ing, Knowles has become a star and an American icon. Born in Houston in the fall of 1981, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started performing at age seven. From dance classes to singing in the church choir, Knowles was a natural. She and cousin Kelly Rowland met Latavia Roberson during this time, and the trio formed a group with Letoya Luckett. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager. This situation would ultimately lead to the formation of one of the greatest female RB groups of all time -- Destiny's Child.

That was just the beginning of the group's breakout success. The second single, " Bug a Boo ," didn't perform as well, but the third single, "Say My Name," was another massive hit, their biggest so far; it hit number one on both the pop and RB charts for three weeks apiece in early 2000, and made Destiny's Child a pop-cultural phenomenon. However, at the peak of "Say My Name"'s popularity, the group splintered. In December 1999, Roberson and LeToya attempted to split with manager Mathew Knowles, charging that he kept a disproportionate share of the band's profits, attempted to exert too much control, and unfairly favored his daughter and niece. While they never intended to leave the group, relations naturally grew strained, and when the video for "Say My Name" premiered in February 2000, many fans (not to mention Roberson and Luckett) were surprised to find two new members -- Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin -- joining Knowles and Rowland. Infuriated, Roberson and Luckett took legal action in March, suing both Knowles and their former bandmates for breach of partnership and fiduciary duties. A war of words followed in the press; meanwhile, the next Destiny's Child single, " Jumpin' Jumpin' ," hit the Top Ten, and The Writing's on the Wall went on to sell a whopping eight million copies.

Beyoncé is also active for charity productions as in "What More Can I Give" a charity single recorded by Michael Jackson and more than 35 others, including Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Luther Vandross, the Backstreet Boys, Carlos Santana and Mariah Carey.

Destiny's Child is an R&B girl group from Houston, signed to Columbia and first premiered on Men in Black: The Album with their song Killing Time. Early in 1998, the group released their self-titled debut album, featuring the single " No, No, No (Part II) " featuring Wyclef Jean. The quartet, including Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland (Beyonce's cousin), LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett,

also toured with Jean. The group's sophomore album The Writing's on the Wall followed in 1999 and immediately spawned the number one smash Bills, Bills, Bills , which topped both the pop and R&B charts. By the end of the year, "Say My Name"

had duplicated the feat, and ended up becoming one of the biggest hits of 2000. But just as the group had broken through to super stardom, Roberson and Luckett abruptly left in March of 2000, filing a lawsuit against the group and manager Matthew Knowles (Beyoncé's father and Kelly's guardian). The two were replaced by similar-looking 18-year-old Farrah Franklin and 19-year-old Michelle Williams, who debuted in the video for "Say My Name" (much to some fans' surprise).

Five months after her addition, Franklin announced that she too was leaving. Undaunted, the remaining trio recorded the theme song for the film revival of Charlie's Angels; "Independent Women" became another across-the-board smash that fall, topping the charts by the end of the year. Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit directed at the group itself in early 2001; they soon formed a new group called Angel, while Farrah Franklin began work on a solo album. Meanwhile, Destiny's Child released their third album, Survivor, in May.

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