Keyshia Cole isn’t just one of the most successful voices in modern R&B, she helped solidify the bridge between hip-hop and soul that continues to define how we think about both today. Sure, she can do drama—that’s an R&B prerequisite. But her best tracks also convey a sense of wisdom and resilience that puts her big feelings in bigger contexts—useful perspective for anyone having a rough time. A former foster-care kid raised in Oakland, California, she’s taken her share of knocks. That she learned to roll with them—and convey her strength through art—is something else.