Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress who has sold more than forty million albums worldwide. Blige is a Golden Globe nominated singer and grammy award winning R&B superstar. She has received over twenty-six Grammy Award nominations for her work, winning eight, and has been awarded the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul together like no one else during the early 1990s.
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In 1988, Blige recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture" at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd then sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and, in 1989, she was signed to the label; becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.

Upon signing to Uptown, Blige's early years there were dormant, as the label continued to focus most of its attention on its more established acts. During this time, Blige occasionally did session work as a background singer for her label mates. In 1990, she was introduced as a background singer for Redd, during a performance at the Apollo Theatre.

The same year she also sang the hook on "I'll Do 4 U" by rapper and label mate Father MC, appearing in the concert-themed music video of the same name; In 1991, she was spotted on the syndicated show, Showtime at the Apollo, singing back up for Jeff Redd. In early Fall of 1992, Blige guest spotted with Grand Puba with his single, Check It Out. Blige's first national debut appearance was in the summer of 1992 when she appeared on MTV's Yo! MTV Raps performing "What's the 411?" (the title track) with Grand Puba. Mary has a 4 octave vocal range and can hit notes in the baritone range.

Blige had a very public and tumultuous six-year relationship with Jodeci frontman Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, which ended in 1997. Following the run of their union, despite having been linked with singer Case, rapper Nas and producer/singer Malik Pendleton, she has kept many of her relationships private.

In 2000, Blige began a relationship with record industry executive Martin Kendu Isaacs (known simply as "Kendu"), who is now her manager. Blige has also credited Isaacs for helping her overcome her addictions to drugs and alcohol. The two were married on December 24th, 2003 in a small private ceremony at Blige's home attended by 50 guests (none of whom were media).

In a 2006 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Blige said that she was molested at the age of five.

On March 27th 2008 it was reported that Mary J. Blige, along with her husband bought a 12.3 million dollar house, with a movie theater and a basketball court.

Mary J. Blige was among the celebrities listed as People Magazines 100 Most Beautiful People.

She has an elder sister named Latonya Blige-DaCosta, a soul and gospel singer who had been her manager before Kendu and who is previously rumoured to have worked in the porn-film industry, and a younger half-brother Bruce Miller by her mother Cora Blige. She was born in New York City - Bronx, daughter of Jazz musician Thomas Blige and the nurse Cora Blige. After her father left the family when Mary was four years old, the family relocated from Bronx to crime-prone Southwest Yonkers, into a social Projects flat.