Mary J. Blige is one of the titans of hip-hop and R&B music. She has held her crown as the reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul for over three decades, consistently performing and releasing music that resonates with many. Her openness and candor, sometimes during the most painful seasons of life, have touched the hearts of her audience and those watching from afar.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, Blige and 15 others will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the class of 2024, marking the 39th year since the first induction. At the first ceremony in 1986, only an elite group of male acts of all kinds were inducted, including Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Little Richard and more.
Interestingly, Blige has a connection to many of those inducted in the first year. Case in point: The super producer duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated the iconic bassline from James Brown’s 1973 classic “The Payback” into Blige’s beloved hit “Everything” from her third album, Share My World. Blige took the fan-favorite to the top five of many charts in 1997.
From there, Blige established herself as one of the most versatile artists of her time, capable of collaborating with artists from many genres without sounding out of place. She collaborated with the iconic rock band U2, who were inductees as part of the class of 2005, both in the studio and on stage. The band first encountered Blige at the 2002 Grammy Awards, where she delivered a powerful rendition of “No More Drama” (more on that later).
Bono, the frontman of U2, could be visibly seen at the end of her performance, clapping and scanning the crowd in awe for their reaction. In 2005, Blige and U2 collaborated on an updated version of the band’s beloved 1991 classic, “One,” for Blige’s album, The Breakthrough.
Skip ahead to 2024; Blige also has ties to legendary figures who are part of the class of 2024. Notably, she is closely attached to Norman Whitfield, a highly acclaimed songwriter and producer, set to receive a posthumous Musical Excellence Award.
Blige has re-recorded two songs written and produced by Whitfield for Rose Royce, including “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” with Faith Evans and “I’m Going Down.” The latter belter, an arena anthem loved and sung by all, has become more synonymous with Blige than its original performers, respectively.
As the countdown continues for the 39th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rated R&B reveals 16 more connections that Mary J. Blige has with at least one artist from some of the other induction classes, demonstrating why she is in good company.
Quick note: the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be live-streamed on Disney+ on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. ET. It will also be shown on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu starting Oct. 20.
Blige will perform with special guests Ella Mai and Lucky Daye, with Method Man and Dr. Dre listed as presenters.
Class of 1987 – Aretha Franklin, Performers Category
Back in 2002, culture journalist and photographer Craig Seymour confidently asserted that Mary J. Blige could one day be celebrated in the same way as some of the greatest women in music, including three Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, one of whom was Aretha Franklin. Blige is often regarded as the equivalent of what Franklin was to their generation, a sentiment shared in the past by Kelly Rowland, Sir Elton John, Andre Harrell and others. “When you think about Mary J. Blige, you think about, to me, like our generation of Aretha Franklin because she’s got so much soul and she’s just so raw,” stated Rowland. John added, “We Mary comes on television, you’re always prepared for something great. It’s like when Aretha came on television, you knew you were in the presence of greatness. And by God, she is great.”
Like the Queen of Soul, Blige commands respect, epitomizes soul, and has racked up a career’s worth of accomplishments, including nine Grammys. One of her wins, for Best Gospel Performance with “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” is shared with Franklin. It’s noteworthy that this win marked Franklin’s final trophy and 20th overall. Further, their inaugural collaboration, “Don’t Waste My Time,” from 1999, also received a Grammy nomination.
Yet, not enough discussion has been focused on Franklin having Blige co-write material for her 2003 album, So Damn Happy, despite the emphasis on the duets between the two. One of the standout moments was “No Matter What,” featuring background vocals by Blige, with Troy Taylor as a co-writer and producer. Blige also offered backing vocals and co-writing on “Holdin’ On” from the same album.
Class of 1989 – Stevie Wonder, Performers Category
“I was five years old when I first heard Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. You feel so good listening to whatever lyrics that Stevie is singing,” Blige said in a 2017 interview. Blige’s admiration for this particular Stevie Wonder album and the music genius himself runs extremely deep. In 1992, the two first met on the Arsenio Hall Show, where they performed “You Will Know” with Jodeci. Later, she incorporated parts of “Pastime Paradise” from Wonder’s 1976 album into her soulful 1999 release, Mary, specifically in the song “Time.” According to Blige’s former manager, Kirk Burrowes, Blige covered “As” with George Michael, intending it to be part of the same album. Years later, Blige teamed up with Usher to pay tribute to Motown and performed “Do I Do” at the 2017 Fashion Rocks ceremony.
Class of 1992 – The Isley Brothers, Performers Category
A collaboration still worth having in this life is the one between Mary J. Blige and The Isley Brothers. Blige has thoroughly searched through the record bin for interpolations and elements from the band’s decades-spanning career. For example, she interpolated their legendary group’s 1979 classic “Let’s Fall in Love (Parts 1 & 2)” for “The Love I Never Had” from the Mary album. She later did a full-fledged cover of their material when she re-recorded “Hello It’s Me” for a special edition of her Grammy-winning album Growing Pains (2007). Additionally, Ron Isley of the legendary band and Blige also shared a minor acting role on The Jamie Foxx Show, playing a daughter and father pair.
