Mary J. Blige | |
|---|---|
 Blige in 2023 | |
| Born | Mary Jane Blige (1971-01-11)January 11, 1971 (age 54) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Brook Lynn |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1988–present[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | maryjblige |
Musical artist | |
Mary Jane Blige (/blaɪʒ/BLYZHE; born January 11, 1971)[5] is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to by thehonorifics "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B",her accolades include nineGrammy Awards, aPrimetime Emmy Award, fourAmerican Music Awards, twelveNAACP Image Awards, and twelveBillboard Music Awards, including theBillboard Icon Award.
Her career began in 1988 when she was signed toUptown Records by its founderAndre Harrell. In 1992, Blige released her debut album,What's the 411?, which is credited for introducing the mix of R&B and hip hop into mainstream pop culture.Its 1993 remix album became the first album by a singer to have a rapper on every song, popularizing rap as a featuring act.[6] BothWhat's the 411? and her 1994 albumMy Life ranked amongRolling Stone's500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[7] Throughout her career, Blige went on to release 15 studio albums, four of which topped theBillboard 200 chart. Her biggest hits include "Real Love", "You Remind Me", "I'm Goin' Down", "Not Gon' Cry", "Everything", "No More Drama", "Be Without You", "One" (withU2), "Just Fine" and theBillboard Hot 100 number-one single "Family Affair".
Blige enhanced her popularity with anacting career. She was nominated for twoAcademy Awards for hersupporting role as Florence Jackson inMudbound (2017) and the film'ssong "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year. Her other film roles includePrison Song (2001),Rock of Ages (2012),Betty and Coretta (2013),Black Nativity (2013),Trolls World Tour (2020),Body Cam (2020),The Violent Heart (2021),Respect (2021) andRob Peace (2024). Her television work include the seriesThe Umbrella Academy (2019) andPower Book II: Ghost (2020–2024).
Blige received a Legends Award at theWorld Music Awards in 2006, the Voice of Music Award fromASCAP in 2007 and a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. In 2010,Billboard ranked her as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years.[8] In 2017, the magazine named "Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/hip-hop song of all time, as it spent a then-record 15 weeks atop theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and over 75 weeks on the chart overall.[9] Blige was featured in listicles such asVH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2011),Time's100 most influential people in the world (2022) andRolling Stone's200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023). In 2024, she was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Mary Jane Blige[1][10] was born on January 11, 1971, atFordham Hospital in theBelmont neighborhood inthe Bronx, New York, to nurse Cora and jazz musician Thomas Blige. She has an older sister, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, a younger half-brother, Bruce Miller, and a younger half-sister, Jonquell, both from a relationship Blige's mother had with another man after divorcing her first husband.[11][12]
Blige spent her early childhood inRichmond Hill, Georgia,[13][6] where she sang in aPentecostal church.[14] She and her family later moved back to New York and resided in the Schlobohm Housing Projects, located inYonkers.[15] The family subsisted on her mother's earnings as a nurse after her father left the family in the mid-1970s.[16] Her father was aVietnam War veteran who suffered frompost-traumatic stress disorder andalcoholism.[15]
At age five, she wasmolested by a family friend; as a teenager she endured years ofsexual harassment from her peers. She said these negative experiences prepared her to protect herself in the music industry, where sexual harassment is a major problem for female artists.[17] She would eventually turn to alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex to try to numb the pain.[18] Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year.[19]
Influenced by the music ofAretha Franklin,Chaka Khan andGladys Knight,[20][21] she began pursuing a musical career. Blige spent a short time in a Yonkers band namedPride with band drummer Eddie D'Aprile. In early 1988, she recorded an impromptu cover ofAnita Baker's "Caught Up in the Rapture" at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall inWhite Plains, New York. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist andA&R runner forUptown Records.[11] Redd sent it to the president andCEO of the label,Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige, and in 1989 at the age of 18, she was signed to the label as a backup vocalist for artists such asFather MC,[22] becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.[14]
After being signed to Uptown, Blige began working with record producerSean Combs.[23] He became theexecutive producer and produced a majority of her first album.[24] The titleWhat's the 411?[25] was an indication by Blige of being the "real deal".[26]What's the 411? established Blige as a dynamic storyteller whose performances of love narrative drew upon both her musical influences and her lived experiences as an icon of the hip-hop-generation.[27] The music was described as "revelatory on a frequent basis".[19] Blige was noted for having a "tough girl persona and streetwise lyrics".[28]On July 28, 1992,Uptown/MCA Records releasedWhat's the 411?, to positive reviews from critics.[29]What's the 411? peaked at number six on theBillboard 200 and topped theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[30] It also peaked at number 53 on theUK Albums Chart.[31] It was certified three timesPlatinum by theRIAA.[32] According toEntertainment Weekly's Dave DiMartino, with the record's commercial success and Blige's "powerful, soulful voice and hip-hop attitude", she "solidly connected with an audience that has never seen a woman donew jack swing but loves it just the same".[33] According toDave McAleer, Blige became the most successful new female R&B artist of 1992 in the United States.[34]
What's the 411? earned her twoSoul Train Music Awards in 1993: Best New R&B Artist and Best R&B Album, Female.[35] It was also voted the year's 30th best album in thePazz & Jop—an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published byThe Village Voice.[36] By August 2010, the album had sold 3,318,000 copies in the US.[37]What's the 411? has since been viewed by critics as one of the 1990s' most important records.[29] Blige's combination of vocals over a hip hopbeat proved influential incontemporary R&B.[38] With the album, she was dubbed the reigning "Queen of Hip Hop Soul"The album's success spun offWhat's the 411? Remix, a remix album released in December that was used to extend the life of theWhat's the 411? singles on the radio into 1994, as Blige recorded her follow-up album.
