Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
	Mary J. Blige performing at the Neighborhood Ball in Washington, D.C.; 2009
Background information
Birth name	Mary Jane Blige
Born	January 11, 1971 (age 49); The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Origin	Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Genres	R&B; soul; hip hop; hip hop soul; neo soul;
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, model, record producer, actress
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Matriarch/Capitol (current); Uptown/MCA/Geffen/Interscope; Verve Records (former)
Associated acts	Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Method Man, Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, R. Kelly, Monica, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, 2face Idibia, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Ludacris
Website	Official website

Mary Jane Blige (or simply Mary J Blige, born January 11, 1971) is an American R&B, hip hop and soul singer. She released 11 studio albums, 82 singles, and 8 other albums.

Music career[change | change source]

In 1988, just for fun, 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 later 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.

Other works[change | change source]

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 Tony Dofat, Mark Morales and Cory Rooney, Dave "Jam" Hall, and DeVante Swing.

In 2014 Blige will tour with R. Kelly called "The King and Queen Tour".^[1]

Personal life[change | change source]

Blige is a Democrat.^[2]

Filmography[change | change source]

Film[change | change source]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Prison Song	Mrs. Butler	Film 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	Filming
TBA	Body Cam	Renee	Post-production
TBA	The Violent Heart	Nina	Filming

Television[change | change source]

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)
2007	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
2013	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[change | change source]

↑ "R. Kelly Announces Tour with Mary J. Blige". BET.com.
↑ Tran, Vivyan (September 7, 2012). "Celebrities spotted at the Democratic National Convention". Politico.

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[1] "R. Kelly Announces Tour with Mary J. Blige". BET.com.

[2] Tran, Vivyan (September 7, 2012). "Celebrities spotted at the Democratic National Convention". Politico.

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