Mary J. Blige is on the cover of the February / March edition of Vibe magazine, celebrating 20 years in the music industry. Her debut album What the 411? released in 1992 and there has been no looking back since then. In this issue, MJB has spoken on her current state of mind, family life, how she has evolved and even her current favorite artists. Here a few excerpts.
Let’s talk about current R&B. How do you feel when you turn on the radio?
Maybe in 2012, in the middle, I was like, “What is going on? What is this?” Things got worse before they got better. I think things are going in the right direction. I am so proud of what Rihanna is doing.
Wait, really?
Yes. She is speaking to her generation, and she’s living her life in front of them. I don’t even think she’s purposely doing it (7). She’s such a beautiful girl, and I don’t think she knows she’s that beautiful (8). She’s just living her life, and leading her generation, and she has great, great songs. Her career is amazing; and her team, obviously, is amazing.
People give her a hard time because of the whole Chris—
They give her a hard time because she’s living her life. As long as she’s having fun and isn’t three minutes away from wanting to shoot herself, good! I want her to be happy. That’s impressive to me. And I love her songs. Adele also gives me hope. God bless Amy Winehouse. She was just the perfect thing.
What about male artists?
Drake is amazing. He is an amazing writer: great songs, great melodies. And Kendrick Lamar has a classic album right now. Classic. It’s like The Chronic. I’m not saying it is The Chronic. But you know how that album felt like a movie, with a beginning, middle and an end? His album has that same thing. I also love Bruno Mars. They need to take him seriously. He. Is. A. Problem. And Miguel is amazing. His voice; his writing. All of his songs are beautiful. He is pure inspiration.
Discussion about this post