Jamie Foxx

A major star on television (In Living Color, The Jamie Foxx Show), the big screen (Any Given Sunday, Collateral, Ray), and radio (his second album, Unpredictable, went platinum), Jamie Foxx -- born Eric Morlon Bishop, Jr., in Terrell, TX -- started out as a comedian and went through years of gradually escalating notoriety before winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray. Though a 1994 album, Peep This, was something of an underground hit, he didn't really break out as a singer until his guest appearance on Kanye West and Twista's "Slow Jamz." The song helped set the stage for his second album, released through J Records at the very end of 2005. Upon release, Unpredictable duked it out for the number one position on the Billboard albums chart with Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough. It reached number one and eventually went platinum. Foxx has also collaborated with Gladys Knight, Melvin Riley, Adina Howard, MC Lyte, and Ludacris. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide