remains a model R&B diva who paved the way for myriad successors, including Beyoncé and Ariana Grande. Even as she’s gone Hollywood (earning an Academy Award nomination for 2017’s Mudbound), Mary J. Mary (1999) saw her move toward a more classic sound, though 2001’s smash “Family Affair” swung back toward hip-hop that fertile tension has remained in her music since. Blige’s life was never separate from her art, and fans have followed her through addiction, marriage, divorce and therapy, connecting with songs like “Not Gon’ Cry” and “No More Drama” out of deep identification: here was an artist who sang women’s realities as they were almost never presented in popular music-and who always came out stronger. She and Sean Combs crafted her 1992 debut, What’s the 411?, which spawned the ubiquitous and beloved jam “Real Love” and helped set the template for R&B’s marriage to hip-hop. Her voice is elastic, scrappy and versatile, with more than a hint of world-weary grit, and when a chance recording of Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture” came before Uptown Records execs in 1988, the label immediately snapped her up as its youngest (and first female) signee. Born Mary Jane Blige in the Bronx in 1971, Blige was raised mainly in Yonkers, New York, where she grew up listening to the greats: Aretha, Chaka and Gladys Knight. Dubbed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul in the ’90s, Blige came off as tough and streetwise (unlike many of her contemporaries), and she could go toe to toe with rappers, including JAY Z, Method Man and more recently Kendrick Lamar. Blige is that rare singer who can channel your pain-and then drag you onto the dance floor to sweat it away. “U + Me (Love Lesson)” would reach No.1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs chart to become one of the defining Mary J Blige songs.Mary J. “In too deep without imperfection/Not always good, but I stayed on my feet,” she sings, proving once again that she’s the master at moving on. Blige doesn’t regret the relationship, but, rather, feels fortunate to have survived it. The album’s staple “U + Me (Love Lesson)” is a sultry break-up anthem. On her 13th studio album, Strength Of A Woman, she bounces back from recent divorce drama with tracks such as “Glow Up,” “Thick Of It,” and “Love Yourself,” which all tap into the trend while maintaining Blige’s personal brand of soul. In 2017, Blige asserted her dominance, going toe-to-toe with trap-tinged R&B and pop music. She was previously married to Kendu Isaacs. She is an actress and composer, known for Mudbound (2017), Rock of Ages (2012) and The Help (2011). It’s one of the more downtempo cuts on the album, but Blige still imbues it with the kind of soulful yearning that was usually reversed for the Marvin Gayes of the world. Blige was born on Januin Yonkers, New York, USA as Mary Jane Blige. Blige instantly became a distinct force in R&B, and throughout a three-decade career has put the full power of her voice behind her music. Swapping typical hip-hop breakbeats for samples like Guy’s “Goodbye Love” And DeBarge’s “Stay With Me,” producers Thompson and Puffy create the perfect backdrop for Blige’s hip-hop soul balladry on “Don’t Go,” a My Life classic. Blige's debut album, What's the 411, hit the streets in July 1992, critics and fans were floored by its powerful combination of modern soul and edgy hip-hop production that glanced off of the pain and grit of the singer's New York upbringing.
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