Kanye Violinist Debuts

Ben-Ari gigged relentlessly and earned a spot on BET's hip-hop video countdown show 106 & Park. Due to the onslaught of fan mail, the network brought her back within weeks, and she soon caught the eye of Jay-Z. The rap mogul asked Ben-Ari to headline as one of the three featured artists at New York radio station Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert, where she received a standing ovation from an audience of 20,000. "I was a nobody," Ben-Ari says, "but I had the second feature, after Missy Elliott."

Beyond her natural skill, Ben-Ari attributes her success to Israeli chutzpah. "I'm a gangsta, straight-up," she says with a brassy laugh. "I don't follow protocol."