A misdemeanor (also spelled misdemeanour) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as minor, petty or summary offences) and regulatory offences. Many misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines.

Contraventions are similar to misdemeanors in many civil law countries (e.g. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland etc.).^{[citation needed]}

In the United States, the federal government generally considers a crime punishable with incarceration for one year or less to be a misdemeanor. All other crimes are considered felonies^{[citation needed]}. Many states also employ this distinction^{[citation needed]}.

A misdemeanor is considered a crime of low seriousness, and a felony one of high seriousness^{[citation needed]}. A principal of the rationale for the degree punishment meted out is that the punishment should fit the crime. One standard for measurement is the degree to which a crime affects others or society. Measurements of the degree of seriousness of a crime have been developed.

Foster Emerson Sylvers (born February 25, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being a member of the family act The Sylvers and the chart topping single "Misdemeanor".

Foster Sylvers released his first album Foster Sylvers on June 10, 1973. His first single, "Misdemeanor," written by his brother Leon Sylvers III, became a hit that summer charting number seven R&B on Billboard's charts. "Misdemeanor"'s follow-up was a cover of Dee Clark's 1959 hit "Hey Little Girl" charting at number 63 R&B in fall 1973. The popularity of these records led to Foster to appear on such TV shows as American Bandstand and Soul Train. In 1974 he released his second album Foster Sylvers Featuring Pat & Angie Sylvers. By 1975 he joined the rest of his brothers and sisters in the The Sylvers just in time for the Showcase album. He co-sang lead with his brother Edmund on the #1 1976 Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles song Boogie Fever. While with Capitol, Foster released another self titled album called Foster Sylvers in early 1978. Primarily produced by his family The Sylvers and their managers Al Ross and Bob Cullen. Foster then branched out into studio work just like his big brother Leon collaborating on many projects such as Dynasty ("Your Piece of the Rock," "When You Feel Like Giving Love," "Satisfied") and Evelyn "Champagne" King ("Shake Down," number 12 R&B,spring 1984). By the late 1980s Foster recorded two albums as Foster Sylvers & Hy-Tech, 1987's Plain & Simple for EMI America and 1990's Prime Time for A&M. In recent years, Foster has been noted for being on the National Sex Offenders list for a crime he committed many years ago.

Justin Drew Bieber ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid. Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP My World, followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actress. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have six albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one double platinum for her 2002 album Under Construction. Elliott is known for a series of hits and diverse music videos, including "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Hot Boyz", "Get Ur Freak On", "One Minute Man", "4 My People", "Work It", "Pass That Dutch", and "Lose Control". In addition, she has worked extensively as a songwriter and producer for other artists, both alone and with her fellow producer and childhood friend Timbaland, with whom she received her first production credit on R&B singer Ginuwine's 1996's album Ginuwine...the Bachelor.

Elliott was born on July 1, 1971, in Portsmouth, Virginia. She is the only child of mother Patricia, a power-company coordinator, and father Ronnie, a Marine. At the age of four in 1975, she wanted to be a performer, though she knew no one took her seriously, as she was always the class clown. While her father was a Marine, the family lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in a mobile home. Elliott enjoyed school for the friendships she formed and had little interest in school work, though an IQ test classified her above average and she was able to jump two years ahead of her class. This made her feel increasingly isolated, so she purposely failed all her classes, eventually returning to her age-appropriate class. When her father returned from the Marines, they moved back to Virginia, where they lived in a vermin-infested shack.