Ginuwine's sweet-sounding vocals and sensual subject matter made women melt in the '90s. The singer found himself a regular on the R&B and pop charts thanks to many collaborations with producer Timbaland, and was one of the premiere hip-hop and soul artists of the late '90s and early 2000s.Ginuwine, born Eglin Baylor Lumpkin, grew up in the Washington D.C. area. His initial interest in music was piqued by legends like Prince and Michael Jackson. Before he was even a teenager, a young Elgin began performing at parties and bars with the local D.C. hip-hop group Finesse Five. A man with a backup plan, Ginuwine went on to earn a paralegal degree from a local community college while he was performing as a Michael Jackson impersonator in a group called Physical Wonder.Shortly after adopting the name Ginuwine, the vocalist met Timbaland, with whom he collaborated on the track "Pony," a song which helped the singer land a record deal with Sony. With Timbaland on board, Ginuwine released his debut album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor, and "Pony" became an instant hit, reaching number one on the R&B charts and even as high as six on the pop charts. It was strikingly clear that, along with striking a chord with the R&B community, Ginuwine's sound also appealed to the mainstream audience when The Bachelor went double platinum. The album produced a multitude of hits and paid homage to one of the greats with his cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry."Ginuwine didn't give the music world time to forget him and released "Same Ol' G" as a part of the movie Dr. Doolittle in 1998. The following year Ginuwine's second album, 100% Ginuwine, received a warm welcome, debuting at number five on the pop charts. On 100%, Ginuwine honored his other major influence with his cover of Michael Jackson's "She's Out of my Life." The album followed suit with his first effort and went platinum.In 2001 Ginuwine showed his success was not solely based on Timbaland-produced material when he dropped The Life. His first effort without his long-time producer, The Life debuted at number three on the charts and gave Ginuwine yet another platinum album. The Life also produced Ginuwine's biggest hit, "There It Is," which climbed all the way to number four on the pop charts. The following year Ginuwine appeared in his first major motion picture, Juwanna Man. But he didn't allowed himself to be distracted from music for too long, landing another Top 10 hit by collaborating with P. Diddy on the hit "I Need a Girl, Pt. 2." Ginuwine has since released The Senior in 2003 and Back II da Basics in 2005.