At the tender age of twenty-two, the lyrical and musical talent that Ne-Yo posses are far beyond his years. Born into a family of musicians from Arkansas, Shaffer C. Smith a.k.a. Ne-Yo was raised in a single parent home by his mother. In hopes of a better opportunity, Ne-Yo's mother relocated the family to Las Vegas Nevada; where Ne-Yo would discover his passion.

A master in the art of storytelling, Ne-Yo began writing at an early age. A vivid imagination and creative energy has allowed Ne-Yo to write songs for multi-platinum artists such as Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans, and Musiq. When asked about writing number one hits for other artists, simply put, Ne-Yo said, "I feel there is always room for good music. I want to reach people's soul with my lyrics thru whatever vessel God chooses."

"Meet me in the trap; it's goin down! Meet me in the mall; it's goin down! Meet me in the club; it's goin down! Anywhere you meet me guaranteed to go down!," "It's Goin Down," – Yung Joc

The millennium hip-hop world is all about the pride, the culture, and the experience of the South. As the time ushered in a new age, so did it also ordain southern hip-hop, particularly that of Atlanta, as one of its most fertile breeding grounds for producing crops of prolific rappers. These artists flip a mellifluous vernacular and drawl when articulating some of the most colorful stories about growing up in southern ghettos – be they city or rural. No matter how edgy or boastful some of these tales might be, most of the time they are necessary for redefining and broadening the musical landscape. Adding his chameleon-like style to the Peach State's field of offerings is Atlanta, Georgia-born Yung Joc. After grinding in the streets and doing what he had to do to maintain his rap credibility, the College Park/SWATS-bred MC is getting his chance to shine through the tutelage of Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South. Poised as Atlanta's next big hip-hop star, Yung Joc is set to break topsoil and emerge fully-grown into hip-hop culture's mainstream.

Ever since Eve broke on the scene in 1999 she’s had a knack for making stardom look easy. Grammy Award winner. Starring in blockbuster films. Achieving elite status as a fashion icon. The “blonde bombshell” is a triple threat entertainer in the truest sense of the term. And one of the reasons you can’t take your eyes off of her is your ears. In an era when success in hip-hop is built on the portentous hype of saving the genre from imminent gloom and doom or testosterone driven beef, Eve remains a bankable star who grabs your attention with her consummate talent for crafting infectious hits. She’s proof positive that hip-hop doesn’t need to be saved or resurrected; it just needs a woman’s touch every now and then.

Hence, following a successful four-year takeover of the Hollywood and fashion scene, Eve is set to drop Here I Am, a more mature and adventurous album, one she calls her best effort to date. “This is the album I’ve always wanted to make,” she says. “In the past my albums have had a heavy male influence. Not this time. This one represents the woman I am today.” And there’s no doubt that the woman who brought us hits like “What Ya Want,” and “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” is supremely confident that a mass variety of music lovers not just the hip-hop faithful will appreciate were she’s coming from this time around. “I didn’t just cater to a rap audience with this album,” she says. “I can go to the Pop Top 40 with this because it’s far more universal than anything I’ve done. You’re going to pay attention to me because it’s different.”

.