- Born: December 13, 1967 in
- Years Active: 1990-2010
- Genre: R & B
- Influenced by: Tony! Toni! Toné!, Johnny Gill, Earthtones, Ray Charles, R. Kelly
- Followed By: The Gold Soul All Stars
- Similar Artists: Tevin Campbell, Blackstreet, Tamia, Mario Winans, Monifah, Az Yet, 702, Ginuwine, Donell Jones, K-Ci & JoJo, Tyrese, John Legend
A major star on television (In Living Color, The Jamie Foxx Show), the big screen (Any Given Sunday, Collateral, Ray, Miami Vice, Dreamgirls), and radio (his second album, Unpredictable, featured two Top Ten R&B singles), 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. Intuition, involving input from the-Dream, Timbaland, Ne-Yo, and Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius, followed in late 2008. Foxx has also collaborated with Gladys Knight, Melvin Riley, Adina Howard, MC Lyte, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
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