The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul was in the building in New York, as Mary J. Blige recently paid a visit to our studios to talk about her upcoming residency in Las Vegas, her relationship with Prince, her journey to self-love, and so much more during a talk with Big Mack and Shelly Wade.
LISTEN NOW: Mary J. Blige on 94.7 The Block
Mary is launching her first Las Vegas residency later this year, as Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story, takes over at Dolby Live at Park MGM, with shows scheduled across May and July. "It's gonna be, it's a theater, so it's intimate," she shares. "It's like 5,000 people. That's how I like it, you know."
"It's the story of my life. I don't want to give too much away, but there's gonna be a couple of acting things that act out the music. It's gonna be a little theatrical, but the music is gonna just be crazy because the B-sides I'm performing."
"I saw Usher's and, I'm not gonna say I could top anything, but he did his story, and everything that he did was Usher, you know, he did Atlanta," she says of Usher's Las Vegas show. "So I'm gonna do Mary J. Blige. I'm bringing New York."
Mary remains the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, forever, even though she's now a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "It means the most to me because I'm in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because of the title," admits Mary. "If it wasn't for me being the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, they would not have recognized my music in the genre that I have opened up for so many. It is the crown that I wear in this music industry, and it's more powerful than ever because everybody wants to be the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul or the King."
To hear more from Mary on new music, her time with The Purple One, and her transition from survival to self-love, listen to the full conversation above.