exclamation points
daily dos
thu 5/14/2009
As he prepares to serve time for gun charges, T.I. tells his fans "Don't Forget" in a new track featuring Mary J. Blige.
air it out
daily dos
fri 8/1/2008
Big Boi of OutKast teams up with Mary J. Blige on "Something's Gotta Give," a new video from Big Boi's forthcoming solo album Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. (via Concreteloop)
great white pope
daily dos
wed 4/16/2008
Mary J. Blige and Jay Z take you behind the scenes of their tour in their new video, You’re All Welcome.
Alicia Keys vs. Mary J. Blige
versus
thu 1/24/2008
| name | Alicia J. Augello-Cook. | Mary Jane Blige. |
| hometown | Manhattan, New York City. | The Bronx, New York City. |
| birthdate | January 25, 1980. | January 11, 1971. |
| style | R&B, jazz and soul. | R&B, hip hop and soul. |
| alter ego | Lellow. | Brook-Lyn. |
| the 'do | From cornrows to long and sexy. | From short and spiky to long and sexy. |
| precocious | Dropped out of Columbia University at age 17 to pursue a career in music. | Recorded a track in a shopping mall at age 17, parlaying it into a record deal with Andre Harrell's Uptown Records. |
| influences | Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones and author Alice Walker. | Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Anita Baker. |
| ticket to the bigtime | Fallin. | Real Love. |
| most recent release | As I Am. | Growing Pains. |
| superstar duet | My Boo with Usher. | Runaway Love with Ludacris. |
| platinum debut | Songs in A Minor (2001). | What's the 411 (1992). | records sold worldwide | Over 20 million albums worldwide. | Over 40 million albums worldwide. |
| as seen on TV | Appeared in an episode of "The Cosby Show" at five years old. | Appeared on "The Jaime Foxx Show." | the silver screen | Appears in the forthcoming The Secret Life Of Bees alongside Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson. | Stars as Nina Simone in a movie biopic. | we care! | Spokeswoman for Keep A Child Alive. | Spokesperson for the MAC Cosmetics AIDS Fund. |
| personal life | In a long-term relationship with songwriting partner Kenny "Krucial" Brothers. | Married to her manager Martin "Kendu" Isaacs. |
| the critics | AskMen: “She has taken the modern R&B world to a whole new level at the age of 19, with the release of her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Not to mention, she's also pretty good at 'tickling the ivory,' so to speak.” | Allmusic: "As she exorcised her personal demons and softened her style to include sleek designer clothes, she remained a hero to thousands of girls growing up in the same kinds of rough places she came from." |
| webprops | 504,069 friends on official MySpace. | 449,707 friends on MySpace. |
| best video moment | Teaching a young boy to respect the ladies in A Woman's Worth. | Singing on a NY rooftop with Method Man in I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need. |
between the sheets
daily dos
wed 1/16/2008
Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Wyclef are some of the names mentioned in a New York State investigation involving steroids. (via BuzzFeed)
RBD, Mary J. Blige, Lupe Fiasco and Mario.
the music press
thu 12/27/2007
- Mexican pop sextet RBD returns with Empezar Desde Cero, their fifth studio album. A year after releasing Celestial, a huge commercial success, Blog De La Tele asks: "[d]oes RBD need to start from scratch?" The blog thinks not, suggesting the pop group should now focus on "conquering the international market." Don't read too much into the title, 'cause the rebels “are simply back with more pop tunes in the key of teenage crush," writes Rhapsody.com.
- R&B diva Mary J. Blige delivers her eighth album, the edgy Growing Pains. Rolling Stone notices that Blige “has definitely lost or just outgrown the brassy urgency of her twenties," underscoring that "these days, [her confessions] sound more like she's had a lot of therapy." The Village Voice is more cynical, wishing Blige would just "shut up for a while and luxuriate—and we know she understands what that word means—in the gorgeousness of a voice that's as full and declamatory as ever."
- Chicago's Lupe Fiasco is back with his second album, The Cool. Fiasco's ability to build on "the divergent themes and musical explorations of his impressive debut” earned this album an "A-" from Entertainment Weekly. The Onion's A.V. Club agrees, giving another "A-" to a musical set that “oozes geek chic with terrific songs, smart, dense lyrics, and nimble, eclectic production.”
- Mario is back with Go. The 21-year-old R&B singer "pulled out all the big guns for album number three,” showing off a “distinctive voice [that] is earthier and more mature with the underlying power of a young Luther Vandross,” gushes The BBC. Billboard.com is worried about his lack of hits: “While third album Go shows a necessary maturation, the disc is short on standouts.”
Rakim & Ken-Y, Mary J. Blige, Fantasia and Alejandra Alberti
discorama
wed 12/13/2006
José Nieves and Kenny Vázquez, the reggaeton duo known as Rakim y Ken-Y, return to the charts with a live CD and DVD that showcases live performances from their recent Masterpiece World Tour. Thanks to Rakim's catchy pop tunes and Ken-Y's good looks, the duo has become one of the most popular reggaeton artists in the game. The live album, which adds the screams of their adoring fans into the mix, remains faithful to the duo's chart-topping Masterpiece album. Their energetic set includes renditions of Me Matas and Down.
The Queen of Hip Hop soul, Mary J. Blige, is in top form with eight recent Grammy nominations. Blige celebrates her career with Reflections: A Retrospective, which includes four new tracks alongside some of her greatest hits. The Bronx native already has one of the five best selling albums of 2006, The Breakthrough. This distinction makes her one of the most important female R&B artists in recent decades. Her new single, We Ride (I See the Future), bumps with a freshness that can rattle the grill of any old skool boom-box.
Fantasia Barrino releases her second album, the self-titled Fantasia. The American Idol diva is still flying high on the success of her 2004 debut album, Free Yourself. This time around she has opted for a harder R&B sound produced by Missy Elliot, Swizz Beatz, Dre & Vidal and Babyface. Barrino's decision to break away from her American Idol management may have already paid off as the album's lead single, Hood Boy, is a welcome introduction to her new musical style. A best-selling memoir and biopic will likely propel this survivor to new heights.
Newcomer, Alejandra Alberti, debuts her self-titled album this week. Born in Nashville and raised in Miami, the 22-year-old makes music that has a likeness to the pop en Español of La 5ta Estación and RBD. Her album was produced by hitmaker and session player Yasmil Marrufo, who has worked with the likes of Ricky Martin, Ricardo Montaner, Ricardo Arjona and salsa legends, Oscar D'León and Willy Chirino. Alberti's debut single, Quiero, is a cheerful, ready for airplay, pop-rock song that showcases her R&B influenced vocals. The album's remaining nine tracks keep the rock from getting hard and the pop from getting cold. Whether or not she can win over Belinda fans remains to be seen. The lead single, as well as three other tracks from Alberti's album, can be streamed on her MySpace page.
estic it
daily dos
fri 12/8/2006
Fresh from her big win at the Billboard Awards, Mary J. Blige leads the pack with eight Grammy nominations. Read full list.
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