Biography

Comparable to Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Faith Evans, and the late Aaliyah, Gina Thompson is among the hip-hop-drenched urban contemporary female vocalists who emerged in the '90s. Thompson grew up in Vineland, New Jersey, where she began singing as a child and continued throughout high school, where she was crowned the school's first Black homecoming queen. In 1995, Thompson signed with Mercury/PolyGram, which released her debut album, Nobody Does It Better, the following year. The album's producers included Stevie J. and Bad Boy Entertainment leader Sean "Puffy" Combs. One of the songs that Puff produced for Thompson's first album was "The Things That You Do," which featured Elliott and gave the Virginia singer/rapper some valuable exposure. In 1996, Elliott had yet to become a superstar vocalist; she was still a behind-the-scenes songwriter/producer and was best known for working with Aaliyah and producer Timbaland. "The Things That You Do" was a major step forward for her as a vocalist. "The Things You Do" helped pave the way for the tremendous acceptance of Elliott's debut solo album, Supa Dupa Fly, which Elektra released in 1997. Thompson didn't write "The Things That You Do," but she did co-write three of the other songs on Nobody Does It Better: "Freak On," "Without You," and "Strung Out." Nobody Does It Better turned out to be Thompson's only album for Mercury/PolyGram; a few years later, Thompson's association with Elliott led to a deal with Elektra. In 1999, Elektra released Thompson's second album, If You Only Knew. Guests included Elliott as well as Los Angeles singer Montell Jordan (best known for his 1995 smash "This Is How We Do It"), DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi