A+

**A+**, real name Andre Levins, is a Hempstead, New York-born rapper who burst onto the scene as a teen prodigy in the mid-'90s. Kicking things off in 1995 by winning a Def Jam-sponsored talent contest, he became the first signee to Kedar Massenburg's label, dropping his debut album *The Latch-Key Child* at just 14—packed with features from Q-Tip, Prodigy, and others, plus the hit single "All I See" that cracked the Billboard Hot 100.

His 1999 follow-up *Hempstead High* kept the momentum with guests like Canibus, Lost Boyz, and DeBarge, and the funky "Enjoy Yourself" (sampling "A Fifth of Beethoven") hitting top five in the UK and charting stateside. After a hiatus, he returned with *Back 2 Business* in 2005 and has stayed active in hip-hop ever since.