Trivia: Born Curtis James Jackson III in Queens, NY, superstar hardcore rapper 50 Cent -- more than any of his contemporaries -- lived out the mythology of the "urban gangsta," to such a degree that he's quite fortunate to be alive, let alone a pop-culture superstar. The product of a broken home, 50 Cent survived stabbings, shootings, crack dealing, multiple incarcerations, and many other calamities and near-misses, and then drew lyrically from his own violent personal history, using this authentic material (with the help of Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay and Eminem) to establish himself as one of the most important rap acts of the early 21st century. 50 Cent's albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) and The Massacre (2005) thrived on the songster's outstanding hooks, clever lyrics, and superlative production values; consequently, each album sold several million copies and turned the rapper into an American icon. The musician's look also turned heads: tall, rippled, and tattooed, frequently sporting a bulletproof vest and a large pistol, he became the newest spokesperson for the "gangsta" subculture. The leap from rap superstardom to movie stardom can be a short one, as Ice-T and Ice Cube demonstrated. Although 50 Cent launched his cinematic career as an onscreen subject -- in the 2003 documentaries 50 Cent: The New Breed and 50 Cent: Unauthorized -- Shoot First -- he soon branched out into more challenging material. In 2005, 50 Cent headlined a gritty big-screen biopic of his own life, Get Rich or Die Tryin', directed by My Left Foot helmer Jim Sheridan. In that movie, the rapper hearkened back to his given name, with billing as Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. In 2008, he went on to co-star in the cop thriller Righteous Kill, directed by Jon Avnet, with legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as a pair of Manhattan cops on the trail of a serial murderer. He continued to appear in music-related documentaries and concert films, and in 2011 he produced the Mario Van Peebles film All Things Fall Apart. The next year he appeared in the thriller Odd Thomas as part of a cast that includes Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe, and Patton Oswalt.

Trivia: Has a permanently scarred eyebrow after being bitten by a dog at the age of 2. Became interested in music at the age of 4 when he started playing piano. Studied jazz at Manhattan School of Music's Pre-College from 7th grade until high school graduation. Won a Perez Hilton cover contest with a classmate by singing Adele's "Someone Like You." Rose to fame after gaining viral success on YouTube and appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Was initially signed to Ellen DeGeneres' music label eleveneleven. Released his debut studio album Nine Track Mind in 2016.

Trivia: Named after the Revlon perfume Ciara. Traveled around the world as an army brat, with stints in Germany, New York, California, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. Wrote the song "Got Me Waiting," on Fantasia Barrino's album Free Yourself (2004). Released her debut album, Goodies, in 2004. Her sophomore album, Ciara: The Evolution, went to number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2009, opened for Britney Spears' Circus Tour in London, and then headlined her own tour, Jay-Z and Ciara Live. Invited as a guest to the White House in 2015. Titled her sixth album Jackie in honor of her mother.

Trivia: Born in Dallas, TX, in 1992, vocalist and actress Demi Lovato launched her career well before the age of ten, as a participant in various beauty pageants and at assorted casting calls -- guided by her mother, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She landed her first major on-camera assignment as one of the participants on the famous children's series Barney & Friends, then moved to the hallowed halls of preteen stardom -- The Disney Channel -- as a participant in the "micro-series" sitcom As the Bell Rings, designed to run in between longer programs. Lovato then jump-started her music career as a teen pop vocalist, with extensive cross-country tours and record deals (her first album, Don't Forget, was released in fall 2008), but achieved broadest stardom for her lead role opposite the Jonas Brothers in the Disney Channel telemovie Camp Rock (2008); she played a young aspiring musician who attends a rock & roll-themed summer camp, then gets into hot water for telling a lie about her mother in a misguided attempt to gain popularity. She showed up in the Jonas Brothers 3D concert movie in 2009 and was the star of her own series, Sonny With a Chance, until that show's abrupt cancellation due allegedly in part to her own erratic behavior. In 2010 she returned to the Disney channel for the sequel to Camp Rock. Following that, she focused more on her music, rather than her acting, career.

