Sergio Mendes

One of the most enduring figures in Brazilian music, Sergio Mendes had practically retired when The Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am lured him into the studio to make Timeless in 2006. The album's crossover success kickstarted a new phase in Mendes' career, in which the eternal genre magpie has drawn heavily from the worlds of hip hop and dance music – though without losing track of the easygoing bossa nova that made his name in the first place.