Following the success of her debut album and aremixed version in 1993, Blige went into the recording studio in the winter of 1993 to record her second album,My Life.[39]The album was a breakthrough for Blige, who at this point was in aclinical depression, battling both drugs and alcohol – as well as being in an abusive relationship withK-Ci Hailey.[40][41] On November 29, 1994, Uptown/MCA releasedMy Life to positive reviews. The album peaked at number seven on the USBillboard 200 and number one of theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for selling 481,000 copies in its first week and remaining atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for an unprecedented eight weeks. It ultimately spent 46 weeks on theBillboard 200 and 84 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 2002,My Life was ranked number 57 onBlender's list of the 100 greatest American albums of all time.[42] The following year,Rolling Stone placed it at number 279 on their500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[43] and in 2006, the record was included inTime's 100 greatest albums of all-time list.[44]
Blige involved herself in several outside projects, recording a cover ofAretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for the soundtrack to theFOX seriesNew York Undercover, and "Everyday It Rains" (co-written by R&B singerFaith Evans) for the soundtrack to the hip hopdocumentary,The Show. Later in the year, she recorded theBabyface-penned and produced "Not Gon' Cry", for the soundtrack to the motion pictureWaiting to Exhale. The platinum-selling single rose to number two on theBillboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in early 1996. Blige gained her first two Grammy nominations and won the1996 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for her collaboration withMethod Man on "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By". Shortly after, Blige was featured onJay-Z's breakthrough single, "Can't Knock the Hustle", from his debutReasonable Doubt (1996) and withGhostface Killah on "All That I Got Is You" from his debut,Ironman, which was also released that year. In addition, Blige co-wrote four songs, providedbackground vocals and was featured prominently on two singles with fellowR&B singerCase on hisself-titled debut album (1996) including the US top 20 hit, "Touch Me, Tease Me", which also featured then up-and-coming rapperFoxy Brown.
What's the 411? highlights the featuring of woman centered narratives although in this album her narratives were regularly policed and told through male emcees. Nonetheless, it marked the start of a transition towards black women centered narratives that focused on the daily experiences and troubles of the black experience through the lens of women rather than necessarily singing about black trauma. Treva B. Lindsey, in her piece "If You Look in My Life: Love, Hip-Hop Soul, and Contemporary African-American Womanhood", highlights the regulating by men saying, "Although the lyrics onWhat's the 411? establish an African American woman-centered discourse, male artists' words of adoration and longing first introduce listeners to Blige as a hip-hop storyteller.What's the 411?, therefore, functions as an African American woman-centered storytelling space created largely by black men."[45]
On April 22, 1997, MCA Records (parent company to Uptown Records, which was in the process of being dismantled) released Blige's third album,Share My World. By then, she and Combs had dissolved their working relationship. In his place were theTrackmasters, who executive-produced the project along withSteve Stoute. Sharing production duties were producersJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,R. Kelly,Babyface andRodney Jerkins. The album was made at a time when Blige was trying to "get her life together", by trying to overcome drugs and alcohol, as well as the ending of her relationship with Hailey. After an encounter with a person who threatened her life the previous year, she tried to quit the unhealthy lifestyle and make more upbeat, happier music. As a result, songs such as "Love Is All We Need" and "Share My World" were made.
Share My World debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 and spawned five hit singles: "Love Is All We Need" (featuringNas), "I Can Love You" (featuringLil' Kim), "Everything", "Missing You" (UK only) and "Seven Days" (featuringGeorge Benson). In February 1997, Blige performed her hit at the time, "Not Gon' Cry", at the1997 Grammy Awards, which gained her a third Grammy Award nomination, her first forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance, as Blige was recording the follow-up toMy Life. In early 1998, Blige won an American Music Award for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album". That summer, she embarked on the Share My World Tour, which resulted in a Gold-certifiedlive album released later that year, simply titledThe Tour. The album spawned one single, "Misty Blue".
On August 17, 1999, Blige's fourth album, titledMary was released. It marked a departure from her more familiar hip hop-oriented sound; this set featured a more earthy, whimsical, andadult contemporary-tinged collection of songs, reminiscent of the 1970s to early 1980s soul. She also appeared onIn Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua withEric Clapton in 1999. On December 14, 1999, the album was re-released as a double-disc set. The second disc was enhanced with the music videos for the singles "All That I Can Say" and "Deep Inside" and included two bonus tracks: "Sincerity" (featuringNas, Andy Hogan andDMX) and "Confrontation" (a collaboration with hip hop duoFunkmaster Flex &Big Kap originally from their 1999 albumThe Tunnel).
