Dec. 5: R&B singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, "I Like," & "Knock You Down" is 28 today.

Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Keri Lynn Hilson first made a name for herself as a songwriter as part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch in the mid 2000s. She helped write songs  for others including Britney Spears, Ciara, Ludacris, and Usher.

She attended Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia (where yours truly, Musiclover, lives by the way.)

During her youth, Hilson studied piano and singing, and joined the girl group D'Signe when she was 17. She became a songwriter and backing vocalist while in high school, and  attended Oxford College of Emory University, where she majored in theater.

Her own debut studio album, In a Perfect World… was released in March 2009, and debuted at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the U.S., where it was certified gold selling after selling 540,000 copies. The album included the hit, "Knock You Down" which featured Kanye West and Ne-Yo. It earned Keri a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010.

A reissue of the album, which included the German number-one hit "I Like," gained a platinum accreditation, selling more than 200,000 copies.

(Continued below video and Amazon portal ...)

HIGHLY Recommended (Press album covers for direct links to Amazon):

As a prominent guest vocalist in both the contemporary R&B and hip hop genres, Hilson has been featured on over a dozen singles by other artists, beginning with Xzibit's "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)," on which she received her first official credit in 2004.

Other successful collaborations include the number-one single "The Way I Are" and "Scream" with Timbaland, also featuring D.O.E. and Nicole Scherzinger respectively. Keri cites T-Boz as her biggest influence and inspiration.

A BONUS!

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