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Mary J Blige Information
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'Mary Jane Blige' (born January 11, 1971 in The Bronx, New York) is a popular American R&B/Hip-Hop/Soul singer, songwriter and producer.
Music career
Though she was born in The Bronx, Blige grew up in the housing projects of Yonkers, eventually dropping out of school before graduating. Her musical career began after she recorded "Caught Up in the Rapture" (Anita Baker) with a mall karaoke machine in 1989. Mary's mother's boyfriend at the time gave the tape to R&B singer Jeff Redd who then handed it to Andre Harrell of Uptown Records, who signed her as a back-up singer. Up-and-coming producer Sean "Puffy" Combs took an interest, however, and helped her with her critically acclaimed debut, What's the 411?, released in 1992. The album's blend of hip hop and soul music created a new "genre" of music for female artists and earned Blige the nickname (from Combs) the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul".
The follow-up, My Life, while less commercially successful than its predecessor, was an artistic success. My Life became one of the most influential R&B albums of the 90's and would pave the groundwork for some of today's female R&B singers. After Uptown folded in 1996, Mary remained an artist for MCA Records throughout the 90s. In 1996 Blige scored a #2 hit with "Not Gon' Cry," a song she contributed to the soundtrack for the movie Waiting To Exhale. With Share My World, released in 1997, Blige began working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; the album was a commercial success, though reviews were mixed.
In 1998 she released The Tour, her first live album. The following year, Blige released her fourth and most critically-acclaimed album, Mary in 1999. The album sold over two million copies.
In 2001, Blige's fifth album, No More Drama was released. The first single, "Family Affair", shot straight to number one on Billboard's pop charts in the fall of 2001, becoming Blige's biggest hit single to date. The title track and "Rainy Dayz" (Originally meant for R&B supergroup TLC), featuring Ja Rule a popular rapper at the time, also became two of Blige's biggest pop hits to date in 2002. The title song on this album borrowed the piano melody from the theme song to the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
At the Grammy Awards in early 2002, Blige created one of the best performances of the award show's history by going into an emotional version of "No More Drama" where she was seen crying at the end. After signing with Geffen after MCA folded in 2003, Blige released her sixth studio release, Love & Life. The album, featuring the Top 40 hit, "Love @ 1st Sight", was certified Platinum.
Mary J. Blige is a three-time Grammy award winner. One of which was her first for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with rapper Method Man on their cover of the classic Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell single "You're All I Need to Get By", retitled "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By", in 1996. Blige is also an American Music Award and Soul Train Music award winner and won her first MTV Video Music Award for the video for "No More Drama" in 2002.
Blige is currently working on a new record, scheduled for a 2005 release. She had already made an impact with "MJB Da MVP", a heartfelt reworking of The Game's "Hate It or Love It" that traces the turning points of her career and life, and has a single of a cover version of The Emotions' "Best Of My Love", at first recorded for a GAP holiday commercial. The single, although hard to find, is available on the iTunes Music Store and the Rhapsody music service. In September 2005 Blige appeared on the Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief, singing an emotional "One" with U2, a studio version of which is set to feature on her forthcoming album, The Breakthrough.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US albums | US R&B albums | UK albums | RIAA cert. | Additional information |
|---|
| 1992 | What's the 411? | 6 | 1 | - | 3x Platinum | Debut album | | 1993 | What's the 411? Remix | 118 | 22 | - | Gold | Remix album featuring tracks from What's The 411? including one new track | | 1994 | My Life | 7 | 1 | - | 3x Platinum | - | | 1997 | Share My World | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3x Platinum | - | | 1998 | The Tour | 21 | 7 | - | Gold | Live album featuring 2 previously unreleased live tracks ("Daydreaming" and "Misty Blue") and Mary's own artist, Dustin Adams, performing a solo of "Keep Your Head" | | 1999 | Mary | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2x Platinum | Re-issued four months later with new cover art and brand new packaging as a 2-disc enhanced limited edition set including two new tracks ("Sincerity" (featuring Nas & DMX) and "Confrontation") and the videos for "All That I Can Say" and "Deep Inside" | | 2000 | Ballads | - | - | - | - | Ballads compilation released only in Japan featuring 16 tracks from 1991-2000 | | 2001 | No More Drama | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3x Platinum | Re-issued in 2002 with four new tracks and new cover art | | 2002 | Dance For Me | 76 | 36 | - | - | Dance remix album | | 2003 | Love & Life | 1 | 1 | 8 | Platinum | | | 2005 | The Breakthrough | - | - | - | - | Release date: December 20, 2005 | | 2006 | Reminisce | - | - | - | - | A retrospective album (Release date: Spring 2006) |
Chart singles
'Solo singles'
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Dance | UK Singles | Album |
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| 1992 | "You Remind Me" | 29 | 1 | - | 48 | Strictly Business Soundtrack
What's the 411? | | 1992 | "Real Love" | 7 | 1 | 36 | 68 / 26 | What's the 411? | | 1993 | "Reminisce" | 57 | 6 | - | 31 | What's the 411? | | 1993 | "Sweet Thing" | 28 | 11 | - | - | What's the 411? | | 1993 | "I Don't Want To Do Anything"
(with K-Ci Hailey) | - | 86 | - | - | What's the 411? | | 1993 | "Love No Limit" | 44 | 5 | - | - | What's the 411? | | 1994 | "My Love" | - | 23 | - | 29 | What's the 411?
