| FCN 03/26/2002 |
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The Queen's Scene
Related Links: MaryJBlige.com
No More Drama
The Queen of Hip Hop soul, Mary J. Blige,
finds love and happiness and a whole new meaning for life
by Michelle Muhammad
One minute she�s singing like the sweetest soprano in the church and the next she is flipping the script like a hip hop veteran. Mary J. Blige once again reigns supreme as the queen of hip hop soul.
With a hit album, renewed love for self and a fianc�e in tow, there is no stopping Mary these days. She is not threatened by newcomers Tweet, Ashanti and Sharissa, who all desire to be and are being billed as the new voices of hip hop soul. Her ascension to the top hasn�t been a smooth one; it has been tumultuous at best.
The audience at Chicago�s Auditorium Theater was rocking as Mary J. came out to perform her opening number on this leg of her two day sold-out No More Drama world tour. She launched into her #1 hit �Real Love� off her What�s The 411? album. Blige showed the packed house that she had dance skills when the crowd started chanting �Go Mary! Go Mary! Go Mary.�
Her 90-minute set was electrifying and filled with such hits as �Not Gon� Cry,� �Family Affair,� �I�m Going Down,� �Sweet Thing,� �7 Whole Days� and �Deep Inside,� just to name a few. During the course of her show, the grateful diva dedicated songs to her fans and took time out to thank them for always supporting her. She also sent a shout out to Lauryn Hill while performing �All That I Can Say,� a song that Hill wrote for her. As the intro to �My Life� began, the crowd exploded. A song Blige says she wrote when she was �feeling like nobody.� The album of the same title is said to be Mary�s most personal.
Ms. Blige sang her hit �It�s Your Child��a song about a man who denies his child, with tears in her eyes, no doubt reflecting upon her own life and the father that abandoned her and her family when she was just a small child. She has since re-established this relationship with her father and they are said to be closer than ever.
Her finale, �No More Drama� was exquisite. As she sat perched behind a piano playing the bars from �The Young & The Restless,� you could tell that she was really living those words in her day-to- day life. She moved some in the crowd to tears.
Mary J. Bilge�s recent performance at the 44th annual Grammy Awards will go down in history as one of the most heart-wrenching and passionate ever. Mary has been through a lot in her life and she was truly singing from the heart. Her delivery of the song �No More Drama� from her album of the same name was so wrought with emotion that it blew the audience and at home viewers away. Fellow singer Nelly Furtado was touched by her performance. �Tonight was amazing watching her. When I was 12, What�s The 411? was in my stereo over and over and over again. And I haven�t stopped listening to her. She�s definitely an icon,� said Furtado backstage to the press.
As everyone knows, Mary has had her fair share of drama. It was no secret that she was involved with KC Hailey, lead singer of the R&B group Jodeci. Mary described this relationship as unhealthy as she dove deeper into drugs and the relationship deteriorated.
After the breakup with KC, her behavior became more erratic. She became infamous for showing up to interviews high, rude and out of control. Mary says that she woke up one day and realized that something was wrong within. She realized that her very existence was in danger because the man she was involved with said that he could murder her and she was being physically and mentally abused and chased with weapons. According to reports, it was this realization that caused Mary to re-connect with God.
Mary J. announced recently that she is engaged. Out of her intense need to have a private life, she refused to reveal his identity. A few days after the announcement, it was reported that for the past year she has been dating Martin �Kendu� Issacs, former musical director for Queen Latifah. Isaacs, she says, �loves me more than I�ve ever been loved before.� The couple is said to be planning a small wedding and they are keeping the date and location a secret.
Ms. Blige�s life has been filled with ups and downs. From the absentee-father in her youth, drugs, mental and physical abuse and self-hatred, she has weathered it all and now reigns supreme over her queendom. Mary has finally found peace in her life with the help of God. It is through that re-connection with God that she is able to love and accept herself. If all goes well, she will have No More Drama.
(Michelle Muhammad may be reached via her email address: [email protected]