Roots of Lil Mama
The artists and genres Lil Mama came out of — one hop back on the influence tree.
The Best Damn ThingartistThe Best Damn Thing is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released on April 17, 2007, through RCA Records, as her first album on the label. The album represents a musical departure from her previous studio album Under My Skin (2004), which incorporated more elements of post-grunge. The Best Damn Thing is seen by critics as Lavigne's most commercial effort. The album was noted as her first effort to feature a wide range of producers, including Matt Beckley, Rob Cavallo, Dr. Luke and Lavigne herself, who was credited as the executive producer.
T-Painartist
What I've Doneartist"What I've Done" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight (2007), and is the sixth track. The song was released as a digital download and radio single on April 2, 2007, and as a CD single on April 30. The live version of "What I've Done" from Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but did not win. It serves as the end credits track of the 2007 science fiction film Transformers, also appearing on its soundtrack. Being certified six times platinum by the RIAA, it is the band's most commercially successful single in terms of pure sales, and reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In January 2025, the song became the fourth by the band to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
Avril Lavigneartist
Lisa "Left Eye" LopesartistLisa Nicole Lopes, also known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping on TLC recordings, Lopes was the creative force behind the group, receiving more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed some of their outfits and the stage for their FanMail Tour and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.
TLCartist
Mary J. Bligeartist
Rihannaartist
Lil' Kimartist
Queen Latifahartist
Janet Jacksonartist
JAY-ZartistShawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.
Alicia Keysartist
Upgrade Uartist"Upgrade U" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her second studio album, B'Day (2006). It features additional vocals from rapper Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Beyoncé, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Jay-Z, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Beyoncé's sister, Solange. Columbia Records released "Upgrade U" as a promotional single on October 8, 2006, in the United States only. "Upgrade U" draws from the genres of hip hop and R&B. The concept of the song is that of a woman describing herself as the key to upgrading a man's lifestyle.