Brooke Russell

With Mary J. Blige already holding the crown of "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul," Russell seems to have missed her moment to usurp the throne. No matter. When nobody was looking, she emerged from the masses with a set of pipes that could fill the stretch between New York and L.A. and a host of thumping beats that place her dead-center on a crowded dancefloor in any club, anywhere.