Cassie

Singer and model Cassie broke onto the scene with the 2006 R&B chart-topper “Me & U.” • The Connecticut native started modeling at 14 years, and by 16, she’d appeared in Mario’s “Just a Friend 2002” music video. She began taking vocal lessons and ballet and moved to New York City to model. • Singer and producer Ryan Leslie discovered Cassie dancing in a club and wrote her a song called “Kiss Me,” which led to her signing a management deal with music executive Tommy Mottola. • Cassie’s debut single, “Me & U,” popped off in the clubs and caught the ear of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who signed her to Bad Boy Records. • Her self-titled 2006 debut album reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard 200. “Me & U” hit No. 1 on the R&B singles chart. • In 2007, Cassie released the single “Is It You,” which appears on the soundtrack for the dance film Step Up 2: The Streets, which she also stars in. • After a string of singles, Cassie returned in 2013 with the mixtape RockaByeBaby, featuring Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill, and French Montana, among others. • She dropped a pair of singles in 2017—including “Love a Loser,” featuring G-Eazy—and then issued several more in 2019.