Mary J. Blige: Girls Idolize Her
It’s true, girls who grew up in the same rough circumstances as Mary J. Blige do identify with her. She has had her share of troubles – and scars – but her sad experiences while growing up did not prevent her from achieving her goals.
Mary J. Blige was born on January 11, 1971 in the Bronx, New York but spent part of her childhood in Savannah, Georgia. Then she and her mother and older sister moved back to New York. She dropped out when she was in her third year of high school, but after she recorded “Caught Up in the Rapture” while she was in a mall in White Plains, New York, her stepfather sent the tape to Andre Harrell, CEO of Uptown Records. Impressed with her talent, he signed her up to substitute for local stars like Father MC. In 1991, Blige became the protégé of Sean Combs and worked with him on her album, “What’s the 411?” This was her very first album. Four years later, Combs worked with Mary to produce “My Life” which was described as less rap, although it described Mary’s life in the ghettos and her up and down relationship with K-Ci Hailey. She started to have problems especially with “My Life”, and she eventually broke her relationship with Combs and hired Suge Knight to be her financial adviser.
In 1997, Blige waxed a third album, partnering up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album, “Share My World” was a hit and landed in # 1 position on the Billboard charts. Critics didn’t like the soul character of the album but her fans loved it. By the time she came out with her next album in 1999 titled simply “Mary”, she displayed a fuller, more classic approach, inspired by such greats as Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder. The bitterness from her past life was gone, and the album impressed listeners with the range of emotion that Mary J. Blige used to advantage. Her next album, “No More Drama” was a far cry from the days when she debuted with “What’s the 411?”
Mary J. Blige has often been compared to Chaka Khan or Aretha Franklin. In 2003, she teamed up again with P. Diddy and worked with him on the album called “Love and Life.”