Lumidee

Born in Spanish Harlem in 1984, Lumidee rose to fame in the early '00s with her rowdy, girl-around-the-way image and her unique blend of rap and singing. She began performing at the age of 12, shortly after her father died in 1995. On the strength of independent single "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)," Lumidee was signed to Universal and introduced to the world in 2003 with Almost Famous. The record was a modest success, but Universal shelved the singer, and her career was put on hiatus. She was exhumed in 2006 when she signed to TVT (a label best known for hardcore hip-hop acts Pitbull and Ying Yang Twins). Her comeback single, "She's Like the Wind," sampled Patrick Swayze's landmark '80s balled of the same name. It put the singer back on the pop map.