Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971 in The Bronx, New York) is a popular American R&B/Hip-Hop/Soul singer, songwriter and producer.

Though she was born in The Bronx, Blige grew up in the housing projects of Yonkers

Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971 in The Bronx, New York) is a popular American R&B/Hip-Hop/Soul singer, songwriter and producer.

Though she was born in The Bronx, Blige grew up in the housing projects of Yonkers, eventually dropping out of school before graduating. Her musical career began after she recorded "Caught Up in the Rapture" (Anita Baker) with a mall karaoke machine in 1989. Mary's mother's boyfriend at the time gave the tape to R&B singer Jeff Redd who then handed it to Andre Harrell of Uptown Records, who signed her as a back-up singer. Up-and-coming producer Sean "Puffy" Combs took an interest, however, and helped her with her critically acclaimed debut, What's the 411?, released in 1992. The album's blend of hip hop and soul music created a new "genre" of music for female artists and earned Blige the nickname (from Combs) the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul".