Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. 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.
"MJB da MVP" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige featuring rapper 50 Cent, taken from her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). The Cool & Dre-produced track is a cover version of "Hate It or Love It" as performed by The Game and 50 Cent, the first of which also provided a new verse for the official remix of the song. In the new vocal part, Blige relates the ups and downs of her career and expresses thanks to Dr. Dre and The Game for letting her work on a track. She mentions her start in 1991, the release of her first five albums and her sadness by the death of her friend, R&B singer Aaliyah.
VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert in 1998. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts were a follow-up to the channel's annual VH1 Honors benefit concert that ran from 1994 to 1997, airing annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five-year hiatus, the series returned in 2009 with a younger-skewed revamp. In 2010 the concert saluted the troops and in 2011 it celebrated soul music, doubling the previous year's ratings. After a dance music-focused 2012 edition aired live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on December 16, 2012, the show took another hiatus before being revived on December 5, 2016, at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York with a holiday theme and achieved its highest ratings in over a decade.
Growing Pains is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter 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.
The Heart of the City Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z. The North America tour supports Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains (2007) and Jay-Z's tenth studio album American Gangster (2007). According to Pollstar.com the Heart of the City Tour grossed over $34.2 million, making it the most successful male-female hip-hop/R&B tour in history. The-Dream was the opening act for the tour, supporting his 2007 debut album Love/Hate.
Eric Hudson is an American Grammy Award-winning music producer.
Stronger with Each Tear is the ninth studio album from American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The album was released in the US on December 21, 2009, under Blige's own imprint, Matriarch Records.
The Breakthrough Experience was the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Mary J. Blige in 2006, the tour supports her multi-platinum seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). Blige performed four initial dates which kicked off on June 24, in Chicago, Illinois at the Bridgeview Stadium. The official tour began in July 2006 and continued through September 2006, visiting over 30 cities across North America.
Music Saved My Life Tour was the eighth concert tour by American recording artist, Mary J. Blige. It was launched in support of her ninth studio Stronger with Each Tear (2009). It began in September 2010 and continued through February 2011. Concerts were held in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Number Ones, Up Close and Personal World Tour was the sixth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It showcased her sophomore compilation album, Number Ones and visited Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Jackson traveled to thirty-five different cities selected by fans, one chosen for each of her number one hits. The tour took an organic and intimate approach, excluding the elaborate theatrics and pyrotechnics her concerts have become infamous for, focusing on her musicality and choreography. Jackson explained the tour to be "different from anything I have ever done", adding, "These concerts are not about special effects. This is a love affair between me and those of you who have supported me and my work for all these years." Jackson dedicated an individual song to the audience during every show to commemorate each city.
The Real Thing Tour is the fifth concert tour by American recording artist, Jill Scott. Visiting North America and Europe, the tour promoted the singer's third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3. The trek yielded the singer's first concert special for TV One entitled, Jill Scott: The Real Thing Tour . The tour featured singers Raheem DeVaughn and Bilal as opening acts.
"Someone to Love Me (Naked)" is a song recorded by American singer Mary J. Blige for her tenth studio album My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) (2011). It features guest vocals by American rappers Diddy and Lil Wayne. "Someone to Love Me (Naked)" was written by Blige, Jerry Wonda and Leroy Watson, and was produced by Wonda. The song is a remix of "Someone to Love Me" from Diddy-Dirty Money's debut studio album, Last Train to Paris (2010). It samples "You Roam When You Don’t Get It At Home" performed by The Sweet Inspirations. It was released on March 29, 2011, as the first promotional single from the album.
"Love a Woman" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige featuring Beyoncé from the former's tenth studio album My Life II... The Journey Continues (2011). It was written by Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Sean Garrett and Menardini Timothee while production was handled by Garrett, Team S. Dot and BridgeTown. Originally written for Beyoncé's fourth studio album 4 (2011), the singer felt that it did not fit with the sound she had created for her album, and she thought that it would be better if she recorded it as a duet with Blige instead.
My Life II... The Journey Continues is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Mary J. Blige, released on November 21, 2011, by Geffen Records and Matriarch Records. Titled as the sequel and serving as a thematic extension to her 1994 breakthrough album My Life, which portrayed a dark period in Blige's personal life, it talks about the themes of struggle, heartbreak, and strength while reflecting the growth and evolution she had experienced since the release of its predecessor.
The Share My World Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was launched in support of her multi-platinum third studio album Share My World (1997), and also contained material from her first and second studio albums What's the 411? (1992) and My Life (1994). The eight-month tour began on September 2, 1997 in the United States and continued through May 3, 1998. Concerts were held in North America and Europe.
The London Sessions Tour is the eighth headlining concert tour by American recording artist, Mary J. Blige. The tour supports Blige's twelfth studio album, The London Sessions. Beginning June 2016, the tour started in Europe playing various music festivals. During the fall of 2015, Blige briefly performed in the United States.
The King and Queen of Hearts Tour was a co-headlining tour by American singers Maxwell and Mary J. Blige. The tour began October 2016 in Europe then moved to North America. The North American leg of the tour grossed $13.1 million, averaged $545,000 per show, and ranked 90 on Pollstar's Top 200 North American Tours.
Strength of a Woman Tour was the tenth concert tour by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, in support of her thirteenth studio album, Strength of a Woman (2017). The tour began on April 2, 2017 in London and ended in Oakland on September 9, 2017. According to Pollstar's 2017 Year End top 200 North American Tours, the tour grossed over $9 million in North America alone and over $15 million worldwide.
The Liberation Tour is a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists, Mary J. Blige and D'Angelo. The North America tour supports Blige's tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (2011) and D'Angelo's third studio album, Black Messiah (2014). The tour also features special guest Melanie Fiona.
