Mary J. Blige

Raised in New York's housing projects, her singing talent fueled her interest in music, and she began to do solo performances at her church choir. At only 17 years old, she was teamed up with Uptown producer Sean “Puffy” Combs for her debut album, What's the 411? (1992) to find her own unique blend of R&B and hip-hop. Her next album, My Life (1994) was also popular, and she executive produced her own third album Share My World (1997) with the producing help of several big names, including Babyface. She shared a 1995 Grammy Award with Method Man for Best Rap Group Performance for“ I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By”.