Often called the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” R&B singer Mary J. Blige (1971–) was born on this day and raised in the projects of New York City. She began singing in her church choir at age seven.

“When you’re seven, you know how to love,” she once said. “You know how to openly trust without having fear about it.”

A karaoke recording of Anita Baker’s Rapture, made at the mall, helped open a door: Blige landed a record contract and stepped into the big time in 1992 with What’s the 411? “Singing to us was like eating,” she said. “We was singing anywhere we would go.”

With street-smart strut and a passionate voice influenced by Aretha Franklin, her music became a celebration of spirituality and strength, sharing hard-won truth from abusive relationships and low self-esteem.

Her music arrived unpolished, born of pain: addiction, abuse, depression, and years of believing she was unworthy of love. What makes her voice unforgettable is her honesty. She sings what others are afraid to say aloud, and in doing so, gives others permission to healwith her.

Her legacy lives in the way people feel seen when her music plays. Not fixed. Not rescued. Just understood.

“In every ghetto, hip-hop is a big deal,” she said. “And I know real hip-hop when I hear it because I’m from that element, and that’s all we had: block parties and DJs that never made it out.”

A survivor who has evolved into a symbol of empowerment, Blige said, “I’m walking without fear. And if there are mistakes to be made, I’ll make them. Learn from them and keep on going.”