YahZarah

YahZarah broke into the music industry alongside Erykah Badu, whom she sang backup for on Mama's Gun, and in turn established herself as a solo artist in a similar vein, releasing independent albums during the early 2000s. Born Dana Williams in Washington, D.C., YahZarah (whose name loosely means "Queen Mother is the brightest star" -- itself a tribute to her deceased grandmother from Ghana) was greatly influenced as a child by soul greats like Tina Turner, Prince, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, and Minnie Riperton, as well as the music of the church. She went on to study music a...