Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and ten Billboard Music Awards. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
What's the 411? is the debut album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige. It was released on July 28, 1992, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. After signing a record contract with Uptown, Blige began working on the album with producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Other producers and songwriters included DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark "Cory" Rooney. The resulting music covered hip hop soul, contemporary R&B, and new jack swing styles.
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996, by Priority Records and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Jaz-O and The Notorious B.I.G., among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
Stillmatic is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. In contrast to his previous work's gangsta rap themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical themes similar to that of his 1994 debut Illmatic. Nas' lyrics address topics such as ghetto life, American politics, and his feud with rapper Jay-Z.
Ashanti is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Ashanti. Released on April 2, 2002, via Murder Inc. and Island Def Jam, the album was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles between 2001 and 2002, during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. Its music has the sound of R&B and hip hop soul. The album features guest vocals from Gotti, Ja Rule, and the late The Notorious B.I.G. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Jared Thomas and Reggie Wright.
Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown, released on November 19, 1996, by Def Jam Recordings. It was reissued on September 29, 1997, in the United Kingdom with an addition of the song "Big Bad Mamma". Brown began working on the album after being discovered by the production team Trackmasters and appearing on a number of singles by other artists, such as LL Cool J, Case and Jay Z. The immediate success of the singles led to a bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Recordings won and signed the then 17-year-old rapper to the label. Mostly produced by Trackmasters, Ill Na Na features guest appearances from Blackstreet, Havoc, Method Man, Kid Capri and Jay Z. Lyrically, the album mainly focuses on themes of fashion, sex and mafia.
Southside is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Lloyd. It was released on July 20, 2004, via The Inc. and Island Def Jam. The singer teamed with several of record producers such as Chink Santana, Rodney Jerkins, Irv Gotti and Jasper Cameron, among others.
Love & Life is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was released by Geffen Records on August 26, 2003. The album marked Blige's debut on the Geffen label, following the absorption of her former record company MCA Records. In addition, it saw her reuniting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, executive producer of her first two studio albums What's the 411? (1992) and My Life (1994), who wrote and executive produced most of Love & Life with his Bad Boy in-house production team The Hitmen, including Mario Winans, D-Dot, and Stevie J.
Share My World is the third studio album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released by MCA on Earth Day, April 22, 1997. The album became Blige's first to open at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Moreover, it is her first album where she serves as an executive producer, alongside Steve Stoute, who also shared executive producer credits on the album.
Mary is the fourth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released August 17, 1999, on MCA Records. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 239,000 copies in its first week. It spent 57 weeks on the chart and produced five charting singles. Upon its release, Mary received critical acclaim from music critics. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of two million units in the United States.
Forever is the second studio album of American hip hop recording artist Puff Daddy released on August 24, 1999 by Bad Boy Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Forever has also been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA.
My Life is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 29, 1994, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's battling with both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship. Unlike her debut, What's the 411? (1992), Blige contributed lyrics to fourteen of the album's tracks, making it her most introspective and personal album at the time. Similar to her debut album, My Life features vast production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.
From Me to U is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Juelz Santana. The album was released on August 19, 2003 as planned, under Diplomat, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. The album was seen as the introspective introduction of the rapper to mainstream entertainment. Following appearances on various street mixtapes and the success of The Diplomats, Santana was the second member of the group to release a solo album, after de facto leader Cam'ron.
How High The Soundtrack is a soundtrack to Jesse Dylan's 2001 stoner film How High. It was released on December 11, 2001 through Def Jam Recordings and consists of hip hop music. The album contains twenty tracks featuring interpolations taken from the movie and songs performed by film stars Method Man & Redman, along with Cypress Hill, DMX, Jonell, Limp Bizkit, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Saukrates, Shawnna, Streetlife, and War.
Growing Pains is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. An R&B album that was released on December 18, 2007, by Geffen Records, it debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 629,000 copies in its first week, and reached number one in January 2008. Growing Pains was ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007 and was eventually certified Platinum by RIAA.
What's the 411? Remix is a remix album by R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 7, 1993 by Uptown Records and MCA Records. It is composed of remixed tracks from Blige's critically acclaimed debut album, and involved record producers and recording artists including Sean "Puffy" Combs, Teddy Riley, Eddie "F" Ferrell, Craig Mack, Heavy D, the Notorious B.I.G., and K-Ci Hailey. The album received favorable reviews, and debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200, and number 22 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
"Be Happy" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Arlene DeValle, and Jean-Claude Olivier from duo Poke & Tone for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Olivier. "Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.
Dance for Me is a remix album by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. Released in the United States on August 13, 2002 by MCA Records, the album contains remixes from her previously released three albums Share My World (1997), Mary (1999) and No More Drama (2001). Named after Blige's same-titled 2002 single, it includes rare dance remixes, produced by Al B. Rich, Curtis Moore, Hex Hector, Junior Vasquez, and Thunderpuss.
Think Like a Man Too is the first soundtrack album by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige and serves as the soundtrack from the film of the same name. The soundtrack album was released on June 17, 2014, by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from The-Dream and Pharrell Williams, while production was handled by Rodney Jerkins, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Pharrell Williams, Pop & Oak, Jerry Duplessis, and Ronald "Flippa" Colson, among others.
"Touch Me, Tease Me" is a 1996 song by American R&B singer and songwriter Case. It serves as the second single from his self-titled debut album (1996). The single proved successful, it reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, was ranked 63rd in the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1996 and was Gold certified by the RIAA. It further reached number 26 in the UK charts.
