Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American R&B, soul, and hip hop soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, record producer, actress, and hip hop icon who has sold more than 40 million records and over 10 million singles worldwide. She is widely known as the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul", and has also received over 26 Grammy Award nominations for her work, winning eight, also awarded the World Music Legends Award for contributing hip-hop and soul together like no one else during the early 90's. Early in her career, Blige's highly personal songs and gritty voice earned her comparisons to soul singers who preceded her, including Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin; however her artistic evolution and commercial success throughout the years have allowed her to exert her own influence over a new generation of artists.

When her debut album, What’s the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige’s Yonkers, NY, childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them, she helped adorn soul music with new textures and flavors that inspired a whole generation of musicians