WHO IS SHE?: We first heard Kelis (pronounced ka-leese) Rogers trying to calm Ol' Dirty Bastard in his 2000 club hit Got Your Money. The daughter of a jazz saxophonist and a member of the Harlem Girls Choir, Kelis, 22, has grown up to be one part R&B singer and three parts diva-in-training. ODB doesn't call her "Thunder Bitch" for nothing.

WHAT HAS SHE DONE?: Everyone from Foxy Brown to Moby has enlisted this New York songstress to appear on their albums, and between guest spots Kelis has managed to release two records of her own. Best known for its single Caught Out There (and its scream-along chorus "I hate you so much right now!") Kelis' 1999 debut, Kaleidoscope, secured three Top 40 hits in Europe and cleaned up on the awards circuit. When Kelis' latest, Wanderland, was released in the UK, she was hand-picked by Bono to open for U2.

WHY DO WE CARE?: Kelis is hell on wheels, throwing the Sex Pistols and Tina Turner into a blender for a look and sound that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop, giving it a shot of fresh energy it hasn't had since Lauryn Hill.

Playboy.com: Do you ever get ragged on in hip-hop circles for being too rock?

Kelis: Listen -- I'm an artist, and people are either going to love me or hate me whatever I do. So I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want to do.

PB: Your first album made you a full-fledged star in Europe when you were still a teenager. What are the perks of fame?

K: I've been to a lot of places, done a lot of shows and met some amazing people. I just got to open up for U2 last summer, which was great. When we played in their hometown the crowd was so big it was ridiculous.
PB: How did you score that opening slot?

K: It was an accumulation of things. For one, I'm a huge fan. So when I found out that we had the same agent, I knew I had to meet Bono. I think he came to one of my shows. When I finally met him, I was like, "Listen, if you ever need anyone to open up for you, I would love to!" And a couple months later I got the call. The Edge's kids really like my stuff, so I think that probably helped, too.

PB: We've heard that Bono has a thing for you.

K: For me? [Pauses] I guess he might. I know he has a thing for black women.

PB: You recently spent some time in Glasgow. Are Scottish men sexier than American men?

K: You know what? I think kilts are really sexy. My crew members in Europe are from Scotland, and they all have these beautiful kilts. Their moms give them these dope pendants that they put on them to hold it closed. It's just this wonderful tradition. And you want to know the best part about kilts? They don't wear drawers under them. I mean, that's fantastic! Now, granted, I don't want to see a guy from Brooklyn with a fucking kilt on. But, you know, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

PB: It sounds like kilts are both fashionable and convenient.

K: Right. But it's not like I'm saying to all the men I date, "Um, honey, could you put on a kilt and lose the drawers? It turns me on." Please!

PB: What's the kinkiest piece of underwear you own?

K: I've got these crotchless panties that I hardly ever wear. They've probably got moth holes and mildew on them by now.
PB: Besides underwear, you're known for your incredible wardrobe. What are some of your coolest duds?

K: I never buy anything practical -- clothes just call to me in the store or in the showroom, and I end up wearing some crazy shit. When I co-hosted the Mobos, which is the Music of Black Origin awards in the UK, I changed about four times, and one of the outfits was held on totally by adhesive. It was basically a chiffon scarf that had grapes, leaves, rhinestones and two actual stuffed white doves attached to it. It was literally an art piece that I decided to wear.

PB: With clothes like that, you probably have to go commando a lot.

K: You know what? You learn to get really comfortable without underwear. I'm not even fazed by it anymore.

PB: Supermodel Heidi Klum stars in Young, Fresh and New, the first video off your album. How did that happen?

K: I met her when I was one of the guest stylists for MTV's Fashionably Loud. Heidi was actually the host of the show, and she was hilarious. She's got the most normal, natural, sweet personality of anyone I've ever met. After the show we were hanging out, and it just came up. Now I see her all the time. Her husband, Ric, gave me a haircut the other day. I never get my hair cut because people jack my shit up, but he did a really good job.

PB: You've done guest spots with several different artists over the last few years. Who's been your favorite person to work with so far?

K: Busta [Rhymes] is great to work with. He's real cool and natural, and he doesn't put on any airs. I really love working with [DJ] Timo Maas, too.
PB: You also have some famous guest artists of your own on Wanderland. How was working with No Doubt and Fieldy from Korn?

K: Fieldy is the man -- he's crazy cool. We met in Germany, so when I was in LA I called him, and it just happened. As for Gwen [Stefani], she's a sweetheart, and No Doubt is amazing. She and Pharrell [Williams, of the Neptunes] actually wrote Perfect Day together. Gwen decided not to put it on Rock Steady, and I was like, Oh my God I love that song! So she gave it to me.

PB: Easy Come Easy Go, the song you did with Fieldy, is about how men react to you now that you're famous. What's the dumbest line a guy's ever fed you?

K: Oh please. That shit goes in one ear and out the other. But I will tell you that, on the man front, it's not looking positive. I have so many guy friends, and it drives me insane, because within a day, they'll see 45 to 55 women who are good-looking, fuckable, marriageable, whatever. It takes me weeks for me to find even one. Sometimes I'm like, Oh my God, I don't even know anyone I remotely want to see on a daily basis, much less have a relationship with. Plus the only men I meet are in the music industry, and dating someone in the industry is like dating someone in high school. I hate it.

PB: What's the one thing men don't understand about women?

K: The one thing? [Laughs] OK, I've got a really funny story to tell you. So here I am, sitting with this very good guy friend of mine watching Sex and the City, when one of the girls says something about her vagina and having three holes. And he looks at me, just totally blank. And I was like, No, wait, don't tell me that you didn't know that there are three holes? He was just totally, completely, not aware of what's going on between a woman's legs. That's when I realized that men don't understand anything about women. It's all a front. They act like they know, but they haven't got a clue.

PB: Even while promoting an album, you're thinking about film scripts, ideas for television, possibly even starring in a musical. Do people ever tell you to pick one career and stick with it?

K: Yeah, they do, but screw 'em. You've got to do what you've gotta do, and up to this point everything that people told me was crazy, I've done. I'm not going to start listening to them now.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Virgin Records