Genres: Urban, Club/Dance, Contemporary R&B, Pop Active: 90's, 2000's Born: January 11, 1971 in New York, NY [The Bronx]
Teena Marie, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, Dr. Dre, Sade, Neneh Cherry, Diana Ross, Minnie Riperton, MC Lyte, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah TLC, Faith Evans, Dru Hill, Brian McKnight, R. Kelly, Tyrese, Shae Jones, Mariah Carey, Donell Jones, Missy Elliott, Naja Shiri, Kelly Price, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Brandy, Adina Howard, Monica, En Vogue Keyshia Cole, Megan Rochell, Lil' Mo, Destiny's Child, Ashanti, Deemi, Aaliyah, Shareefa, Amy Winehouse, Doll Phace, Miss Prissy, Fantasia, Canela, Jamelia, Willa Ford, Svala, Ms. Dynamite, Christina Milian, Aaradhna |  |
When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them, she helped adorn soul music with new textures and flavors that inspired a whole generation of musicians. With her blonde hair, self-preserving slouch, and combat boots, Blige was street-tough and beautiful all at once, and the record company execs who profited off of her early releases did little to dispel the bad-girl image that she earned as she stumbled through the dizzying first days of her career. As she exorcised her personal demons and softened her style to include sleek designer clothes, she remained a hero to thousands of girls growing up in the same kinds of rough places she came from.
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Release: December 21, 2009
Label: Geffen
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Release: November 10, 2009
Label: Modulor
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