One of the most promising talents of the neo-soul movement, Anthony Hamilton was by no means an overnight success. After releasing 1996's excellent XTC to almost zero commercial response, Hamilton chose to work behind the scenes as a songwriter for v…

RB crooner Van Hunt grew up surrounded by the pimp lifestyle of his father A soundtrack of classic soul and contemporary RB was his backdrop and Hunt immersed himself in the tones and moods of it all A move from the Midwest to Atlanta in his early tw…

Though it appears that he emerged fully-formed in 2004 from the mind of Kanye West, John Legend got his start on the East Coast in the mid 1990s as John Stephens, a promising neo-soul piano-player and songwriter. After he garnered the attention of La…

Born Goapele Mohlabane in Oakland CA this singer grew up in a socially conscious and politically active family Her mother married South African political exile Douglas Mohlabane while studying in Nairobi Kenya At an early age Goapele attended the Ber…

The turn of the century was awash with young R&B performers purveying roots-conscious "neo-soul" that owed more to Marvin Gaye than to R. Kelly. Following close behind the likes of Maxwell, Macy Gray, and D'Angelo was the talented Taalib Johnson, bet…

The son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud Maryland-based RB vocalist Raheem DeVaughn kicked his career into gear after initiating a series of independent releases aided in part by the cash reward earned from winning a talent contest Jive became interested …