|
Mary J Blige Bio
|
|
|
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige has sold about 25 million albums worldwide and has won three Grammy Awards for her music. Mary J. Blige is an R&B/hip hop/soul/jazz-type singer, songwriter and producer from the Bronx in New York. She was born on January 11, 1971 and grew up in a dangerous New York housing project without a father. Mary found refuge in music at a young age—she even won a talent contest when she was only seven for singing Respect by Aretha Franklin. However, as a teenager Mary became a high-school dropout and got into drugs.
Mary J. Blige signed a recording contract with Uptown Records in 1989 when she was only 18 after Mary’s mothers’ boyfriend sent a cassette recording to music industry contact Jeff Redd who submitted it to Uptown’s CEO, Andre Harrell. This made Blige the first and youngest female within Uptown Records.
Blige released her debut album in 1992, entitled What’s the 411? The project was an effort collaborated with rap, R&B, and hip-hop producers Sean “Puffy” Combs, Tony Dofat, Mark Morales, Mark C. Rooney and Dave “Jam” Hall, and Donald “DeVante Swing” DeGrate. 411 produced hits like You Remind Me, Real Love, (both of which were certified gold) Reminisce, Sweet Thing and Love No Limit—although Mary herself didn’t pen any of the songs. By the end of 1993, Mary J. Blige had sold more than three million 411 albums and had earned the title of Queen of Hip-hop Soul.
Her follow-up album, My Life, was released in later 1994, a darker and more mellow and personal album in which Mary wrote most of the songs herself. Sean Combs (now Diddy) oversaw its production and became Mary’s manager. Although the album was, for the most part, another big hit and instant success, Mary publicly admitted she was dealing with depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction.
Mary began to work on outside projects, such as hit singles for soundtracks, most notably her critically acclaimed duet with rapper Method Man in I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By, for which she received her first Grammy. In 1997 Mary parted ways with Combs and collaborated with high-profile producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Chucky Thompson, R. Kelly, Babyface, and Rodney Jerkins to release her third album, Share My World.
Mary J. Blige went on to sing, write, and produce more successful and hit albums, embark on tours, and win numerous awards, including an American Music Award in 1998 and two more Grammys. Blige’s albums include Mary (1999), No More Drama (2001), Love & Life (2003), and The Breakthrough (2005). Mary featured guests such as Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Eric Clapton, George Michael, and Lauryn Hill. No More Drama went certified double platinum and garnered Mary J. Blige her second Grammy for the single He Think I Don’t Know. Love & Life is considered Mary’s biggest commercial failure even though it still did fairly well, but The Breakthrough was well-received.
Mary J. Blige has been linked romantically, sexually and even abusively with many high-profile people in the R&B industry, some of it speculation and rumor. However, she did experience a dramatic and what she says was an abusive six-year relationship with Jodeci band frontman Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey from 1991 to 1997.
Blige married boyfriend-of-three-years Martin Kendu Isaacs, a record industry executive, in December 2003 and became the stepmother of his three children. She is also best friends with rapper Lil’ Kim.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Yuddy top celebrities
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
, , , , , , , , , ,
, , , ,
,
|
|
