop chart for 15 straight weeks and this summer, Blige embarked on the Breakthrough Experience tour. As the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul noted on the album cut "Hate It or Love It," the album marked "a point in my life where I can finally call myself a Queen."

"My goal was to make my fans happy, and I knew that [2003's] 'Love & Life' was something that disappointed them," Blige told Billboard in January. "None of us were in a good place. Too many cooks spoiled the soup. You had [Diddy] saying, 'Do this, do that,' and I wanted something else. I have to give the glory to God [for] giving me the strength and guidance to do this."

In addition to an upcoming album of duets, Blige will release a greatest-hits album, "Reflections: The Journey," on Dec. 12. The set will feature a mix of old favorites such as "Real Love" and "Family Affair" and previously unreleased tracks including new song "We Ride" produced by Bryan-Michael Cox.

Next, Blige will make her film-starring debut in a biopic about jazz great Nina Simone. The artist has also continued her charitable efforts with her involvement in HIV/AIDS campaigns, anti-drug public service announcements and outreach groups.



THE FRAY

The Fray may be only one album into its career, but that hasn't stopped the group from having a major impact on the Billboard charts in 2006. After debuting modestly at No. 156 on The Billboard 200 in the fall of 2005, the Fray's Epic debut, "How to Save a Life," clawed its way to a peak of No. 14 almost exactly a year later, thanks to its ubiquitous title track and fellow single "Over My Head (Cable Car)."

The Denver-based band was formed when vocalist/pianist Isaac Slade happened upon an old schoolmate, guitarist Joe King, at a local music shop. The pair added drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh and began hitting the local scene with a piano-driven sound in the vein of Keane and Coldplay. Epic signed the band in 2004 and sent it to Bloomington, Ind., to record its debut at the famed Echo Park Studios.

Thanks to relentless touring and some key licensing tie-ins with "Grey's Anatomy" and HBO, the title track got as high as No. 3 on The Billboard Hot 100, while "Over My Head" reached No. 8. According to Epic, "How to Save a Life" is the No. 3 best-selling album in iTunes history; it has now sold 1.1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

For King and his bandmates, one way to keep the swirling success in perspective is to think locally. As he told Billboard in April, "We got a video from this guy and girl at a [Denver high school] assembly, and they started singing 'How to Save a Life.' I [got] goose bumps at this point. That was me 10 years back; I was learning the songs of the artists that inspired me, and [now] these kids are learning me. That's more gratifying than any licensing or radio play."



JANET JACKSON

When it comes to the term "diva," Janet Jackson has always fit the bill. Ever since her breakthrough album "Control" hit shelves in 1986, the youngest Jackson offspring has released hit after hit marked by her sexy style of R&B and pop. Her new Virgin set, "20 Y.O.," recently debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Call On Me" featuring Nelly, which hit No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

"This album takes me to a place where I haven't been in a while: R&B and dance," Jackson recently told Billboard. "The album also features samples from music that inspired me 20, 25 years ago. There are also some midtempo songs and some of what everyone calls my 'baby-making songs.' Basically, the album is everything that's always been a part of me, but with freshness to it."

Having watched as her older brothers rose to worldwide superstardom in the Jackson 5, Jackson set off on a solo career in 1982 with her self-titled debut. With "Control," she cemented herself as a major pop figure in her own right, following it up in 1989 with "Rhythm Nation 1814," which yielded seven top five hits including "Escapade," "Come Back to Me" and "Black Cat."

Jackson has remained perched near the top of the charts for the past decade, thanks to such albums as "janet." in 1993, "The Velvet Rope" in 1997, "All for You" in 2001 and "Damita Jo" in 2004. Overall, she has racked up eight top 10 albums, five of which reached No. 1.



FERGIE

With her sometimes raunchy, sometimes sensual brand of hip-hop and pop, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson finally came into her own this year. The Black Eyed Peas frontwoman broke from the pod with her solo debut "The Dutchess" (Will.i.am/A&M), which bowed in October at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 655,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The suggestive chants of lead single "London Bridge" ("How come every time you come around/my London, London Bridge wanna go down") drove the song to the top of The Billboard Hot 100 for three straight weeks. On second single "Fergalicious," the singer emulates '80s female rap trio J.J. Fad.

A former child actor (she performed voice-overs for "Charlie Brown" cartoons) and member of '90s girl group Wild Orchid, Fergie battled drug addiction and self-esteem issues before lucking into a meeting with Peas frontman Will.i.am. Once in the group, the Hacienda Heights, Calif.-raised singer helped the trio-turned-foursome achieve global stardom.

But with "The Dutchess," Fergie looked to explore subjects that were virtually off limits to her as a member of the Peas. "There are a lot more ballads and more intimacy between me and the listener because sometimes when you're in a group you don't have space to air out your dirty laundry," she told Billboard recently. "For me, this [album] is a complete thought. It's not just a verse or a sentence. It's my complete feeling and emotion."



THE KILLERS

Just how meteoric was the Killers' rise? About three months after they released their Island debut, "Hot Fuss," in June 2004, the Las Vegas-based band played the 1,200-capacity 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., and just eight months later, it was rocking the 16,000-plus-capacity Merriweather Post Pavilion in nearby Columbia, Md. It was par for the course for a band that went from blogosphere darlings to retail domination in short order.

"Hot Fuss" sold more than 3 million copies in the United States, was nominated for five Grammy Awards and spent 53 weeks in the top 50 of The Billboard 200. "Mr. Brightside" spent more than 40 weeks on the charts and reached No. 10 on The Billboard Hot 100, while "Somebody Told Me" spent 30 weeks on the charts and hit No. 3 on the Modern Rock tally.

The Killers (lead singer Brandon Flowers, guitarist David Keuning, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci) were arguably the biggest artist development story last year. Striking while the iron is hot, the group recently released its second album, "Sam's Town," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200. First single "When You Were Young" reached No. 14 on the Hot 100.

"We're not cocky," Flowers recently told Billboard. "And I don't mean to sound cocky. We're just proud of this record. At the end of the day, it's all in the ear of the beholders. We don't believe the hype. We believe it's a good piece of work. I never said we were trying to reinvent the wheel. We just want to keep it rolling."