Amanda Perez

Super-talented Latina teenager with crossover appeal to spare. Whether Perez is dropping tough-chick raps or crooning New Jack ballads on the order of her 2003 Top 40 hit, "Angel," she exudes a charm similar to Missy Elliott's, except that Perez can sing as well as rhyme. In fact, that's the most exciting thing about Perez -- her rapping is fine, but it's her singing that really sets her apart. She doesn't need to process her voice, and avoids those annoying, look-at-my-range gymnastics (why does every R&B singer today have to turn "you" into a sixteen syllable word?). Perez delivers alternately sultry and tear-jerking ballads with a confidence that belies her age.