Mary J. Blige

Released: August 26, 2003

Songwriter: Mary J. Blige Ricky West Khalis Bayyan Robert Bell George Brown Robert Spike Mickens Claydes Smith Alton Taylor Dennis Thomas

Producer: Mary J. Blige Diddy

[Chorus]
We've got a message in our music
And we know exactly how to use it

[Verse]
A message comin' from the soul
Want you to listen young and old
We're not just writing any song
That you can dance to all night long
Please correct me if i'm wrong
But this music is a strong
Way for us to communicate
I gotta let it have its way

[Pre-Chorus]
Let it take you to a place
Only music can provide
Let it make you feel as if
You can really touch the sky

[Chorus]
We've got a message in our music
And we know exactly how to use it

Mary Jane Blige (b. Jan 11 1971) grew up in the projects of Yonkers, New York. A random decision to record a cover of “Caught Up in the Rapture” by Anita Baker in a pop-up recording booth at a mall led MJB to getting signed by Uptown Entertainment. After providing background vocals on Father MC’s hit single “I’ll Do 4 U” in 1990, a young intern at Uptown named Sean “Puffy” Combs ended up executive producing Mary’s 1992 debut album What’s The 411?. Fusing hip-hop beats with Mary’s soulful voice earned her the nickname “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul”.

She followed up her debut with a string of critically acclaimed albums, including 1994’s My Life and 1997’s Share My World, as well as hit singles such as “Not Gon' Cry,” “Family Affair,” “Be Without You,” and “Just Fine.”

She also collaborated with rappers on a number of tracks, including Jay-Z’s “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” Ghostface Killah’s “All That I Got is You,” Wyclef’s “911,” Common’s “Come Close,” and Method Man’s “I’ll Be There for You/All I Need to Get By,” which was a platinum hit and won the two of them a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group.

more tracks from the album

Love & Life

From the album

Love & Life (2003)

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Love & Life