Critics soured somewhat on its more conventional soul sound, but Blige’s fans seemed undaunted. By the time Mary J. Blige next studio album, Mary, came out in 1999, the fullness and elegance of her new sound seemed more developed, as Blige exuded a classic soul style aided by material from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. Mary made it obvious that the ghetto fabulous style and more confrontational aspects of her music were gone, while the emotive power still remained.
Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an six-time Grammy Award winning American R&B, soul, and hip hop soul singer, songwriter, occasional rapper, record producer, and actress who has sold over twenty one million records in the United State alone. Around the world she has sold ten million since Mary J. Blige career began in 1991. She is also widely known as the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul”, and Mary J. Blige earned over 23 Grammy Award nominations for her works. On July 28, 1992, Uptown Records released What’s the 411?.
“You Remind Me”, the album’s lead-off single, peaked at number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the R&B singles chart that summer. The second single, “Real Love”, was released in the fall. It too topped the R&B singles chart, and became Blige’s first top ten Hot 100 single—peaking at number seven. Both singles were also certified Gold. More What’s the 411? singles followed into 1993, including: “Reminisce”, a cover of Rufus’s “Sweet Thing”, and “Love No Limit.” By the end of the year, What’s the 411? had sold two million copies. Blige, meanwhile, was being christened as ‘The fashion Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.’ and released a Hip-Hop single around 1993, You Don’t Have to Worry (She later confessed that, at the time, she believed the title to be nothing more than a marketing tool.) The album’s success spun off What’s the 411? Remix, a remix album released in December that was used to extend the life of the What’s the 411? singles on the radio into 1994, as Blige recorded her followup album.
“Be Happy”, the album’s first single, peaked at number twenty-nine and number six on the Hot 100 and R&B singles chart respectively. In early 1995, it was followed up with a cover of Rose Royce’s 1976 hit “I’m Going Down.” Other My Life singles included: “You Bring Me Joy” and “I Love You.” Album tracks “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” and “My Life” also received heavy radio play, despite their never being officially released as single. My Life was eventually certified triple platinum. In spite of its success and her growing best dating fame, Blige later admitted that she was simultaneously dealing with long time bouts of drug addiction, alcoholism, and depression, as well as an abusive relationship with then-boyfriend K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci.
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