Teena Marie

Countless R&B veterans have attempted comebacks during the hip-hop era, and to call most of the results embarrassing is harsh but true. One of the few who has survived with dignity intact is blue-eyed soulstress Teena Marie; that she managed that feat while also scoring her highest-charting album (2004's La Doña, on rap imprint Cash Money) is even more remarkable. But the former Mary Brockert has been full of surprises since emerging from Rick James' shadow in the early '80s. A songwriter, musician and prime sample source — for the likes of the Fugees, Ludacris and Three 6 Mafia — she's also become a role model for a new generation of doing-it-their-way urban women.