Teairra Marí

Teairra Marí surfaced on a national level in 2005 through the single “Make Her Feel Good,” a name that functions almost as an anagram of Teena Marie. Listeners encountering the track’s pouty vocal style and assertive lyrics could easily have assumed a deeper artistic tie. In reality a Detroit native bearing no familial link to the earlier singer, Marí first appeared on an EP released by the independent K.I.S.S. Productions. The recording reached Island Def Jam chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who extended a contract after hearing her perform live. Her debut album arrived in August 2005 on the Island Def Jam-distributed Roc-A-Fella imprint, backed fully by Roc-A-Fella head Jay-Z. Despite receiving scant promotional support, the set climbed to number five on the Billboard 200 before the label dropped her—an announcement delivered the night of her high-school prom. Warner-affiliated Asylum later signed her, returning Marí to the charts in 2010 with “Sponsor,” which featured Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell Em.