TheMary album was critically praised, becoming her most nominated release to date, and was certified double platinum. It was not as commercially successful as Blige's prior releases, though all of the singles: "All That I Can Say", "Deep Inside", "Your Child", and "Give Me You" performed considerably on the radio. In the meantime, MCA used the album to expand Blige's demographic into the nightclub market, as club-friendlydanceremixes of theMary singles were released. The club remix of "Your Child" peaked at number-one on theBillboard'sHot Dance Club Play chart in October 2000. In 2001, a Japan-only compilation,Ballads, was released. The album featured covers ofStevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", and previous recordings ofAretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" andDorothy Moore's "Misty Blue". In 1999,George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered the song 'As' written by Stevie Wonder, and worldwide outside of the United States, it was the second single from George Michael's greatest hits albumLadies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. It became a top ten UK pop hit, reaching number four on the chart. It was not released on the U.S. version of the greatest hits collection or as a single in the U.S. Michael cited Blige's record company president for pulling the track in America after Michael's arrest for committing a lewd act. In January 2001, Blige performed as a special guest in theSuper Bowl XXXV halftime show.[46]
On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album,No More Drama. The first single in the album, "Family Affair" (produced byDr. Dre) became her first and only number-one single on theBillboard Hot 100, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. It was followed by two further hit singles, the European-only single "Dance for Me" featuringCommon with samples from "The Bed's Too Big Without You" byThe Police, and theJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-producedtitle track (originally recorded for theMary album), which sampled "Nadia's Theme", the piano-driven theme song to the daytime dramaThe Young and the Restless. Though the album sold nearly two million copies in the U.S., MCA was underwhelmed by its sales, and subsequently repackaged and re-released the album on January 29, 2002. TheNo More Drama re-release featured a new album cover and deleted three of the songs from the original track listing, while adding two brand-new songs—one of which was the fourth single and top twenty Hot 100 hit "Rainy Dayz", (featuringJa Rule), plus two remixes; one of the title track, serviced by Combs and the single version of "Dance for Me" featuring Common. Blige won a Grammy for 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' for the song "He Think I Don't Know". In April 2002, Blige performed withShakira with the song "Love Is a Battlefield" onVH1 Divas show live in Las Vegas, she also performed "No More Drama" and "Rainy Dayz" as a duet with the returningWhitney Houston.
On July 22, 2002, MCA releasedDance for Me, a collection of club remixes of some of her past top hits including theJunior Vasquez remix of "Your Child", and theThunderpuss mix of "No More Drama". This album was released in a limited edition double pack 12" vinyl for DJ-friendly play in nightclubs.
On August 26, 2003, Blige's sixth albumLove & Life was released onGeffen Records (which had absorbed MCA Records.) Blige heavily collaborated with her one-time producer Combs for this set. Due to the history between them onWhat's the 411? andMy Life, which is generally regarded as their best work, and Blige having just come off of a successful fifth album, expectations were high for the reunion effort.
Despite the album debuting at number one on theBillboard 200 and becoming Blige's fourth consecutive UK top ten album,Love & Life's lead-off single, the Combs-produced "Love @ 1st Sight", which featured Method Man, barely cracked the top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the top twenty on the Hot 100 (although peaking inside the UK top twenty). The following singles, "Ooh!", "Not Today" featuringEve, "Whenever I Say Your Name" featuringSting on the international re-release, and "It's a Wrap" fared worse. Although the album was certified platinum, it became Blige's lowest-selling at the time. Critics and fans alike largely panned the disc, citing a lack of consistency and noticeable ploys to recapture the early Blige/Combs glory. Blige and Combs reportedly struggled and clashed during the making of this album, and again parted ways upon the completion of it.
The album became Blige's first album in six years to debut at number one on theBillboard 200, selling 285,298 copies in the first week.[47]Love & Life received mixed reviews from music critics.[48]AllMusic gave it 4 stars and said the album "beamed with joy" andRolling Stone gave it three stars, saying "You may not always love Blige's music, but you will feel her". The album was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipping over 1,000,000 copies in the US.[32] The album was nominated for theBest Contemporary R&B Album at the46th Grammy Awards.
Geffen Records released Blige's seventh studio album,The Breakthrough on December 20, 2005. For the album, Blige collaborated with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rodney Jerkins,will.i.am,Bryan-Michael Cox,9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,Raphael Saadiq,Cool and Dre, and Dre & Vidal. The cover art was photographed byMarkus Klinko &Indrani. It debuted at number one on both theBillboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist inSoundScan history,[49][50] the fifth largest first-week sales for a female artist, and the fourth largest debut of 2005.