Trivia: One of the most successful rap MCs of the early 2000s, Tip Harris (born Clifford Harris in Atlanta in 1980, and occasionally credited by his musical pseudonym, T.I.), earned the moniker "the Jay-Z of the South" for his ability (like the said East Coast rapper) to meld toughness and smoothness with great dexterity. With such album releases as the 2003 Trap Muzik, the 2004 Urban Legend, and the 2006 King, T.I. not only seemed able to do no wrong in terms of numbers, but attained such popularity that he could soon be heard within a couple of hours on any major urban radio station.T.I. segued into film work in the mid-2000s with two parts: the lead in the gentle, slice-of-life ensemble drama ATL (2006) -- a picture about a young man and his friends growing up amid a difficult and confusing life in Atlanta -- and a small role in the Denzel Washington-headlined period crime drama American Gangster (2007), directed by Ridley Scott.

Trivia: Raised by his aunt and uncle in Haiti from ages 2 to 9 after his parents immigrated to the U.S. in pursuit of a better life. Moved to Brooklyn with his parents when he was 9. Father was pastor at Newark's Good Shepherd Church of the Nazarene. Played bass for his high-school swing choir. Formed the Tranzlator Crew, a rap group, with his cousin Prakazrel ("Pras") Michel and Lauryn Hill in the late '80s; they eventually renamed themselves the Fugees. Released his first solo album, the triple-platinum Carnival, in 1997. Wrote and produced hits for Destiny's Child, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Shakira. Bought his parents their dream home with his first major paycheck. Began taking classes at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2009. Founded the Yéle Haiti charity to benefit the people of his native Haiti.

Trivia: African-American musical superstar Diana Ross may well be a by-product of the almost crippling shyness she has suffered since childhood. Reportedly, it took a lot out of young Ross to work up the courage to sing in her church choir; but once she decided that music was to be her bread and butter, there was no stopping her. With Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, Ross formed the now-legendary R&B "girl group" the Supremes, which was elevated from a local Detroit attraction to international renown by Motown Records maven Berry Gordy. When Florence Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, the group's name was changed to Diana Ross and the Supremes (which it had essentially been all along). Ross struck out on her own in 1969; within 12 months, her popularity was such that she was voted Entertainer of the Year by the NAACP. In 1972, she made her long-anticipated film debut in Lady Sings the Blues, delivering a bravura performance as blues great Billie Holliday. Nominated for an Oscar, Ross lost the statuette to Liza Minnelli, but did take home a Golden Globe Award. Her follow-up attempts at film stardom were major disappointments: Mahogany (1975) was utterly forgettable save for its signature tune "Do You Know Where You're Going To," while The Wiz (1978) suffered from bad casting decisions and an utter lack of a consistent style. Despite her failures on the big screen, Ross continued to excel as a recording artist. She floundered a bit when she left Motown in 1980, but was back on top the following year after signing with RCA. In 1977, Diana won a Tony Award for her starring Broadway revue, and in 1988 she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Diana Ross showed no signs of slowing down in the 1990s: in 1993, she wrote a book titled Secrets of a Sparrow; in 1994, she made her TV-movie acting debut, playing a paranoid schizophrenic in the commendable Out of Darkness; and in 1996, she was center of attention in what was arguably one of the most spectacular Super Bowl half-time shows ever conceived. She would try her hand at acting again in 1999's Double Platinum, acting as executive producer on that project as well.

Trivia: Nicknamed "The King of Crunk." Started performing as part of the group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz; they released their debut album, Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, in 1997. Was the producer (as well as a writer and a featured performer) of Usher's 2004 No. 1 hit "Yeah!" Named Songwriter of the Year in both the pop and urban categories at the 2005 BMI Awards. Released his first album as a solo artist, Crunk Rock, in 2010. Played for the United Methodist Children's Home of North Georgia Conference when he appeared on Celebrity Apprentice in 2011; when he returned to the show two seasons later, his charity was the American Diabetes Association.

