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VIBE Vsessions Presents: Elisabeth Withers

Best known for her Tony Award-nominated portrayal of Shug Avery in the Broadway musical version of The Color Purple, vocalist Elisabeth Withers is also a longtime singer/songwriter with a bent toward neo-soul and R&B. Born in Joliet, IL, Withers left home with a scholarship to study music at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. After graduating, she moved to New York City to attend NYU and graduated with a master's degree in 2000. Prior to her appearance on Broadway, Withers sang backup for a variety of artists, including Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez. It was also during this time that she began writing and releasing dance singles under the alias Elle Patrice. Fortuitously, it was Withers' two hit singles released under her alias, "Rising" and "Emotions," that garnered the attention of soul artist Nick Ashford, who directed Withers toward the auditions for the Broadway production of The Color Purple. Withers released her debut solo album, It Can Happen to Anyone, on Blue Note in 2007.

VIBE Vsessions Presents: Bobby Valentino

Born in Mississippi but raised in Atlanta, smooth R&B crooner Bobby Valentino had a hard time convincing his skeptical parents that the music business was the place for him. When the 16-year-old Valentino -- who was then known by his real name, Bobby Wilson -- hooked up with the Organized Noize Productions team, his parents knew he was serious and that his dream of a record deal was entirely possible. With a group of friends, Valentino formed Mista, a Boyz II Men-styled singing group that made some waves with their "Blackberry Molasses" single. The group's self-titled album appeared in 1996 but failed to match the single's success. A second, unreleased album was recorded with producer Timbaland's help but management problems split the group and Valentino decided to focus on college. After earning his degree in 2003, Valentino returned to demo work. One of his demos ended up in the hands of Ludacris, who made Valentino the first R&B singer in the rapper's DTP (Disturbing tha Peace) crew. The sultry "Slow Down" announced the singer's rebirth as a DTP member in early 2005 and soon became a BET and radio favorite.

VIBE Vsessions Presents: Joe

An accomplished vocalist of smooth and sultry R&B productions with occasional hip-hop beats, Joe's extensive background in gospel music has allowed him to produce his albums as well as sing on them. Influenced early on by gospel stars like the Winans, Commissioned, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Joe grew to love soul legends Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye plus contemporary stars Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat. True R&B Lovers need no introduction to this classic R&B star. Joe's fifth Jive release has a stellar lineup of production talent, including The Underdogs, Cool & Dre, Bryan Michael Cox, and Sean Garrett. It also features guest appearances by Nas, Fabolous, Chamillionaire, Papoose, and Young Buck. This album will ensure that the rest of the world gets to know Joe.

VIBE Vsessions Presents: Lloyd

Urban crooner Lloyd topped BET's play list singing a steamy duet with Ashanti, but he got his first spins on the anything but steamy Radio Disney. Born January 3, 1986, in New Orleans but raised in Atlanta, Lloyd joined N-Toon -- the teen pop group put together by Klymaxx's Joyce Irby -- in 1996 and appeared on their 2000 album, Toon Time, released by Dreamworks. Much later -- and trading influences Mickey and Donald for Marvin Gaye and R. Kelly -- Lloyd's vocal talents were recognized by L.A. Reid. When Reid became head of the Def Jam label he turned to Irv Gotti, whose Murder Inc. label had now morphed into the Def Jam-associated The Inc. Gotti signed Lloyd and partnered the street-smart singer with fellow The Inc. artist Ashanti for "Southside." Urban radio loved it, BET loved it, and Teen People loved it. The single became the title of Lloyd's debut, released in July of 2004 with Joyce Irby and Gotti sharing the executive producer credit. A more romantic album, Street Love, arrived in 2007.

VIBE Vsessions Presents: Musiq Soulchild

Philadelphia-born Taalib Johnson, a.k.a. burgeoning R&B artist Musiq (Soulchild), grew up the oldest of nine children. Musiq, whose influences include James Brown, Patti LaBelle, Billie Holiday, and Sly & the Family Stone, participated in Philadelphia's open mic scene in his early teens. The son of a die-hard '70s soul music fan, Musiq performed at Philly showcases like the Five Spot and Wilhemina's until his management team, Mama's Boys (Jerome Hipps and Michael McArthur), brought him to Def Jam Records' attention. Musiq's debut album, 2000's Aijuswanaseing, was recorded mostly at the Touch of Jazz Studios in Philadelphia. Musiq's first single, "Just Friends (Sunny)," appeared on the soundtrack to Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and two years later Musiq released his second album, the spiritual and personal Juslisen, which debuted at number one on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop charts. The following year brought the widely-acclaimed Soulstar, and in 2007, after moving to Atlantic, Musiq released the more mature Luvanmusiq.

V-Sessions Presents A Tribute to the Notorious BIG

In just a few short years, the Notorious B.I.G. went from a Brooklyn street hustler to the savior of East Coast hip-hop to a tragic victim of the culture of violence he depicted so realistically on his records. His all-too-brief odyssey almost immediately took on mythic proportions, especially since his murder followed the shooting of rival Tupac Shakur by only six months. In death, the man also known as Biggie Smalls became a symbol of the senseless violence that plagued inner-city America in the waning years of the 20th century. Whether or not his death was really the result of a much-publicized feud between the East and West Coast hip-hop scenes, it did mark the point where both sides stepped back from a rivalry that had gone too far. Hip-hop's self-image would never be quite the same, and neither would public perception. The aura of martyrdom that surrounds the Notorious B.I.G. sometimes threatens to overshadow his musical legacy, which was actually quite significant. Helped by Sean "Puffy" Combs' radio-friendly sensibility, Biggie re-established East Coast rap's viability by leading it into the post-Dr. Dre gangsta age. Where fellow East Coasters the Wu-Tang Clan slowly built an underground following, Biggie crashed onto the charts and became a star right out of the box. In the process, he helped Combs' Bad Boy label supplant Death Row as the biggest hip-hop imprint in America, and also paved the way to popular success for other East Coast talents like Jay-Z and Nas. Biggie was a gifted storyteller with a sense of humor and an eye for detail, and his narratives about the often violent life of the streets were rarely romanticized; instead, they were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. The general consensus in the rap community was that when his life was cut short, sadly, Biggie was just getting started.

V-Sessions Presents A Tribute to the Notorious BIG

VIBE Vsessions Presents: Lloyd