The lead-off single, "Be Without You", peaked at number three on theBillboard Hot 100, while peaking at number one on the R&B chart for a record-setting fifteen consecutive weeks; it remained on the chart for over sixteen months. "Be Without You" found success in the UK (peaking in the lower end of the top forty) it became Blige's longest charting single on theUK Singles Chart. It is her second-longest charting single to date. The album produced three more singles including two more top-five R&B hits—"Enough Cryin'", which features Blige'salter ego Brook Lynn (as whom she appeared on the remix toBusta Rhymes's "Touch It" in 2006); and "Take Me as I Am" (whichsamplesLonnie Liston Smith's "A Garden of Peace"). Blige's duet withU2 on the cover of their 1992 hit, "One" gave Blige her biggest hit to date in the UK, peaking at number two on theUK Singles Chart eventually being certified one of the forty highest-selling singles of 2006;[51] it was her longest charting UK single.The success ofThe Breakthrough won Blige nineBillboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, two BET Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Soul Train Award. She received eight Grammy Award nominations at the2007 Grammy Awards, the most of any artist that year. "Be Without You" was nominated for both "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year". Blige won three: "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance", "Best R&B Song" (both for "Be Without You"), and "Best R&B Album" forThe Breakthrough.[52] Blige completed a season sweep of the "big three" major music awards, having won twoAmerican Music Awards in November 2006[53] and nineBillboard Music Awards in December 2006.[54]
In December 2006, a compilation calledReflections (A Retrospective) was released. It contained many of Blige's greatest hits and four new songs, including the worldwide lead single "We Ride (I See the Future)". In the UK, however, "MJB da MVP" (which appeared in a different, shorter form onThe Breakthrough) was released as the lead single from the collection. The album peaked at number nine in the U.S., selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK In 2006, Blige recorded a duet with rapper Ludacris, "Runaway Love", which is the third single on his fifth album,Release Therapy. It reached the top five on theBillboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart. Blige was featured withAretha Franklin and the Harlem Boys Choir on the soundtrack to the 2006 motion pictureBobby, on the lead track "Never Gonna Break My Faith" written byBryan Adams. The song was nominated for aGolden Globe and won theGrammy Award for Best Gospel Performance at the 50th AnnualGrammy Awards.
Blige's eighth studio album,Growing Pains, was released on December 18, 2007, debuting at number two on theBillboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 629,000 copies in its first week, marking the third time since Nielsen SoundScan began collecting data in 1991 that two albums sold more than 600,000 copies in a week in the United States. In its second week, the album climbed to number one, making it Blige's fourth number-one album. The lead single, "Just Fine", peaked at number twenty-two on theBillboard Hot 100 and at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Just Fine" was nominated for the Grammy Award forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Blige wonBest R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for theChaka Khan duet "Disrespectful" (featured on Khan's albumFunk This) which Blige wrote.
Growing Pains was not released in the UK until February 2008, where it became Blige's fifth top ten and third-highest-charting album. "Just Fine" returned Blige to the UK singles chart top 20 after her previous two singles failed to chart highly. Subsequent singles fromGrowing Pains include "Work That", which accompanied Blige in an iTunes commercial, and "Stay Down".
Blige was featured on50 Cent's 2007 album,Curtis, in the song "All of Me". In March 2008, she toured withJay-Z on theHeart of the City Tour. Together, they released a song called "You're Welcome". In the same period, cable networkBET aired a special on Blige titledThe Evolution of Mary J. Blige, which showcased her career. Celebrities such asMethod Man andAshanti gave their opinions about Blige and her music. Blige is featured on singles byBig Boi, andMusiq Soulchild.Growing Pains was nominated for and won theGrammy Award for "Best Contemporary R&B Album", at the51st Grammy Awards held on February 8, 2009, earning Blige her 27th Grammy nomination, in a mere decade.Blige went on theGrowing Pains European Tour, her first tour there in two years. A tour of Australia and New Zealand was scheduled for June but was postponed due to "weariness from an overwhelming tour schedule"[55] and then eventually canceled entirely.[56] On August 7, 2008, it was revealed Blige faced a US$2 million federal suit claiming Neff-U wrote the music for the song "Work That", but was owned by Dream Family Entertainment. The filing claimed that Dream Family never gave rights to use the song to Blige, Feemster or Geffen Records. Rights to the lyrics of the song used in aniPod commercial are not in question.[57]
Blige returned to performing in January 2009 by performing the song "Lean on Me" at the Presidential Inauguration Committee's, "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial". Blige also performed her hit 2007 single, "Just Fine", with a new intro at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball afterBarack Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009. Blige appeared as a marquee performer on the annualChristmas in Washington television special.
