While on the internet the other day I came across Mary J. Bliges video for her recent single, Someone to Love Me (Naked). Though this wasn’t my first time viewing the video I found
myself watching the video as if it was my first time checking it out. Looking at Ms. Blige bop along to the beat with a swagger that rivaled that of P. Diddy’s and Lil’ Wayne’s I couldn’t help taking a trip back down memory lane and realizing why she was given the title “Queen of Hip Hop Soul.” Once again observing Mary with her b-girl swag on a thousand I thought about the impact she’s had on the hip hop community. I thought about all the rap artist whose songs were injected with a strong dose of estrogen when Mary did her thing on their song; in addition, I think of the incredible remixes she’s done with hip hop artist (most famously “I Love You” w/ Smif-N-Wessun) throughout her career. With the release of What’s the 411 in 1992 Mary claimed her spot in music history & etched out a lane that many female artists has tried to follow afterwards. Before her Grammy award winning collaboration with Method Man I first caught Mary exchanging verses with Grand Puba on the What’s the 411 remix. Many people site that particular collaboration as her “break” which made the hip hop community heavily embraced her as their own, as their little sister if you will or as some have playfully said their “Auntie Mary.” Not too long after the release of What’s the 411 album we were hit with What’s the 411 remix album. On this album Mary hooked up with some of raps elite which further cemented her title as “Queen of Hip Hop Soul.” On there she had memorable collaborations with Craig Mack, Heavy D and my favorite the “Real Love” remix that featured the late, great Notorious B.I.G. From that point on Mary J. Blige has gone on to work with raps veterans (Jay-Z) as well as raps rookies (Drake). The aforementioned “All I Need” with Method Man is still a classic and is even credited with being the song that introduced rap/R&B marriage that flooded airwaves in the 90’s going into the new millennium. You have to ask yourself would Jay-Z’s “Can’t Knock the Hustle” been as epic without the beautifully, depressing croon of Mary on the hook? Would “All I Need” been a Grammy award winning song without the help of her raspy voice? Would you have liked Ghostface Killah’s “All That I Got Is You” as much if Mary didn’t come in at the end and mirror the same story Ghost rap about only through song? Some even question did Mary aid in the exposure of Smif-N-Wessun to an audience that wasn’t familiar with their “Bucktown” roots. Whether you agree with those ideas or not one thing is for certain; despite the list of female entertainers that has come and gone since ’92 Mary has been there and isn’t going anywhere. She has built an incredible resume just off of remixes of her songs. Those songs have featured the cream of the crop in rap music such as LL Cool J, Lauryn Hill, Mr. Cheeks, Foxy Brown, Keith Murray and the list goes on. Even as a feature on rap artist songs (Mobb Deep, DMX, Fabolous) she has been a “beast” and lived up to her title as “Queen of Hip Hop Soul.” Later this year Ms. Blige plans on releasing My Life II: The Journey Continues and I’m sure it will be another one that not only the R&B world rocks to but the hip hoppers as well. ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!
Mary J. Blige: A Look Into Her ‘Hip Hop’ Soul
Advertisement