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Class of 1993 – Dinah Washington, Early Influences Category
Blige portrayed the Queen of Blues, Dinah Washington, in the 2021 film Respect. The biopic centered around the early career of Aretha Franklin, for which Jennifer Hudson starred as the Queen of Soul. “It was nice to work alongside Jennifer Hudson and be that character. Flipping the table over was just so therapeutic,” said Blige to Elle.
Class of 1994 – Sir Elton John, Performers Category
“[Blige] is genuinely one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, and certainly, my favorite girl singer,” Sir Elton John told Blige over a video gram during a taping of Private Sessions. Blige and John have a long history of recording and performing, dating back to 1999 when Blige integrated parts of “Bennie and The Jets” into “Deep Inside.” John also played the piano on the personal track, which rocketed to the top 10 on the R&B and hip-hop charts in 2000.
Over the years, Blige and John have performed together on stage. They sang John’s hit song “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” and Blige belted “The Right Time” while John played the piano in tribute to Ray Charles during the 2000s. Later in their careers, John wrote the empowering song “Stronger Than I Ever Was,” inspired by Blige’s divorce, for the animated film Sherlock Gnomes in 2017. The following year, Blige covered “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” a song she had previously performed live, for John’s tribute album Revamp.
Class of 1995 – Al Green, Performers Category
Maxwell is not the only artist who has put their own spin on Al Green’s 1972 signature tune “Simply Beautiful.” Blige collaborated once again with her My Life collaborator Chucky Thompson for the song “PMS,” which addresses what she considers to be “the worst part of being a woman.” The emotional anthem takes inspiration from the pensive organ instrumentation of Green’s classic.
During a live taping of a concert DVD featuring Green, Blige also performed an improvised version of “Simply Beautiful.” In the same concert special, Blige and Green sang together, performing “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” from Green’s 1972 album Let’s Stay Together.
Class of 1999 – Curtis Mayfield, Performers Category
Blige had to have a huge affinity for Curtis Mayfield to have embedded his music into not one but two songs on the My Life album. The first of the pair was “I’m The Only Woman,” a sure-footed track for which it samples, was inspired by a romantic scene in Mayfield’s Super Fly 1972 film.
Blige included “You’re So Good to Me” from Mayfield’s 1979 album, Heartbeat, as the basis for “Be Happy,” the lead single off My Life. Mayfield’s smooth foundation and continuous slap-bass accompaniment benefitted Blige’s career, as her optimistic single reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 29 on the Hot 100 in the winter of 1994.
Class of 2000 – Eric Clapton, Performers Category
Blige collaborated with a star-studded class of artists and musicians for her fourth album, Mary, propelling her from a hip-hop singer to a bonafide artist. Among the new studio associates was English guitar legend Eric Clapton, who played on the Diane Warren-penned “Give Me You.” The ballad, another top 10 hit for the R&B icon, was quite different from anything previously heard from Blige.
“I just figured that was a really great song for her voice and it was kind of something different for her,” Warren exclusively told Rated R&B in 2019. “When I write a song, it’s almost like casting. You just want the best voice and she has one of the best voices ever.”
Circling back to Clapton, he invited Blige to perform songs from her career at a benefit concert in support of Crossroads Centre in Antigua. She delivered a three-song medley, including a powerful rendition of “Not Gon Cry.”
Class of 2001 – Michael Jackson, Performers Category
Blige has been a fan of Michael Jackson for as long as she can remember. “When I was growing up, my idea of music royalty was Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, The Jackson 5,” she gushed to W Magazine in 2015. “Every song that they’d ever sang was my favorite song. I was just a huge fan, especially of Michael. He was just my husband in my head.”
While Blige never collaborated with Michael Jackson, she did enjoy sampling and interpolating his music, particularly from his Off the Wall album, in her work. In 1999, she mimicked the vocal phrasing of his 1979 song “I Can’t Help It” in “Sexy” featuring Jadakiss. She later interpolated the energetic “woo” from Michael’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” at the beginning of her long-standing anthem for confident women, “Just Fine.”
Jazze Pha, who co-wrote and co-produced, told Rated R&B in 2017 that he had no doubt fans would gravitate to Blige’s sunny new approach. “I already knew fans were going to love [“Just Fine”],” Pha declared. “It was upbeat but it was still Mary. It didn’t feel like something she was trying that was out on the limb somewhere for her or her fans. It felt right in the middle for her fans. It was different … but it still felt good for them.”
The music video for “Just Fine,” directed by Chris Applebaum, was also heavily inspired by Michael’s video for his second No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Class of 2002 – Isaac Hayes, Performers Category
Blige’s My Life album not only delves into her broken relationship and life struggles but also reflects the music she adored while growing up. The thoughtfully sampled project takes listeners back to the sounds of ‘70s soul, with the piano from Isaac Hayes’ “Ike’s Mood I” woven into the final product known as “I Love You.” Blige remembers that DJs used to mix this track from Hayes’ album …To Be Continued into the hip-hop breaks at block parties. Fast forward to 2014, hip-hop giant Nas sampled “Ike’s Mood I” for his track “Reach Out,” featuring Blige. The song appears on the lyricist’s album Life Is Good.
