Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is one of those rare hot chicks who continues to get hotter with age. Even if you don't like her music, you have to appreciate her determination to be shown dripping with sweat in every music video she makes. Now that she's ventured into acting, hopefully a three minute sweaty video will turn into a two hour sweaty video, with several explosions and her playing the role of an idealistic rookie cop who will do whatever it takes to take down a group of South American drug runners. Because men like us are too stupid to appreciate anything like a good plot or fine acting. We just want naked, sweaty women. Voted #30 in the AskMen.com's Top 99 Women 2008 Edition.

The Alicia Keys biography starts in Harlem, New York in a rough area known as Hell's Kitchen, not to be confused with the television show Hell's Kitchen which delighted Americans everywhere during the 2007 writer's strike. Keys was destined to make it out of her neighborhood, and received her first role in 1985, playing the part of Rudy Huxtable's sleep over friend, on an episode of The Cosby Show. Nighttime hilarity ensued.

Alicia's first love was music, and she began playing the piano at seven years old, citing Beethoven, Mozart, and that weird opossum creature from showbiz pizza, as her influences. After graduating from the Professional Performing arts school, she dropped out of Columbia University to pursue her musical career. It was a wise choice. Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and in 1997 she co-wrote a single that landed on the film Men In Black.

From there her career exploded. She released her debut album Songs in A Minor which was played non-stop in radio stations around the world. Even when they tried to stop playing it, the song would continue to play, in what could only be explained by magic or God's will. Her follow up albums were equally as successful, and musicians everywhere came to collaborate with her.

She most recently starred in the film Smokin' Aces, playing an assassin hired to kill Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). The film was panned by critics as well as movie goers, who most likely opted to stare at a wall for four hours instead. Her latest album, As I Am was released on November 13, 2007.

She’s a hot chick, she knows it, and you get to appreciate those looks every time you look at a photo of her or watch a video. But if it wasn’t for her talent, then she wouldn’t even be in the public eye and you’d be stuck looking at pictures of Britney instead. It’s okay, you can admit that you cried a tear or two the first time you heard “Fallin’.”

Keys has an undeniable talent for music, whether it’s playing the piano, writing songs, or singing in her distinctive style. All three of her studio albums have been both popular hits and critically acclaimed. Need a reminder of what those albums are?

• Songs in A Minor was her first album and it hit the ground running with the first single, “Fallin’.”
• Her second album was called The Diary of Alicia Keys and the song you might remember from that one is “You Don’t Know My Name.”
• Her most recent album, As I Am, is also a huge hit and features the singles “No One” and “Like You’ll Never See Me Again.”

She also likes to collaborate with fellow artists and has worked with many, including Christina Aguilera and Usher.

Why must all singers also want to be actresses? Why not? It just means that you get to see even more of her. She’s appeared in the forgettable Smokin’ Aces, in the equally forgettable The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johanssen, and will soon appear in what we hope is a better movie, The Secret Life of Bees.

She helps people, of course! Keys supports a variety of charities, including Frum Tha Ground Up and Keep the Child Alive. She also recently signed a deal to hawk Glaceau Vitamin Water. You would too for $25 million.

Alicia won Best Cinematography Award at the 2010 MTV Video Music awards, for her collaboration with rapper Jay-Z for the song Empire State of Mind.

Alicia won 2 Grammy's at the 2011 Awards show, for her collaboration with rap superstar Jay-Z. Together they won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song again for the song Empie State of Mind.