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On this day, 27 years ago, Mary J. Blige released ‘Mary’!

 The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 239,000 copies in its first week. It spent 57 weeks on the chart and produced five charting singles. Upon its release, Mary received acclaim from music critics. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of two million units in the United States.

WAKE IT UP!!

34 years ago, TODAY! Mary J. Blige released her SMASH debut, ‘What’s the 411?’!! And the rest is HERSTORY!

What’s the 411? is the debut album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige. It was released on July 28, 1992, by Uptown Records and MCA Records. After signing a record contract with Uptown, Blige began working on the album with producer Sean “Puffy” Combs. Other producers and songwriters included DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave Hall, Mark Morales and Mark “Cory” Rooney. The resulting music covered hip hop soul, contemporary R&B, and new jack swing styles.

What’s the 411? was also met with positive reviews from critics, who applauded Blige’s singing and the combination of hip hop and soul music, which led to her being named the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul“. The album peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and topped the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.  It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and eventually sold 3.5 million copies.