Class of 2003 – The Police, Performers Category
“Dance for Me” featuring Common, from Blige’s fifth album, No More Drama, is considered a standout in her extensive discography. It’s a lively track that samples “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” by The Police, a British rock trio led by frontman Sting (more on him later). The song was a big hit overseas, reaching No. 13 on the UK Official Singles chart.
Speaking of Sting, he collaborated (“Whenever I Say Your Name”) with Blige for his album Sacred Love in 2003. Their duet, which they performed at her An Intimate Evening with Mary J. Blige – Live from the House of Blues special, won a Grammy in the pop category the following year. It became Blige’s third of nine statuettes from the Recording Academy.
Class of 2015 – Bill Withers, Performers Category
In 2009, Blige was invited to perform for President Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., for his inauguration as the 44th commander-in-chief. She delighted thousands outdoors with her moving rendition of the soothing 1972 anthem “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers. Blige still cites this moment of career as a major highlight.
Class of 2018 – Nina Simone, Performers Category
In 2018, Blige was present to induct Nina Simone, the High Priestess of Soul, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her presence there was not coincidental; for over a decade, she has been connected to Simone in one way or another. Blige was originally intended to portray Simone in a biopic, and she took piano lessons and acting classes to prepare. “It’s a big honor to have been chosen, but this is the first big role I’ve ever had. I’m going to give it all that I have,” said Blige in a 2006 interview with Real Health.
Three years later, Blige mentioned that she was moving forward with the film under her now-defunct Matriarch Entertainment banner. The following year, she confirmed that she was enrolled in various classes to prepare for the film. It was said to be shot that fall but was later delayed. Although she was not chosen for the biopic about Simone that was released, she has not given up on the idea of portraying the larger-than-life woman. “I want to learn how to play the piano,” Blige told Stephen Colbert in 2023. “I love her songs. They are very dark and moody and I can always find a place for that. So yeah, I definitely want to play her.”
Biopic aside, Blige used a sample of Simone’s iconic vocal for her song “About You” in 2005. In 2015, she re-recorded Nina Simone’s song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” for a tribute compilation. Additionally, Blige’s 2024 single “Breathing,” featuring Fabolous, includes a sample of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ song “I Put a Spell on You,” which Nina Simone had previously covered.
Class of 2019 – Janet Jackson, Performers Category
While music icon Janet Jackson and soul diva Mary J. Blige have never worked together on music, the two share a mutual respect for one another. They, along with Beyoncé, graced the June 2004 issue of Essence following Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. Blige was asked about Jackson in the cover story, stating, “She’s been an inspiration, and I love and respect her.”
Blige adds, “She goes through a lot because she’s a big celebrity. That comes with the territory. She’s everything I thought she was when I was a child watching her. I know with all that success comes other stuff, but the strength she has is, to me, the biggest gift.”
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Years later, Jackson and Blige had rare photo opportunities. They also were on the same performance bill or seen supporting each other at their sold-out shows. Then, in 2022, Jackson presented Blige with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards. Just before this, Blige referenced Jackson in “No Idea,” which is taken from Good Morning Gorgeous.
Class of 2022 – Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Musical Excellence Award
Had Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis never worked with Blige, fans would have been deprived of many of the essentials and gems in her discography, including the Nas-assisted “Love Is All We Need,” the lead single from her third album, Share My World. Then there is “The Love I Never Had,” which appeared on her subsequent release, Mary. However, if there is one song that will be remembered as her most recognizable from their sessions together, it’s “No More Drama,” from the album of the same title, released in 2001.
The survival track continued to pave the way for her success in music, especially after her unforgettable performance at the 2002 Grammys, which remains one of the most talked-about in Recording Academy history. Jam & Lewis collaborated with Blige in the later stages of her career, contributing to two tracks (“Baggage” and “Can’t Get Enough“) on her Grammy-winning album, The Breakthrough. Most recently, in 2021, the renowned duo featured Blige on a song titled “Spinning” from their debut album, Jam & Lewis Vol. 1.
Class of 2023 – Chaka Khan, Musical Excellence Award
Blige must feel like a lucky woman. Not only has she covered music by Chaka Khan, one of her biggest influences, but she has also won a Grammy with the Queen of Funk for “Disrespectful,” which she wrote and presented to Khan. In terms of covers, Blige gave new life to Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing” for her debut album What’s the 411? There are also unreleased and rare remakes, such as “Everlasting Love,” originally recorded by Rufus and Chaka Khan in 1977, on YouTube.
In 2012, Blige remade one of Khan’s mega hits “Ain’t Nobody” for her 10th album, My Life II: The Journey Continues (Act I). Blige has shared the stage with Khan on many occasions and curated a lineup for the 2017 Essence Festival and her inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival in 2022, for which she enlisted Khan to perform. Above all, in many of Blige’s interviews, when asked about the best advice she’s received, she quickly refers to the words shared by Khan. “For me to get out of my own way,” Blige recalls.
