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.
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 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.
The Underdogs are an American R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas.
Carl Edward "Chucky" Thompson Jr. was an American hip hop and R&B record producer.
My Life is the second 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 extensive production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.
J.U.S.T.I.C.E.League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colione" Crowe and Kenneth "Barto" Bartolomei. The group takes their name from the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League. The distinctive producer tag of a J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production has a female voice echoing the words "Justice League" twice at the beginning of most of their songs. They have a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for their work on Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough (2006).
"Everything" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Blige's third album, Share My World (1997). The song contains samples from "You Are Everything" (1971) by American soul group The Stylistics and "The Payback" (1973) by American singer James Brown, also incorporating elements from "Sukiyaki" (1961) by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto. Due to the inclusion of the samples, Brown, Hachidai Nakamura, Rokusuke Ei, Linda Creed, Thom Bell, John Starks, and Fred Wesley are also credited as songwriters.
"I'm Going Down" is a song written and produced by Norman Whitfield, and performed by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce in 1976. It is from the film Car Wash and is featured on its soundtrack. In 1994, it was covered by American singer Mary J. Blige.
"Love No Limit" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was co-written by Kenny Greene and Dave "Jam" Hall for her debut album, What's the 411? (1992), while production was overseen by Hall. Released as the album's fourth and final single, the song became a top five hit, reaching number-five on the US R&B singles chart, and peaked at number forty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Hall has stated in interviews, that he wanted to give the song an urban, hip-hop feel to a much more jazzy sound, when it was created.
Eric Hudson is an American Grammy Award-winning music producer.
Harvey Jay Mason Jr. is an American record producer, songwriter, film producer, and current CEO of The Recording Academy. He has written and produced songs for artists including Aretha Franklin, Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Ariana Grande, Elton John, Britney Spears, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Justin Timberlake, Whitney Houston, and Chris Brown. In addition, he has produced music for television and films, including Dreamgirls, Sparkle, Pitch Perfect, Sing, Straight Outta Compton, and The Wiz Live!. He was elected as the chairman of The Recording Academy in June 2019, became its interim president and CEO on January 16, 2020, and then assumed the permanent role of CEO on May 13, 2021.
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.
"25/8" is a song by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Crystal Johnson, Al Sherrod Lambert, and Eric Hudson for her tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (2011), while production was handled by Blige and the latter. An R&B and soul song, "25/8" is built on drum splashes and a fluttering flute, and samples from B. T. Express's rendition of "Now That We Found Love", written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Lyrically, it features the female protagonist expressing her need to have more than 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to spend time with her love interest.
"Mr. Wrong" is a song taken from American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige's album My Life II... The Journey Continues . It features rapper, Drake. The song was produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love. It was released as the album's second official single on October 28, 2011.
"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.
"Suitcase" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was co-written by Mark J. Feist, Crystal Nicole, and Adrian Sotomayor, and produced by the former for Blige's soundtrack album Think Like a Man Too (2014), recorded for the comedy film of the same name. Sent as the album's lead and only single for urban contemporary and urban adult contemporary airplay in the US on June 10, 2014, following the release of the buzz track "A Night to Remember", it reached the top 30 on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
"Right Now" is a song recorded by American singer Mary J. Blige from her twelfth studio album, The London Sessions (2014). It was written by Blige, Sam Smith, Jimmy Napes, and Disclosure, featuring production from the latter. Musically, "Right Now" is a mid-tempo R&B song, with deep house and UK garage influences. Lyrically, it exudes a displeased woman letting her lover know that she is fed up with his ways, and is planning on making changes. The song was released as the album's second single on October 27, 2014.
God Forgives, I Don't is the fifth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on July 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Slip-n-Slide Records, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album was produced by several record producers, including Cool & Dre, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Pharrell, Jake One, and Rico Love, among others.
The Help is a 2011 period comedy-drama film written and directed by Tate Taylor and based on Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast, including Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone. Two soundtrack albums were released for the film: an original soundtrack and an original score. Music producer Thomas Newman, music supervisor Jennifer Hawks, director Tate Taylor, worked on both the soundtracks as the executive producer, while Newman also composed the film score. The soundtrack album was released by Geffen Records and DreamWorks Records on August 4, 2011, while Varèse Sarabande released the score album on September 6.
