Lyfe Jennings July 24, 2008

During a long prison sentence for arson, the future singer-songwriter got hold of Erykah Badu's neo-soul classic 'Baduizm,' and it inspired him. Two days out of prison he was recording a demo. The next day he played at a club. About a month after his release, he was appearing on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, which he won five times in a row. Lyfe's soulful music is a mixture of deep introspection and open-eyed realism.