Ginuwine

Ginuwine was one of R&B's pre-eminent love men during the '90s heyday of hip-hop soul. Initially teamed with Timbaland, the most innovative producer of the late '90s, Ginuwine's sultry, seductive crooning earned him a substantial female following and made him a regular presence on the R&B charts, even after the futuristic production he favored was eclipsed by the more organic, retro-leaning neo-soul movement.

Ginuwine was born, on October 15, 1975, in Washington, D.C. with the unlikely name of Elgin Baylor Lumpkin.
At the mere age of 12, he began performing at parties and bars with the local hip-hop group the Finesse Five. He later worked as a Michael Jackson impressionist and sang with another local outfit, Physical Wonder; in the meantime, he earned a paralegal degree from a local community college, in case music didn't work out. In 1996, he adopted the name Ginuwine and was discovered by Jodeci.

In 1999, Ginuwine proved that lightning sometimes strikes twice with his second double-platinum LP, 100% Ginuwine, which entered the pop charts at #5. The first single "So Anxious," became a massive crossover hit, while "What's So Different?" and "None of Ur Friend's Business" scored on the R&B charts. In 2001, Ginuwine dropped The Life, which, as he'd done previously, entered the charts in the Top 5 and went platinum-plus