What's the 411? Remix | | 1994 | "You Don't Have to Worry" | 63 | 11 | - | 36 | What's The 411? Remix | | 1994 | "Be Happy" | 29 | 6 | - | 30 | My Life | | 1995 | "I'm Goin' Down" | 22 | 13 | - | 12 | My Life | | 1995 | "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" | - | - | - | 17 | My Life | | 1995 | "You Bring Me Joy" | 57 | 29 | 1 | - | My Life | | 1995 | "I Love You" | 65 | 29 | - | - | My Life | | 1996 | "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" | 95 | 39 | - | 23 | New York Undercover Soundtrack
My Life (Import version)
Share My World (Import version) | | 1996 | "Not Gon' Cry" | 2 | 1 | - | 39 | Waiting To Exhale Soundtrack
Share My World | | 1997 | "I Can Love You"
(featuring Lil Kim) | 28 | 2 | - | - | Share My World | | 1997 | "Love Is All We Need"
(featuring Nas) | - | 2 | 1 | 15 | Share My World | | 1997 | "Everything" | 24 | 5 | - | 6 | Share My World | | 1997 | "Missing You" | - | - | - | 19 | Share My World | | 1998 | "Seven Days"
(featuring George Benson) | - | - | - | 22 | Share My World | | 1999 | "Beautiful" | - | 72 | - | - | How Stella Got Her Groove Back Soundtrack | | 1999 | "As"
(George Michael with Mary J. Blige) | - | 57 | - | 4 | Mary (Import version) | | 1999 | "Sincerity"
(featuring Nas & DMX) | - | 72 | - | - | Mary (limited edition) | | 1999 | "All That I Can Say" | 44 | 6 | - | 29 | Mary | | 1999 | "Deep Inside"
(featuring Elton John) | 63 | 9 | - | 42 | Mary | | 1999 | "Your Child" | - | 23 | 1 | - | Mary | | 2000 | "Let No Man Put Asunder" | - | - | 20 | - | Mary | | 2000 | "Confrontation"
(Funkmaster Flex and Big Kap featuring Mary J. Blige) | - | 81 | - | - | Mary (limited edition) | | 2000 | "Someday At Christmas" | - | 87 | - | - | - | | 2000 | "Give Me You" | 68 | 21 | - | 19 | Mary | | 2001 | "Family Affair" | 1 | 1 | - | 8 | No More Drama | | 2001 | "Dance For Me" | - | - | - | 13 | No More Drama | | 2002 | "No More Drama" | 15 | 16 | 1 | 9 | No More Drama | | 2002 | "Rainy Dayz"
(featuring Ja Rule) | 12 | 8 | 6 | 17 | No More Drama | | 2002 | "He Think I Don't Know" | - | - | 15 | - | Dance For Me | | 2003 | "Love @ 1st Sight"
(featuring Method Man) | 22 | 10 | - | 18 | Love & Life | | 2003 | "Ooh" | 29 | 14 | - | - | Love & Life | | 2003 | "Hooked"
(featuring P. Diddy) | - | 44 | - | - | - | | 2004 | "Not Today"
(featuring Eve) | 41 | 21 | - | 40 | Love & Life | | 2004 | "It's A Wrap" | - | 71 | - | - | Love & Life | | 2004 | "Whenever I Say Your Name"
(Sting & Mary J. Blige) | - | 77 | - | 60 | Love & Life (Import version)
Sacred Love | | 2004 | "Best Of My Love" | - | - | - | - | GAP Holiday cover | | 2005 | "MJB Da MVP"
(featuring The Game and 50 Cent) | 75 | 19 | - | - | The Breakthrough | | 2005 | "Be Without You" (currently active on charts) | 32 | 8 | - | TBD | The Breakthrough | |
'Collaborations on other albums'
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US R&B | UK Singles | Album |
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| 1993 | "Check It Out"
(Grand Puba featuring Mary J. Blige) | - | 85 | - | Reel To Reel | | 1995 | "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By"
(Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige) | 3 | 1 | 10 | Tical | | 1999 | "Lean On Me"
(Kirk Franklin featuring Mary J. Blige, Bono, R. Kelly, Crystal Lewis and The Family) | 79 | 26 | - | - | | 2000 | "911"
(Wyclef Jean featuring Mary J. Blige) | 38 | 6 | 9 | The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book | | 2001 | "Back 2 Life 2001"
(DJ Clue featuring Mary J. Blige and Jadakiss) | - | 57 | - | The Professional 2 | | 2002 | "Come Close"
(Common featuring Mary J. Blige) | 65 | 27 | - | Electric Circus | | 2004 | "I Try"
(Talib Kweli featuring Mary J. Blige) | - | 77 | 59 | The Beautiful Struggle | | 2005 | "Ain't No Way"
(Patti LaBelle featuring Mary J. Blige) | - | 62 | - | Classic Moments | |
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