Mary J Blige’s career has spanned three decades, and in many ways, her music has helped some of us get through some of life’s toughest blows.

Music has the power to heal, connect and uplift. For many years, many artists have inspired us with their music, but Mary J. Blige has always stood out from the pack. Aside from inspiring us with her fashion choices and hairstyles, Blige’s songs have served as healing time capsules for many women, especially Black women, whose experiences in life and love are often under-discussed.

The Queen Of Hip Hop Soul

When Blige began to have a prominent presence on the music scene, she became one of the leading voices for crafting the Black female identity in R&B and soul music. Instead of fitting into a cookie-cutter identity, Blige began to fuse her traditional genres with elements of Hip Hop, in many ways, became the blueprint for other female artists who wanted to follow in her footsteps.

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Fans fell in love with Blige’s poignant voice, and her ability to tell sharp, relatable stories through her music. In the words of Malcolm X, Black women are some of the most disrespected people in America, and Blige’s lyrics have represented this reality a million times over. Her songs span themes of heartbreak, infidelity, strength and self-love. With her deep lyrics, evocative voice and vulnerability, Blige’s art has been a soothing salve for many Black women who want to be heard, so salut to Blige for making amplifying the stories and voices of Black women.