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Mary J Blige

Mary J. Blige
MaryJBligeJan10.jpg
Blige in January 2010
Background information
Birth name Mary Jane Blige
Born (1971-01-11) January 11, 1971 (age 46)
The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • model
  • record producer
  • actress
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1989–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website maryjblige.com

Mary Jane Blige (/ˈblʒ/; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, model, record producer and actress. Starting her career as a background singer on Uptown Records in 1989, Blige released her first album, What's the 411?, in 1992, and has released 12 studio albums since and made over 150 guest appearances on other albums and soundtracks.

A recipient of nine Grammy Awards, in addition to receiving a record of thirty Grammy nominations, and also known as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Blige is one of few entertainers in history to have eight or more albums to reach multi-platinum status. My Life, in particular, is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded according to Rolling Stone,Time, and Vibe. For her part in combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s and its subsequent commercial success, Blige received the Legends Award at the World Music Awards. Blige also received the Voice of Music Award from performance rights organization ASCAP, with its official Jeanie Weems stating that "[Blige's] music has been the voice of inspiration to women worldwide in both struggle and triumph." Blige made Time magazine's "Time 100" list of influential individuals around the world in 2007.

As of 2013, Blige has sold more than 50 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide.Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years. The magazine also lists her 2006 song "Be Without You" as the top R&B song of the 2000s, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. Moreover, she is ranked number 100 on the list of "100 greatest singers of all time" by Rolling Stone magazine. In 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in "The 100 Greatest Women in Music."


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Wikipedia

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