Mary J. Blige.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige flipped the R&B world on its head with her groundbreaking 1992 debut album What’s the 411? Since then, her anthems of resilience and empowerment have inspired a legion of loyal fans while influencing virtually every R&B artist of the last 20 years, including Aaliyah, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and SZA. Her career dominance reveals impressive longevity – each of her 13 albums have reached the Top 10, earning nine Grammys and selling more than 50 million albums.
Blige signed with Uptown Records in the early 1990s, becoming the label’s youngest and first female artist. Her debut singlehandedly created the genre of hip-hop soul and produced number one R&B hits “Real Love” and “You Remind Me.” Her image – oversized jerseys, backwards baseball hats, and combat boots – introduced a new look to R&B music, and her lyrics embraced a realness that connected with fans, especially women. Her mid-1990s hits with the Notorious B.I.G., Method Man, and JAY-Z created the blueprints for R&B/hip-hop collaborations for decades to follow.