Yao Ming

One half of the rap duo Crooked Lettaz, David Banner helped put Mississippi on the map in 1999. In 2000, he released his first solo album in Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1. Originally on Penalty Records, he realized quickly that a New York-based record label just didn't know how to handle the south. With the help of his crew, he managed to sell over 10,000 copies of his first album in his hometown alone. He broke out nationally in 2003 with a pair of albums, Mississippi: The Album and MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water. These releases spawned a varied clutch of hits — "Like a Pimp," "Cadillac on 22's" and "Crank It Up." Two years later, he released Certified.