Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is often referred to as The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, due to her music mainly being R&B mixed with hip hop and soul. She has released 11 studio albums, 82 singles, and 8 other albums.
Mary J. Blige | |
|---|---|
 Blige during an interview in February 2022 | |
| Born | Mary Jane Blige January 11, 1971 New York City, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Martin "Kendu" Isaacs (m. 2003; div. 2018) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | maryjblige |
Music career
In 1988, Blige recorded an cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up in the Rapture" at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's boyfriend at the time played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd then sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and, in 1989, she joined the label, becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.
Production for Blige's first album, Whats the 411?, began in 1991. Sean "Puffy" Combs (at the time a beginning A&R executive at Uptown) organised the project. Also enlisted were some of the top R&B and hip hop producers of the time, among them are Tony Dofat, Mark Morales and Cory Rooney, Dave "Jam" Hall, and DeVante Swing.
In 2014, Blige toured with R. Kelly called "The King and Queen Tour".[2]
Personal life
Blige is a Democrat.[3]
Filmography
Movie
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Prison Song | Mrs. Butler | Movie debut |
| 2009 | I Can Do Bad All By Myself | Tanya | |
| 2012 | Rock of Ages | Justice Charlier | |
| 2013 | Black Nativity | Platinum Fro | Nominated — American Black Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| 2017 | Mudbound | Florence Jackson | Gotham Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Performance New York Film Critics Online for Best Ensemble Cast IndieWire Critic's Poll Award for Best Breakthrough Performance (Film) Hollywood Film Awards – Breakout Actress Award Hollywood Film Awards – Breakout Ensemble Award Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up) Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Original Song Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated — Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song Nominated — Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
| 2018 | Sherlock Gnomes | Irene (voice) | |
| 2020 | Trolls World Tour | Queen Essence (voice) | |
| 2020 | Respect | Dinah Washington | |
| TBA | Body Cam | Renee | Post-production |
| TBA | The Violent Heart | Nina | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Herself | "Private Enemy No. 1" (episode 14, season 1), "Tag You're Dead" (episode 2, season 2) [music performance] |
| 1998 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Ola Mae | "Papa Don't Preach" (episode 14, season 2) |
| 1999 | Moesha | Herself | "Good Vibrations?" (episode 1, season 5) |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Simone Fellows | "History" (episode 4, season 2) |
| 2007 | Ghost Whisperer | Jackie Boyd | "Mean Ghost" (episode 15, season 2) |
| Entourage | Herself | "Gary's Desk" (episode 8, season 4) | |
| 2009 | 30 Rock | Herself | "Kidney Now!" (episode 22, season 3) |
| 2010 & 2012 | American Idol | Guest judge/Herself | 2010: Auditions were held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome when Blige guest judged. 2012: Mentor for the Top 13 Whitney Houston & Stevie Wonder Week |
| 2012 | The Voice | Herself | Mentor of Team Adam (season 3) |
| 2013 | Betty & Coretta | Dr. Betty Shabazz | Television film Nominated — Women's Image Network Award for OutstandingOutstanding Actress Made for Television Movie / Mini-Series |
| The X Factor | Guest judge/herself | Blige assisted Nicole Scherzinger at her judge's house in Antigua | |
| 2015 | Empire | Angie | "Sins of the Father" (episode 10, season 1) |
| The Wiz Live! | Evillene, The Wicked Witch of the West | TV special Nominated — Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable | |
| Black-ish | Mirabelle Chalet | Guest appearance in Season 1, episode 24 | |
| 2016 | How To Get Away With Murder | Ro | TV Series (2 episodes) |
| 2019–present | The Umbrella Academy | Cha-Cha | Main role |
| 2019 | Scream | Sherry Elliot | Recurring role |
References
- Stacia Proefrock. "Mary J. Blige". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- "R. Kelly Announces Tour with Mary J. Blige". BET.com.
- Tran, Vivyan (September 7, 2012). "Celebrities spotted at the Democratic National Convention". Politico.