Mary J. Blige became the queen of hip-hop soul in the early '90s. Raised in Yonkers, her powerful and assertive voice was a natural fit for the sound and feel of New York rap at the time. Her pioneering 1992 debut (What's the 411?) bridged the gap between rap and R&B with some guidance from then-producer Sean “Puffy” Combs, and breakthrough tracks saw her collaborating with rappers like Grand Puba and The Notorious B.I.G. As her career has bloomed, she's become known for her work's emotional honesty—and a number of GRAMMY® wins—but for longtime fans she'll always be an ambassador of uptown.
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