Blige's ninth studio album,Stronger with Each Tear, was released on December 21, 2009, debuting at number two on theBillboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. It became her fifth album not to take the top spot in the United States. Blige recorded "Stronger", as the lead single from the soundtrack to the basketball documentary "More than a Game" in August 2009. The second single fromStronger with Each Tear, "I Am", was released in December 2009 and reached number fifty-five on the Hot 100. The third international single from the album, "Each Tear", was remixed with different featured artists from different countries, then being released in February 2010. The single failed to chart anywhere except in the UK where it reached number one-hundred-eighty-three and in Italy where it reached number one. The album's third U.S. single, "We Got Hood Love" featuringTrey Songz, was released in March 2010 and reached number tw25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart though it failed to reach the Hot 100.[58] One of Blige's representatives reported toUs Weekly magazine that a tour in support ofStronger with Each Tear would begin in the fall of 2010.[59] In March 2010, Blige releasedStronger with Each Tear in the United Kingdom, as well as in the European markets. The album performed modestly in the United Kingdom, debuting at number 33 on theUK Albums Chart and at number four on theUK R&B Chart. It reached the top 100 in other countries.
Blige was honored at the 2009BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute byAnita Baker andMonica. On November 4, 2009, Blige sangThe Star-Spangled Banner atYankee Stadium before theNew York Yankees andPhiladelphia Phillies played the last game (game 6) of theWorld Series. Blige performed two songs from her ninth album as well as her previous hits, "No More Drama" and "Be Without You" along with the song "Color", which was featured on thePrecious soundtrack. Blige appeared as a guest judge on the ninth season of American Idol on January 13, 2010.
On January 23, Blige released a track titled "Hard Times Come Again No More" with the Roots, performing it at theHope for Haiti Now telethon. Blige also performed on BET's SOS Help For Haiti, singing "Gonna Make It" with Jazmine Sullivan and "One." At the2010 Grammy Awards, Blige performed "Bridge over Troubled Water" withAndrea Bocelli. She also took part in February 2010'sWe Are the World 25 for Haiti, singing the solo originally sung byTina Turner in the original 1985We Are the World version. At the41st NAACP Image Awards on February 26, Blige won Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album forStronger with Each Tear.[60] On November 18, 2010,Billboard revealed Mary J. Blige as the most successful female R&B/hip hop artist on the Top 50 R&B/Hip Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years list. She came in at number 2 overall.[61]
In January 2011,Hot 97 premiered Blige's teaser track "Someone to Love Me (Naked)" featuring vocals byLil Wayne.[62] In July 2011, Blige released the song "The Living Proof" as the lead single to the soundtrack of the filmThe Help.[63] On July 24,VH1 premiered their thirdBehind the Music that profiled her personal and career life. In August 2011, Blige released her first single off the album, "25/8". Blige's tenth studio album,My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released in November 2011.[64] The album, primarily recorded inLos Angeles andNew York City, saw Blige looking toward the future while acknowledging the past. "From me to you, My Life II... Our journey together continues in this life", the singer explained. "It's a gift to be able to relate and identify with my fans at all times. This album is a reflection of the times and lives of people all around me." The album features production byKanye West andthe Underdogs.[65] The second single "Mr. Wrong" featuring Canadian rapperDrake was the most successful single from the album, peaking at number 10 onBillboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The rest of the songs released, including lead single "25/8" achieved only moderate success, peaking within the top 40 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album itself debuted at No. 5 on theBillboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in the first week; it was eventually certified Gold in 2012 and has sold 763,000 in the US.[66]
On February 28, 2012, Blige performed "Star Spangled Banner" at the2012 NBA All-Star Game. Blige appeared as guest mentor onAmerican Idol on March 7, 2012, and performed "Why" on the results show the following night.[67] On September 23, 2012, Blige was a performer at theiHeartRadio Music Festival at theMGM Grand Las Vegas. Blige was featured on the song "Now or Never" fromKendrick Lamar's albumGood Kid, M.A.A.D City, released on October 22, 2012.
In early 2013, reports surfaced that Blige was recording a Christmas album. The album, titled,A Mary Christmas was released on October 15, 2013, through Matriarch and Verve Records, her first release with the latter. The album includes collaborations withBarbra Streisand,the Clark Sisters,Marc Anthony andJessie J. In early December,A Mary Christmas became Blige's 12th top ten album after it rose to No. 10 in its eight week.[68] On October 23, 2013, Blige sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the2013 World Series.[69]
On February 5, 2014, a remix ofDisclosure's "F for You" featuring guest vocals from Mary was released.[70] In May 2014 Blige was featured onMariah Carey's songIt's a Wrap as part of Carey's deluxe edition of her 2014 albumMe. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse.[71] It was announced May 30, 2014, thatThink Like a Man Too (Music from and Inspired by the Film), released June 17 onEpic Records, would introduce new songs by Mary J. Blige, including the single "Suitcase".[72] Blige recorded a collection of music from and inspired by the film. In the United States,Think Like a Man Too debuted at number 30 on theBillboard 200, with 8,688 copies sold in its first week, becoming the lowest sales debut of any of her studio albums.[73] OnBillboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart, the soundtrack album charted at number six, marking Blige's 16th top ten entry on the chart, tying her with Mariah Carey for the second-most top tens by a female artist.[73] Blige collaborated with another English musician on a reworked version ofSam Smith's "Stay with Me", which was released on June 2, 2014. An accompanying live visual to the song premiered the same day.[74]
Following her concert date at the Essence Festival, on July 9, 2014, it was announced Blige would move to London to experiment with a new sound for her new album.[75] Blige spent a month in London recording her album inRAK Studios with a host of young British acts, including Disclosure,Naughty Boy,Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith. Ten new songs, co-written and recorded by the singer, were released on November 24, 2014, on an album titledThe London Sessions.[76] That same month, she announced that she left Geffen and Interscope and signed with Capitol Records.
In August 2016, Blige was recruited to perform the newtheme song for theABC Daytime talk showThe View for its twentieth season titled "World's Gone Crazy" written byDiane Warren. A music video was also shot for the new theme song with co-hostsWhoopi Goldberg,Joy Behar,Candace Cameron Bure,Raven-Symoné,Paula Faris,Sara Haines,Sunny Hostin andJedediah Bila. Blige also appeared onThe View alongsideMaxwell during its premiere week on September 9, 2016, to discuss their joint tour and theme song. On September 30, 2016, Blige premiered a new show,The 411, onApple Music.[77] On its debut episode, she interviewedHillary Clinton. A trailer was released online with Blige singing a cover ofBruce Springsteen's "American Skin" to a bewildered Clinton. The exchange received mixed and negative reaction on social media. Two weeks later, a studio version, this time featuring a verse from American rapperKendrick Lamar was released online.
In October 2016, following her highly publicized divorce from Kendu Issacs, Blige released two songs: "Thick of It" and "U + Me (Love Lesson)". Her thirteenth studio album,Strength of a Woman, was released on April 28, 2017.[78] It peaked at number three on theBillboard 200, number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and topped the R&B Albums chart.[79] On July 12, 2018, Blige released the single"Only Love" onRepublic Records, following her exit fromCapitol Records.
On April 16, 2019, Blige announced that she is co-headlining a North American summer tour withNas titled The Royalty Tour.[80] On May 8, Blige released the single "Thriving" featuringNas.[81] During an interview withEbro Darden onBeats 1 for the premiere of "Thriving", Blige announced that her next studio album would be released before July.[82] On June 23, at the2019 BET Awards, she was honored with theLifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions to the music industry.[83]
In June 2021, Blige celebrated the 25th anniversary of her albumMy Life with the release of theAmazon Studios documentaryMary J. Blige's My Life, directed byVanessa Roth.[84][40] In December 2021, it was announced that Blige had formed her own label, Mary Jane Productions, in conjunction with300 Entertainment. Along with the news came the release of two new singles, "Good Morning Gorgeous" and "Amazing" featuringDJ Khaled. In January 2022, Blige released "Rent Money" featuringDave East.[85] The songs appear on Blige's fourteenth studio album, also titledGood Morning Gorgeous, which was released on February 11, 2022.[86] The deluxe version of the album later became her only release to be nominated for theGrammy Award for Album of the Year.[87]
On February 13, 2022, Blige performed at theSuper Bowl LVI halftime show alongside fellow American rappersDr. Dre,Eminem,Kendrick Lamar,Snoop Dogg,50 Cent, andAnderson .Paak.[88] Days later, on February 17, Blige said on the radio showThe Breakfast Club that she is working on an album entirely produced by Dr. Dre.[89] On March 7, Blige andPepsi announced the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, a three-day festival in Atlanta, in partnership with Live Nation Urban.[90] In May 2022, Blige was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world byTIME.[91] In September 2022, she was awarded thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) forSuper Bowl LVI halftime show.[92] In February 2023,Mariah Carey released an EP of her song "It's a Wrap", which featured Mary's remix of the track.[93] In October 2023, Blige released a deluxe version ofA Mary Christmas, which included four additional tracks.[94][95] On October 27, 2023, Blige released the single "Still Believe in Love", which features rapperVado.[96][97][98]
Blige's fifteenth studio album,Gratitude, was released on November 15, 2024.
In 1998, Blige made her acting debut on the sitcomThe Jamie Foxx Show, playing the apparently southern Ola Mae, a preacher's daughter who wanted to sing more thangospel music. Her father was portrayed by Ronald Isley ofthe Isley Brothers. In 2001, Blige starred opposite rapperQ-Tip in the independent filmPrison Song. That same year, Blige made a cameo on theLifetime network series,Strong Medicine; playing the role of Simone Fellows, the lead singer of a band who was sick, but would not seek treatment. In 2000, Blige was featured in a superhero web cartoon in junction withStan Lee. Blige used the cartoon as part of her performance while on her 2000 Mary Show Tour. In 2004, Blige starred in anOff-Broadway play,The Exonerated, which chronicled the experiences of death row inmates. Blige portrayed Sunny Jacobs, a woman who spent 20 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. In late 2005, it was reported that Blige landed the starring role in the upcomingMTV Films biopic on American singer/pianist and civil rights activist,Nina Simone. By the spring of 2010, Blige was slated to star as Simone with British actorDavid Oyelowo portraying her manager Clifton Henderson. Blige later dropped out of the role due to financial issues and the role was subsequently recast with actressZoe Saldana as Simone inNina, released in 2016.
