As we watch the teen princesses take their spot center stage with their pretty faces, toned bodies and their dreams and aspirations of being the next lady to sing the Rhythm and Blues, we see their backs walking off stage just as quick as we saw their fronts walking on. However there is one face, one voice and one legacy which continues to reign supreme in the kingdom of Hip-hop/Soul and R and B and that belongs to Mary J Blige.

After six multi-platinum selling studio albums the poignant persona of one of the music industries most influential has added another jewel to the crown that has adorned her head for the last thirteen years. Presenting to her fans both old and new the latest diamond for her crown, The Breakthrough, another chapter in the life of a woman whose lyrics and emotions we have come to respect and appreciate, Mary once again has exceeded any expectations we had of her. She broke down why she believes she is still prominent in the game quite easily, “You know what I find, I find with an artist like me the fans just want what you really are. They don’t care about all the fluff and tricks they just want who you really are.”

With a new life and a new song to sing Mary never once faltered in her decision of sharing her joy with her fans as opposed to the pain she was known for. “You know I thought about it [losing fans], it was a choice I had to make to be either a leader or a follower and I made the choice to be a leader and I said if people think I am leaving them then they will understand, that is a chance we take as leaders.” So when albums sales soared way past gold in the first week, it was more than apparent that happy or melancholy, Mary was still the chick to sing along to.

With so much ego feeding the need for competition in music today Mary explained, “Well I am not competing with anyone. So many people are competing and their whole meetings are how can we cut Mary’s head off whereas mine are about, how can I connect with my fans constantly, how can I bring people to a place where they feel better about themselves and that is really it?” The younger influx of R&B songstresses bother Mary for only one reason and it isn’t to do with their singing capabilities; it is what they believe they need to do to make an impression. When it comes down to showing a little too much flesh MJB had this to say, “I am not judging the females, because if it works for them it works for them. Me? Well there is a way to show off your abdominal area for Mary J Blige just as there is a way to show off your arms and your legs and you just have to know that you have people, little kids watching.” Continued on page 2 »