Mary Jane Blige is an African American R&B, soul, and hip hop soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, record producer and actress who has sold more than forty million albums worldwide. Widely known as the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul", 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.

Early in her career, Blige's highly personal songs and gritty voice earned her comparisons to soul singers who preceded her, including Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin; however, her artistic evolution and commercial success throughout the years have allowed her to exert her own influence over a new generation of artists, including Amerie, Keyshia Cole, Fantasia, and Alicia Keys.