Mary J Blige

Mary J. Blige, who was born at the beginning of 1971 in the Empire State - New York, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, producer and actress.

 Having already won 9 Grammy awards in such categories as Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, etc. Mary J.Blige sold over 40 million copies of her studio albums. 

The future world-famous star spent her early childhood in Savannah in the so-called Diamond state - Georgia. Later on, she moved with her mother and older sister to Yonkers, New York. Her childhood was quite hard and difficult. Her young years and adolescence were full of clashes and struggles with peers and left more than one mark not only on her body but also in the soul of the artist. Unfortunately, Mary did not finish high school, as she preferred to hang around in the streets with her mates. 

The only pleasant thing for her was doing various fancy hairstyles for her numerous girlfriends. One day an unusual and not typical for the girl idea appeared in Mary’s head. She was going to record a karaoke version of a song called “Caught up in the Rapture” by an American soul singer and songwriter, Anita Baker. Her stepfather was always good for her, and he decided to show the tape to Andre Harrell, who was the head of the Uptown Records label at that time. It should be mentioned that Harrell was really fascinated by the voice of the young Mary and signed a contract with her almost immediately after having heard the recording. However, the first steps of Mary in show business were quite modest: she was only given the role of backing vocalist in local bands such as “Father MC”. 

The first step has already been taken and quite successfully. The chance helped the lucky girl further on too. When Mary's vocals were heard by Sean "Puffy" Combs or more known as Puff Daddy, he took the aspiring artist under his wing. He immediately began the preparation of Mary’s debut studio tape. It all happened in 1991, and a few months later, the disc "What's the 411?" was ready to meet the audience. Sean Combs made a lot of effort into this recording and turned to such experienced producers as Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark Rooney for help and support. 

Stylish arrangements in combination with the unique vocal style of the lady helped create a solid and engaging album that was in some way the bridge between R&B and rap music genres. An interesting fact is that not a single woman has succeeded in it till that time. Actively promoted in the media as the "real queen of hip-hop and soul", Blige did her best to justify this premature title. 

In collaboration with several renowned rappers Grand Puba and Busta Rhymes, her debut studio work received two platinum certifications in the US. The energetic hit singles introduced the rising star on radio and on the famous music channel - MTV. One of the most successful songs from the album was the track "Real Love", the finalist of the American Top 10 and the leader of the R&B rating. 

In order to consolidate and emphasize the success of the debut album, a year later, the label released a remix version of the recording. But the new release had a very controversial success and received quite diverse feedback from the music critics. 

Sean Combs' young apprentice was considered to be the one who did not fit into the general series and standards of the appearance of the other R&B artists. Her hair was dyed white, her hat in its turn hid her beautiful face, her military boots looked like a secular beauty and a street girl at the same time. She managed to interest the largest record companies with her work, among which were MCA, Universal, Arista, Geffen. But the personnel of these labels tried in vain to fight the image of a bad girl, which was firmly attached to her from her first steps in the music world. Coping with her personal struggles, Mary changed herself both externally and internally, giving her image warmer features, including the appearance of elegant outfits from the best designers in her wardrobe. 

Sean Combs also took part in the release of the second long play of Mary J Blige’s "My Life". This time he decided it would be a good idea to move away from urban origins, reduce the share of rap sound and introduce lyrical and more passionate intonations. The changed content of the songs required a completely different approach to music. On the album "My Life", Mary seemed to confess to the two main problems of her life: the realities of the Negro ghettos and a rupture with a colleague on the label K-Ci Hailey. 

At this time, the artist decided to split up with her first producer and mentor, Sean Combs. This was a difficult decision, which was the reason for several professional problems. Blige hired the famous hip-hop producer Suge Knight as a financial advisor and signed a contract with MCA. She began preparing the 3rd studio album. 

The LP "Share My World" was released in 1997 and marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with the composers and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Share My World" became a hit, making its debut on the first line of Billboard 200. 

Mary J. Blige also demonstrated the professional class at her next studio work, "Love & Life". Sean Combs reproduced a great part of the material. He was the main reason for the album's commercial success, which managed to easily lead the national album chart of the United States, R&B rating, and a list of the best albums on the Internet. 

Mary J. Blige's latest album, "The Breakthrough", is considered to be one of the best albums of her career. In addition to a great number of songs, this album is also marked by truly stellar collaborations: among the guests, you can find such celebrities as Bono or Jay-Z.