Trivia: A songstress possessing a remarkable eight-octave vocal range who in the early '90s excelled to become one of the top female vocalists of the decade, Mariah Carey's rocky transition from musician to actress played a key role in fueling a much-publicized nervous breakdown in late 2001. And though her turn in Glitter (2001) may have not been quite the crossover success the aspiring actress had hoped for, as a remarkably talented vocalist Carey continues to maintain her supportive fan base as a result of her dynamic voice and exceptional songwriting abilities. Born the daughter of a former opera singer and vocal coach in Long Island, NY, in 1970, and named after the song "They Call the Wind Maria" from the popular Lerner and Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon (1969), Carey began singing at the age of four, and writing her own songs by the time she was attending Oldfield Middle School. Moving to New York to pursue a career as a vocalist a day after her graduation from Greenlawn's Harborfields High School, the ambitious singer soon teamed with keyboardist Ben Margulies and landed a job as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. Aided by Starr in ensuring her demo tape found its way into the hands of Columbia Records head Tommy Matola (the man whom Carey would later wed and eventually divorce) at a party, Carey was soon signed to the label and with the release of her massively successful eponymous debut in 1990, achieved overnight success. With strong follow-up efforts establishing Carey as one of the premier vocalists of the decade (she had a number one single each year of the 1990s, her songs spending more time at the Billboard top spot than any recording artist in history) it was only a matter of time before the established singer attempted to expand her career. After making her big-screen debut with a supporting turn in The Bachelor in 1999, Carey set her sights on a personal project for her first starring role. However, after suffering a physical and emotional breakdown months before the release of her big-screen debut in Glitter, Carey's "lambs" (her slang term for her loyal fans) rallied to her side in support upon the release of numerous scathing reviews. Inspired by such musical dramas as Fame (1980) and Purple Rain (1984), the semi-autobiographical retro tale of a young singer rising to fame despite the odds stacked against her was dismissed as cliché and laughably bad, with reviews specifically targeting the vulnerable singer's sub-par performance and the films unintentionally campy tone. Public appearances in which her behavior grew increasingly bizarre coupled with distressing messages on her website and fan phone line underscored the onetime pop diva's increasing mental collapse, making her admission into a Connecticut mental hospital seem almost inevitable to all who bore witness to her multiple public meltdowns. Following the failure of the accompanying album of the same name, Virgin Records bought out her 100-million-dollar contract for a mere 28 million dollars, and it appeared as if the one-time megastar had reached her nadir. Her career would see a boost along with her personal life, however, when she married pop star and TV personality Nick Cannon in 2008, later giving birth to twins.In 2009, she returned to acting in Precious, directed by Lee Daniels, playing a social worker in an unglamorous, dressed-down role. She later reunited with Daniels in 2013 to play a supporting role in The Butler. IN 2015, Carey made her directorial debut with the TV movie A Christmas Melody, in which she also co-starred.

Trivia: Moved to Grapevine, Texas, at the age of 9. In 2010, his guitar strings broke during his audition for the band Crown the Empire. Former member of a heavy metal band. Recorded his first mixtape at the age of 16. Worked at a Chicken Express when he was a teenager. Moved to Los Angeles, California, after dropping out of college. Was the opening act on Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour.

Trivia: Handsome, dark-haired Australian Rick Springfield is best known for his upbeat pop songs like "Jesse's Girl," but he is also an occasional actor. Fans of the long-running television soap opera General Hospital will best remember him for playing the dashing Dr. Noah Drake. He was born Richard Lewis Springthrope in Sydney, Australia. The son of a high-ranking British Army officer, Springfield spent his youth shuttling between Australian and British military bases. Though he had been in several rock bands throughout his teens, Springfield had his greatest success with the metal band Zoot and went to the U.S. in hopes of getting a major record contract. When that proved a long time coming, Springfield signed a contract with Universal and guest starred in television series such as The Six Million Dollar Man. He was also a semi-regular on The Young and the Restless before he signed to RCA in the early '80s, the same time he was cast in General Hospital. Since his inauspicious movie debut in Hard to Hold (1984), Springfield has only appeared in a handful of made-for-television movies such as A Change of Place (1994). He also appeared briefly in Aaron Spelling's short-lived series Robin's Hoods (1994). In the years to come, Springfield would continue to act, appearing on shows like Californication.