Gina Thompson

Gina Thompson stands among the urban contemporary female vocalists steeped in hip-hop who surfaced during the 1990s, sharing stylistic territory with Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Faith Evans, and the late Aaliyah. Raised in Vineland, New Jersey, she began performing as a youngster and kept singing through high school, where she became the institution’s first Black homecoming queen. Mercury/PolyGram signed her in 1995, issuing her debut album Nobody Does It Better the next year. Stevie J. and Bad Boy Entertainment leader Sean “Puffy” Combs both contributed production to the project. Puff’s work included “The Things That You Do,” a cut featuring Elliott that supplied the Virginia singer/rapper with meaningful early visibility. In 1996 Elliott had not yet attained superstar status as a vocalist; she continued operating chiefly as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer, recognized above all for her collaborations with Aaliyah and Timbaland. “The Things That You Do” marked a notable advance in Elliott’s own performance career and helped open doors for the broad acceptance of her debut solo album Supa Dupa Fly, which Elektra released in 1997. Although Thompson did not compose “The Things That You Do,” she co-wrote three other tracks on Nobody Does It Better: “Freak On,” “Without You,” and “Strung Out.” The Mercury/PolyGram imprint never released another Thompson album after Nobody Does It Better; several years later her link to Elliott secured a deal with Elektra. In 1999 Elektra put out her second album, If You Only Knew, which included guest appearances by Elliott, 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.