In February 2007, Blige guest-starred onGhost Whisperer, in the episode "Mean Ghost", as the character Jackie Boyd, the school's cheerleader coach grieving for the death of her brother and affected by the ghost of a dead cheerleader. The episode features many of Blige's songs. In August 2007, Blige was a guest star onEntourage, in the role of herself, as a client ofAri Gold's agency. In October 2007, Blige was also a guest star onAmerica's Next Top Model, as a creative director for a photoshoot byMatthew Rolston. In May 2009, Mary made a guest appearance on30 Rock, as an artist recording a benefit song for a kidney. Blige also had a supporting role inTyler Perry's movieI Can Do Bad All by Myself, which was released in September 2009.[99]
Blige starred alongsideTom Cruise,Julianne Hough, andAlec Baldwin inthe 2012 film adaptation of the 1980s jukebox musicalRock of Ages. Blige played Justice Charlier, the owner of a Sunset Strip gentlemen's club. Production began in May 2011 and the film was released in June 2012.
Blige starred in theLifetime movieBetty and Coretta alongsideAngela Bassett,Malik Yoba and Lindsay Owen Pierre. She playedDr. Betty Shabazz, the widow ofMalcolm X. The film premiered in February 2013. In December 2015, she portrayed Evillene, theWicked Witch of the West inNBC'sThe Wiz Live!.[100] In October 2016, Blige guest-starred on ABC legal dramaHow to Get Away with Murder as an old acquaintance ofAnnalise Keating played byViola Davis.[101]
In 2017, Blige starred in the period drama filmMudbound directed byDee Rees. Playing Florence Jackson, the matriarch of her family,[102] she received praise such asVariety's review: "Mary J. Blige, as the mother of the Jackson family, gives a transformative performance that will elevate the acting career of the R&B star."[103] For her performance inMudbound, Blige was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress,[104] theCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress, theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. As she was also nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song (withTaura Stinson andRaphael Saadiq), she became the first person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and original song in the same year.[105][106] Her nomination also madeDee Rees the first black woman to direct a film for which an actor was nominated for an Academy Award.[107][108]
Blige voicedIrene in the 2018 animated filmSherlock Gnomes, and in 2020 voiced Queen Essence in the animated musical filmTrolls World Tour. In 2018, it was announced that Blige was cast as Sherry Elliot inScream: Resurrection, the third season of the slasher television seriesScream.[109] The season premiered onVH1 on July 8, 2019.[110] In 2019, Blige starred in the role ofCha-Cha, a main antagonist in theNetflix superhero seriesThe Umbrella Academy.[111]
In 2020, Blige played a leading role in the horror filmBody Cam.[112] She also starred in the independent drama filmPink Skies Ahead.[113][114] Blige formerly starred as Monet Stewart Tejada inPower Book II: Ghost, the first spin-off for the highly ratedStarz cable dramaPower which premiered in September 2020.[115][116] Blige played singerDinah Washington in the biographical drama filmRespect about life and career ofAretha Franklin.[117] The film was released theatrically on August 13, 2021. In 2023, Blige was cast in the drama filmRob Peace, a film adaptation ofThe Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, written and directed byChiwetel Ejiofor.[118]
In the 1990s, Blige spent six years in a relationship with singerCedric "K-Ci" Hailey of the R&B groupJodeci.[119] Their turbulent relationship inspired Blige's albumMy Life.[40] During a 1995 interview on the UK television showThe Word, Blige confirmed the two were engaged; Hailey denied that they were going to get married.[120][121] Following her break-up with Hailey, Blige developed a relationship with singerCase,[122][123] which dwindled due to his involvement with other women.[124] She also briefly dated rapperNas.[125]
Blige married her manager, Martin "Kendu" Isaacs, on December 7, 2003.[126] At the time, Isaacs had two children, Nas and Jordan, with his first wife, and an older daughter, Briana, from a teenage relationship.[127] In July 2016, Blige filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences".[128] Blige and Isaacs' divorce was finalized on June 21, 2018.[129]
Blige is aDemocrat and performed forBarack Obama at the2012 Democratic National Convention.[130]
Blige has dealt with drug and alcoholaddiction, and as of 2019, she had been sober for several years.[131] She has no biological children, proclaiming in a February 2022 interview withE! News, "I have nieces and nephews forever, and I'm always watching how people are scrambling around for babysitters. I don't want to go through that. I like my freedom. I like being able to get up and go and move and do what I want to do."[132][133]
Blige has a habit ofreferring to herself in the third person.[134]
Blige has had endorsement contracts withReebok,Air Jordan,Pepsi,Coca-Cola,Gap,Target,American Express,AT&T Inc.,M·A·C,Apple Inc.,Burger King andChevrolet.[135] She has also been a spokesperson forCarol's Daughter beauty products andCitibank's Citi Card program (alongsideNickelback).[136]
In 2004, Blige launched her own record label, Matriarch Records, distributed throughInterscope. In 2012, she discoveredgirl group Just'Us, making the group the first ladies of the label. At the time, Blige said, "These are my little Mary's; they each remind me of myself at different points in my life."[137] Blige was reportedly working with the group on their debut album, but it never materialized, and Just'Us has since disbanded.
