1990s music stars: Where are they now?
Before he was a big-time actor, Will Smith was a hit on the music scene in the 1990s. With "Men in Black III" hitting theaters, join us for a look at the former "Fresh Prince" and other '90s stars today.
Will Smith was one half of the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince with hits such as 1991's "Summertime." Smith moved on to a solo music career and earned two Grammy awards for his 1997 album "Big Willie Style."
Will Smith was one half of the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince with hits such as 1991's "Summertime." Smith moved on to a solo music career and earned two Grammy awards for his 1997 album "Big Willie Style."
Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith have three children. He's had a successful film career headlining films such as "I Am Legend" and "The Pursuit of Happyness."
M.C. Hammer was a flamboyant on-stage performer with flashy dance moves and hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit to Quit."
After filing for bankruptcy in 1996, Hammer has maintained a family life with a wife and five children.
The Backstreet Boys formed in 1993 with A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. Here, they pose in 1997 before a tour in Germany.
The Backstreet Boys, seen here in 2009, reunited in 2005 after a three-year break. In 2011, they joined forces with fellow boy band New Kids on the Block for a tour.
Rapper Freedom Williams was the voice behind C+C Music Factory's big hits, including "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." He also released his solo debut, "Freedom," in 1993.
Now 46, Williams has continued working, writing solo material and performing. He released a new record in May 2010 and wrote and directed a short film called "Freedom Williams' Life Goes On" in 2011.
Trent Reznor was a rock god in the 1990s, with his group Nine Inch Nails releasing "Pretty Hate Machine" in 1989 and "The Downward Spiral" in 1994, which Rolling Stone ranked No. 200 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
With Nine Inch Nails more or less on hiatus, Reznor has focused on scoring films, including his work on David Fincher's "The Social Network," which won Reznor and musician Atticus Ross an Oscar in 2011. The duo also scored Fincher's adaptation of the film "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
Mariah Carey's self-titled debut album was the best-selling album in the United States in 1991. Carey followed that success with multi platinum-selling albums such as "Emotions" and "Music Box."
After a struggling career in the early 2000s, Carey came back strong with the 2005 album "The Emancipation of Mimi." Carey is currently married to actor and rapper Nick Cannon.
Billy Ray Cyrus had breakout success with his 1992 album "Some Gave All," which has sold over 9 million copies in the United States. His most famous song on the album was the music craze "Achy Breaky Heart."
Cyrus' music career has slowed down since then, but his daughter Miley Cyrus (left) became a huge pop star thanks to the hit TV show "Hannah Montana."
Celine Dion achieved international acclaim in the 1990s with a string of hit albums and singles. Dion recorded the theme song to the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic."
Dion has continued her worldwide success in the 2000s and is now the best-selling female artist of all time. She began a three-year residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, the second such Vegas residency of her career, in March 2011.
Justin Timberlake (center) was part of the boy band phenomenon 'NSYNC in the late 1990s and had a much publicized relationship with pop idol Britney Spears.
Timberlake has had a successful career as a solo music artist and actor, including recent movie roles in "The Social Network," "Friends with Benefits" and "In Time."
The Spice Girls took the British music scene by storm in the mid-1990s and then found American success with their best-selling single "Wannabe."
The group's members have each pursued their own careers and staged a reunion tour and greatest hits album in 2007. Member Victoria Beckham (right) has stayed in the spotlight the longest with her marriage to soccer superstar David Beckham.
The three brothers Issac, Taylor, and Zachary (from left to right), formed the pop band Hanson. Their most famous song is the catchy "MMMBop."
The Hanson brothers continue to make music including their most recent album, 2010's "Shout It Out."
Megadeth was one of the best-selling heavy metal acts of the 1990s, with 1992's "Countdown to Extinction" reaching No. 2 on the US Billboards 200 chart. The band was fronted by singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine (far left.)
Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm. However, following extensive physical therapy, Mustaine, now 50, reformed the band in 2004 and they have since released four new albums.
Shania Twain was a crossover country superstar in the 1990s. She has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, including 48 million in the U.S.
Twain, now 46, remarried in January 2011, to Swiss business executive Frederic Thiebaud, following her 2008 divorce from record producer "Mutt" Lange. She was recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, debuted a reality show for the Oprah Winfrey Network and announced a Las Vegas residency to begin in December 2012.
Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" was pretty much the soundtrack for 1990, as the group's self-titled debut album sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making the trio, at the time, the best-selling female group of all time.
Although the group, sisters Wendy and Carnie Wilson along with Chynna Phillips, went their separate ways in the mid-1990s, they reunited in 2010 to record a Christmas album. They also had a cameo in the movie "Bridesmaids" and released a new album, "Dedicated," in April 2012.
Country superstar Garth Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s.
Brooks retired in 2001, but returned in December 2009, when he began a five-year concert deal with the Encore Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. He is now 50 years old.
Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor had one of the biggest hits of the 1990s with her cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U," which received Grammy nominations and won for Best Alternative Music Performance.
The often controversial O'Connor, now 45, has continued working since the height of her fame. Her most recent album, "How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?," was released in February 2012.
Paula Abdul went from Lakers cheerleader to sought-after choreographer before scoring with her own hits starting in 1989. Her recording success would continue through the mid-1990s.
But Abdul is more famous today for being an "American Idol" judge for eight seasons through 2009. She has struggled to find success post-"Idol" though, seeing her reality TV competition show "Live to Dance" canceled in 2011 after seven episodes and being axed as a judge on Simon Cowell's American version of "The X Factor" after one season.
