Sean Kingston-Beautiful Girls (2007)
Born in Miami, but raised partly in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Sean Kingston hit #1 in 2007 with his debut single, “Beautiful Girls.” The track, masterminded by super-producer JR Rotem (who discovered Kingston on Myspace) topped the Hot 100 on August 11th, and stayed there four weeks. Fun fact: the seemingly innocuous lyrics from the single “you had me suicidal” caused a bit of controversy, and the line was removed on MTV, leading to “you got me in denial.” Kingston’s grandfather is Jack Ruby, producer of Burning Spear’s “Marcus Garvey,” among other ‘70s reggae classics.—Saxon Baird