In 2009, Blige's production company, along with William Morris Endeavor, was working on several TV and film projects.[138]
In July 2010, in partnership with theHome Shopping Network (HSN) andCarol's Daughter, Blige launched her first perfume, My Life (through Carol's Daughter), exclusively on HSN.[139] The fragrance broke HSN sales records in hours,[140][141] by selling 50,000 bottles during its premiere, and has been awarded two prestigiousFIFI awards from theFragrance Foundation, including the "Fragrance Sales Breakthrough" award.[142][143] In August 2011, another scent called My Life Blossom was launched exclusively to HSN.
In October 2010, Blige released "Melodies by MJB", a line of sunglasses. The first Melodies collection featured four styles with a total of 20 color options. Each style represented a specific facet of Blige's life. In the spring of 2011, Essence magazine reported that "Melodies by MJB" had extended their collection to offer more styles.[144][145]
In late 2020, Blige and her close friend, Simone Johnson-Smith, a cancer survivor and wife of rapper LL Cool J, co-founded Sister Love, a jewelry line for women.[146][147] Blige also announced the 2019 formation of a film and television production label, Blue Butterfly Productions. On December 16, 2022, the label signed a first-look lucrative deal withBET for scripted and non-scripted content;[148][149] its first under the partnership was Blige's talk show,The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige, which premiered in early 2023.[150]
She has founded two companies: Mary Jane Productions, which she co-founded with her former manager,Steve Stoute, in 1994,[151] and an independent record label, Beautiful Life Productions, in 2023. She signedBoyz II Men affiliate group, WanMor to the former in August 2023[152] and New York rapperVado to the latter in May 2024.[153][154]
Called the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul", Blige is credited with influencing the musical marriage of hip hop and R&B.[155] Ethan Brown ofThe New Yorker says that albums "What's the 411?" and "My Life", in hindsight, invented "the sample-heavy sound that reinvigorated urban radio and became a blueprint for nineties hip-hop and R&B".[156] Tom Horan ofThe Daily Telegraph comments that Blige, being an immensely influential figure in popular music, "invented what is now called R&B by successfully combining female vocals with muscular hip hop rhythm tracks. All over the world, that recipe dominates today's charts."[157] Called one of the "most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess"[158] and "one of the most important albums of the nineties",[159]What's the 411? saw Blige pioneer "the movement that would later becomeneo soul, generating gripping songs that were also massive radio hits".[160]
African American scholars have noted the implications of Blige's presentation and representation of black womanhood and femininity in the typically male-dominated and centric sphere of hip hop. Blending the vocal techniques of rapping in hip hop with aspirational messages in R&B, Blige is credited with articulating black women's experiences in a "more factual and objective"[161] manner than typicalstereotypes and tropes of black women in the media. Using her personal experiences and struggles with her family as source material for her songs, Blige refutes notions of black female hypersexuality by "imploring women to love and empower themselves through both autonomy and intimacy."[162] This desire for love does more than connect to her audience members. With particular attention on her single "Real Love", critics note how the song is "a performative text, declaratively demand[ing] recognition of Blige's full humanity and, more broadly, that of hip-hop-generation women."[162]
Blige and her work have influenced several recording artists, includingAdele,[163][164]Taylor Swift,[165]Layton Greene,[166]Cheryl,[167]Teyana Taylor,[168]Keke Palmer,[169]Jess Glynne,[170]Sam Smith,[171]Summer Walker,[172]K. Michelle,[173]Rihanna,[174]Keyshia Cole[175] andAlexandra Burke.[176]
In 2020,Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian femaleVice President-elect on a major party, walked out to "Work That" at the2020 Democratic National Convention, campaign events (including herown presidential campaign), and her victory speech.[177]
Blige has received numerous awards, including nineGrammy Awards, aPrimetime Emmy Award, sixBET Awards, fourAmerican Music Awards, twelveNAACP Image Awards, sixSoul Train Music Awards, twelveBillboard Music Awards and anMTV Video Music Award. She also received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, theBET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and theBillboard Icon Award in 2022. In 2010, she was ranked 80th onVH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artist of All Time.[178] Blige was listed as one of the 50 most influential R&B singers byEssence.[179] In 2003,Rolling Stone magazine rankedMy Life at number 279 on its list of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[43] The album was also included onTime's list of the 100 Greatest albums of All Time.[44] In 2020, bothWhat's the 411? andMy Life were featured in a rebooted list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, at 271 and 126 respectively.[7] Alternately called the "Queen of R&B" for her success in the realm of R&B, Blige has amassed ten number one albums on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart .[61]Billboard ranked her at number 23 on its 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list.[180]
As an actress, Blige received the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2018Palm Springs International Film Festival for her role inMudbound.[181]
…singer Mary J. Blige in 1971 (age 49)
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Remix albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Concert tours | |
| Films | |
| Other | |
| 1990s singles | |
|---|---|
| 2000s singles | |
| 2010s singles |
|
| 2020s singles | |
| Soundtracks | |
| Guest appearances |
|
