just B.E.

There's been an excessive amount of ponderous head - scratching and not enough work getting done here Just B.E. lately... but then again hearing your favorite songs on the mp3 player and realizing that said artist hasn't been out with anything fresh in five - plus years is conducive to such behavior. Consequently, we decided to make a list of these artists (the important ones, anyway), complete with their "claim to fame"... be on the lookout for the rest of our custom-made categories in weeks to come.

The Neo-Soul Royalty

Erykah Badu: Claim to Fame > "On & On," "Love Of My Life"

If Lady Day had been reincarnated, it would be through Ms. E.Badu. The Queen of Neo-Soul hit the scene in 1997 with the triple-platinum Baduizm, and though she often has unpleasantly long intervals between albums, she always manages to deliver. However, it's been almost three years since Worldwide Underground, and recently getting lost in "Orange Moon" has us asking, "what the hell is she doin'?"

Maxwell: Claim to Fame > "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)," "Fortunate"

Chiseled features and a modest demeanor added to this innovator's mystique when he gave the U.S. a taste of "Ascension," followed by a string of cult and popular hits that solidified his position as the leader of the neo-soul invasion. And who could forget the immortalization of his "Sumthin' Sumthin': Mellosmoothe" in the most famous scene of Love Jones (a staff favorite)? But for whatever reason, Maxwell hasn't been heard from since 2001's Now, leaving his fans yearning for more of that "cococure."

D'Angelo: Claim to Fame > "Brown Sugar," "Untitled (How Does It Feel?)"

If Erykah and Maxwell were the king and queen of the movement, D'Angelo has definitely become the court jester with his foolish antics of late. With DUI convictions, drug charges, and a disappearance of the figure that had eyes glued to the t.v. during the "How Does it Feel" vid, it's more of a question of "what the hell is wrong with him?" rather than "what the hell is he doin'?" Nevertheless, recollections of the smooth, ever-cool lothario that brought us such jems as "Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine" and "Send It On" give us hope that he'll get his shit together and show these new cats how it's done.