Mary J. Blige, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, will be honored at the 2024 Urban One Honors with the Entertainment Icon Honor.
The ceremony airs Sunday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET on TV One and simulcast on CLEO TV.
“Urban One is thrilled to honor the incomparable Mary J. Blige as our 2024 Entertainment Icon,” says Michelle L. Rice, president of TV One and CLEO TV.
“Mary’s immeasurable talent and award-winning music has shaped our culture and has had a profound impact on artists and music across all genres, but most notably the elevation of female artists in both R&B and Hip Hop across generations. She fully personifies the ‘Best in Black’ theme of this year’s Urban One Honors.”
Previous recipients of the Entertainment Icon Honor include Jennifer Hudson, LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx.
Blige, a nine-time Grammy winner and Emmy Award recipient, joins the previously announced honorees at the 2024 Urban One Honors: Dionne Warwick (Lifetime Achievement); Frankie Beverly (Living Legend); Chlöe (Generation Next); and Donald Lawrence (Inspirational Impact).
“As we unveil the lineup for this year’s Urban One Honors, we are delighted to highlight the incredible musical journeys of Dionne Warwick, Chlöe, Frankie Beverly, and Donald Lawrence. Their selection as honorees is a recognition of their profound impact on both music and culture, spanning generations,” said Rice.
The lineup of performers and presenters include Teyana Taylor, Bebe Winans, Damon Little, Angie Stone, and October London, alongside a reunion featuring Keke Wyatt, Chanté Moore, and Nicci Gilbert (cast of R&B Divas).
In May 2022, Blige was presented with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards. “What an icon means to me is overcoming obstacles to accomplish the unthinkable and be wildly admired for having influence over a multitude of people, and that is what I’ve always represented,” Blige said during her acceptance speech.
A week after her Billboard Music Award, Blige was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022.
In February 2022, Blige released her Grammy-nominated album Good Morning Gorgeous. The deluxe version of the album spawned six Grammy nods: Album of the Year, Record of the Year (“Good Morning Gorgeous”), Best R&B Performance (“Here With Me” featuring Anderson .Paak), Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Good Morning Gorgeous”), and Best R&B Song (“Good Morning Gorgeous”).
The album’s title track was recently certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The 2021 single, produced by D’Mile and H.E.R., has sold over 500,000 equivalent units. It’s Blige’s first RIAA as a lead act since her 2013 holiday album, A Mary Christmas, also certified gold.
Blige’s latest standalone single, “Still Believe in Love,” is No. 1 for a third consecutive week on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.
It’s her longest-charting No. 1 hit since her 2017 single “U + Me (Love Lesson),” which also spent three weeks atop the Adult R&B Airplay chart.
“Still Believe in Love,” featuring rapper Vado, first reached No. 1 during the week Dec. 30, 2023. It marked Blige’s eighth leader on this chart.
Watch the official video for “Still Believe in Love” below.
