YS

For San Francisco's YS, music is a family affair. The 16-year-old R&B singer has a very special "in-house" producer: his dad, Bay Area beatmaker Swampkat.

The Nicaraguan and Samoan YS – aka, "Young Seb" which is short for Sebastian Jessop, Jr. – credits his family-oriented upbringing as the foundation of his blossoming career. He's currently the youngest artist signed to Sony/BMG Latino and, as a member of the Kompound Klick crew, is also the first such artist to release an English-only single, High School Wifey. The song, a giddy and sincere slow jam about teen love, has already topped the charts on neighboring Sacramento's KSFM. Not surprisingly, the ballad – likely the first to use a multicultural rally as a backdrop to young love – is slated to open his debut album Just Getting Started, which features a guest appearance by Frankie J and is set for release in early next year. Handsome, tattooed and sporting long braids, YS plans to support the album with a nationwide high school tour. Of course.

see: myspace.com/youngseb

Updated: March 11, 2008.