Her real life is much more harrowing than any song she has ever written. When Mary J. 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 "My health is my wealth," she tells Health . (Barbra Streisand is the only performer to win Globes in both categories the same year, for her contributions to A Star Is Born in 1976.) The show then ran a pre-recorded clip from K-Ci's segment with him announcing to the crowd: "K-Ci is not getting married!" He continued acting after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the 1990s, starring in series like 'Spin City' and 'The Good Wife.'. Introducing Mary J. Blige's New Wine Collection. Michael J. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards. "My mother went through awful abuse from my father," Blige once recalled. She was still living with her family in the projects in Yonkers, N.Y., and she soon realized she wouldn't be getting a pat on the back or fist bumps from her neighbors whenever her songs came on the radio. Blige’s career started in 1991 when she signed to Uptown Records and released 12 studio albums. "The environment that I was in — they'll be mad at me, but it's the truth — they were angry, hateful, jealous, ignorant, prideful people," she said. Her wake up call occurred in 2012 following the death of fellow singer, Whitney Houston. You don't need to be around people who tear you down. Six of her first seven albums reached No. I hated myself. J. Cole is a rapper and producer who signed on with Jay Z's Roc Nation in 2009 and has produced for artists like Kendrick Lamar and Janet Jackson. ", To fight her addiction, she didn't enroll in a rehab center. As director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover had rabid anti-Communist and anti-subversive views and used unconventional tactics to monitor related activity. But before becoming a successful hip-hop singer, Blige endured a hellish childhood marred by violence, alcohol and drugs. "The relationship that I've built with my fans — just because I'm Mary J. Blige and I'm a big superstar, I'm going to start denying them our therapy? In addition to selling more than 7 million copies worldwide, The Breakthrough was nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won three, for best R&B album, best R&B song and best R&B female vocal performance (for the song "Be Without You"). 248K Views 1 10. "I ended up becoming my environment," Blige said. The song also has an official remix The following year, Blige celebrated the 25th anniversary of her breakthrough debut What's the 411? Salinger was an influential 20th-century American writer. Mary J. Blige's beauty journey began in 1988 with a bit of help from Salt-n-Pepa's "Shake Your Thang" music video. The Grammy award-winning singer has also proven that she's a multi-faceted talent. My dream is coming true. Her mother, Cora Blige, was a nurse and an alcoholic; her father, Thomas Blige, was a jazz musician who played the bass guitar, as well as a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Mary J. Blige Accused Of Hiding Sexuality By Singer Jaguar Wright By Erika Marie September 24, 2020 23:02. There were also rumors that she was headed off to Howard University, and that rumor allegedly came straight from Blige herself. "I felt wanted and special, and when I was 12, I sang the hymn 'Lord, Help Me To Hold Out Until My Change Has Come.' This huge tab covered three years' worth of unpaid taxes. She sang backup until the 1992 release of her first solo album, What's the 411?, a record that re-defined modern soul. My mother was a single parent, a working woman. She went on to describe how she was "in hell" during the early stages of her career, but it made her realize that singing could save her. Vinyl, hoodies, CDs, tees, and more. Dubbed the queen of hip-hop soul, with a multi-platinum career ever since her early-'90s debut. It was then revealed that Thomas had walked out on their family at some point during her childhood, and Blige didn't get the opportunity to meet him for many years. Mary J. Blige fell in love with a fellow singer who was also immersed in this same genre of music: Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey of the R&B quartet Jodeci. "I always forget to mention that my dad is a Vietnam vet," she shared in an interview with Vulture. Blige finally managed to turn her life around when she met and fell in love with a music executive named Kendu Isaacs. The Washington Post's Reliable Voices reported on a statement from the school, and they shot down the rumor and denied Blige had been accepted to the historically black campus. Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez is one of Hollywood’s leading ladies who’s also forged a successful pop and dance music career. Blige, assuming Sullivan was referring to her father, Thomas, got up and left the room. Reading at only an eighth-grade level meant she ran into many issues throughout her career. In addition to music, Blige has branched out into acting. After four years of sending out her demo tape to no avail, Blige managed to get the tape to Uptown Records CEO Andre Harrell, who was blown away by her beautiful, powerful and soulful voice. The streaming service announced March 9 that Jonathan Groff , Mary J. Blige(Power Book II: Ghost), Tim Blake Nelson , Gina Rodriguez(Jane the … During her VH1 documentary, Strength of a Woman (via Extra), Blige opened up to fellow singer Ne-Yo, who was producing tracks on her new album, about the cheating rumors. The singer kicked her cocaine habit and "traded" it for alcohol to help "cover up guilt. 1 on the Billboard 200. During their marriage, the singer claimed her estranged husband had taken more than $420,000 for "travel charges," but the money was allegedly spent on his mistress instead. And it worked.". Shop exclusive music and merch from the Official Mary J. Blige Store. ", "It took a lot of prayer," Mary J. Blige told Self in an Oct. 2019 interview about how she dealt with her tragedies in her life. LL Cool J made it big with Def Jam Records in the 1980s and '90s with albums like 'Mama Said Knock You Out.' During one incident, she and Jodeci were in London to perform, and they had separate on-camera interviews with the same television show. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. To say that Mary J. Blige had it easy growing up would be a lie, as she certainly wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Produced with love and passion. She later hired him as her manager, and things appeared to be going smoothly...until they weren't anymore. Blige released her debut album, What's the 411? Here's the heartbreaking story of Mary J. Blige's tragic life. "I didn't know my own worth," she said. The Journey Continues, which became a Top 5 hit. Their divorce was anything but amicable, and soon enough, the former couple was squabbling over everything, from spousal support payments to rumors that Isaacs had cheated during their marriage. People chased us with weapons. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. The singer-actress was not tuned in to the Democratic … She said, "I'm happy that I chose you to be my mom because you gave me everything that I love about me.". 5m Followers, 207 Following, 408 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Mary J Blige (@therealmaryjblige) Blige?" Produced with love and passion. But by the time her 2001 album No More Drama was released, The Guardian noticed that Thomas' name had been omitted, signaling yet another shift in their seemingly non-existent relationship. See full bio » While her music was adored by fans and critics alike, behind her professional success Blige's personal life continued to spiral out of control. The turmoil she experienced throughout her life almost pushed her over the edge, and the singer revealed to CNN that at one point, she even struggled with suicidal thoughts. 1 on the Billboard albums chart, and featured hits like "Love Is All We Need" and "Everything.". "It hurts a lot when you cannot really comprehend what a person is saying in a meeting or you don't even understand what you're reading in your contract," she said. I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues; 4. Abandonment." Mary J. Blige is an American singer and actress. Blige and Isaacs married in 2003, and she became a stepmother to his three children. The Internal Revenue Service filed $3.4 million tax lien against her and her husband in New Jersey that February. In 2003, Mary J. Blige married Martin "Kendu" Isaacs. When a recording of 17-year-old Mary J. Blige singing at a karaoke booth came to the attention of Uptown Records, the company … Everyone was completely shocked by the news, especially the university. After being signed to Uptown Records as a teenager, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul topped the charts with impassioned tunes like "Real Love" and "You Remind Me." Blige, unaware of what K-Ci had discussed during his segment, shared the news of their engagement with the show's hosts and audience. Renowned as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige is undeniably one of the great singers and artists of her generation. We strive for accuracy and fairness. In a 2013 interview with Los Angeles Confidential (via USA Today), the "Not Gon' Cry" singer opened up about her past addictions — which she later revealed as cocaine use — by saying, "So many dark moments—which all added up and that's what sprung on the drug addiction, trying to numb it all with the drugs. "Everybody thinks they know everything, but nobody really knows," she explained. And it’s … The video, shot in NYC, depicts MJB and her partner arguing to the point where he walks out of… Since the '90s, Mary J. Blige has made a living out of pouring her heart and past experiences from her childhood and adulthood into her music. After her 2003 album Love & Life earned only lukewarm reviews, Blige recorded her most popular and acclaimed album to date, The Breakthrough, in 2005. "But, people in the neighborhood wanted to kill you for it. ", In 2017, it appeared they had patched up their relationship when Blige gave a heartwarming speech in dedication to her mom during VH1's Dear Mama event. "You only know what I tell you. Daniel; 11. She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, reporter Caroline Sullivan recalled an experience she had with the singer some years prior when she was still getting adjusted to fame. I thought I was ugly. ", Illicit drugs weren't her only vice. Mary J. Blige also appears in this compilation. "All these years have come to this, like, you didn't even pick me, you picked somebody else," she said. "This stuff happens so that we can talk. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! In another clip from the show (via Page Six), Blige said to Ne-Yo in reference to Starshell, "And just so we're clear... Do not let her anywhere near what you're doing for me, because she's the reason for all of this s**t." Starshell was also listed in Blige's divorce petition, according to TMZ. Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and philanthropist. "As a child I [saw] women really, really suffer terrible, terrible situations, and I vowed as a child to want to do something — anything — that can help them have better self-esteem so that they don't have to be subjected to men that wanted to kill them. Bam Beauties . Shame. Watch on Starz. But while she wears her heart on her sleeve in her music and the openness in which she talks about her past, there are some thing the public will never know — and for valid reason. In 2011, Blige contributed a song, "The Living Proof," to the soundtrack of the hit film The Help. However, Blige admitted things had turned disrespectful and abusive in a taped interview. "I was like, 'Whoa! She appeared in Tyler Perry's dramatic comedy I Can Do Bad All By Myself in 2009, and sang in the musical film Rock of Ages alongside Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand in 2012. ", Blige found escape from the terrible world of her childhood in church and in music. Order Today. She has also had a successful acting career, including her Oscar-nominated performance in 'Mudbound.'. MediaTakeOut has a bombshell report out this week claiming that RnB legend Mary J. Blige “came out” as a lesbian after being allegedly outed by singer/songwriter Jaguar … ", Two years later, Blige released a second album, My Life, on which she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of the songs. "After I met him, everything changed in my life," she said. "I was ignorant. ", Hoping to escape from her father, Blige and her mother moved to the Schlobohm Houses, a public housing project in Yonkers. Mini Bio (1) Mary J. Blige was born on January 11, 1971 in Yonkers, New York, USA as Mary Jane Blige. When the camera cut back to Blige, with her face full of hurt and anger, she hastily responded to the footage by saying: "No, we're not getting married now.". Order Today. "What I came to understand about education is that it is the key to life," she said. Buy Now. "Whitney Houston's death really affected me," she said. In 2011, she decided to make her education a priority by obtaining her GED. Mary J. Blige Teams with Simone I. Smith on Jewelry Line Full of 'Big, Bold, Fly Pieces' Style // July 13, 2018 Julianne Hough and Nina Dobrev Team Up on a New Wine Line—Plus More Celeb-Owned Wines That same year, refusing to rest on her laurels, Blige expanded her musical palette geographically with the album The London Sessions, showcasing her time in the United Kingdom and featuring songwriting from Sam Smith, Emeli Sandé and Disclosure. While speaking to CNN, Blige said she was compelled to help women, especially after what she had experienced while growing up. Her musical contributions, as well as her acting performances in films like the 2017 Netflix movie Mudbound, earned her a much-deserved star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2018. I just stayed in The Word. with a new edition of this classic album and also released the holiday collection A Mary Christmas. No one wanted anyone else to get ahead. Mary J. Blige Born in the Bronx, New York, Blige began moving people with her soulful voice when at 18 she signed with Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records in 1989, becoming the MCA-distributed label’s youngest and first female artist. The winning formula for her album proved to be the "depression and all this oppression" she was dealing with in her real life, and when she fueled that gut wrenching pain into her lyrics, she became a musical force to be reckoned with. When Mary J. Blige had a brush with history last week, she almost missed the celebration. Rather, Mary J. Blige has a tragic real-life story and was raised in the public housing projects in Yonkers, N.Y., mostly by a single mother. Known as The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and The Queen of R&B, she … ", It was Blige's voice that rescued her from the tragic life into which she was quickly falling. Blige continued to put out new albums thereafter, including Growing Pains (2007) and Stronger with Each Tear (2009). It hurt real bad. 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