Aaliyah

After spending the first half of her career in R. Kelly's shadow, the second chapter of Aaliyah's career saw the spotlight focus squarely on her -- and a stage she shared with no one. The change may have resulted from help from hit factories like Timbaland and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, or possibly the obvious maturation of her voice and material. No matter. As a singer and performer, she found a niche in R&B that topped charts, sold big and kept her star shining while one hit wonders faded. Her career was tragically cut short by a fatal plane crash in 2001.