Mary J. Blige was among the Class of 2024 honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland last night. Dr. Dre and Method Man inducted the soul great, before a hits medley featuring Ella Mai and Lucky Daye. Watch clips of “My Life” and “Family Affair” below.
Blige, who inducted Solomon Burke in 2001 and, posthumously, Nina Simone in 2018, said in her speech, “The queen of hip-hop soul is a rock star.”
In introducing Blige, Dr. Dre said, “Let’s face it, you don’t just listen to a Mary album. You feel that shit in your soul. Every single syllable, her emotional vocals capture the pain and culture, but her messages of resilience, of hope and light are a pathway towards healing. When you listen to Mary, we’re reminded we’re not alone in heartbreak.”
In her own speech, Rolling Stone reports, Blige said, “I’m grateful that I’m loved, and I’m capable now to give love. When I said I wanted to be happy, I really meant that. And I’m not talking about just the happiness where you’re delusional and think everything is okay. I’m talking about the happiness where you know there will be trials, but you’re going to smile anyway, because you believe you’ll get through it. That kind of happiness. I’m building for expansion. I’m building for longevity. I’m building for legacy, and I’m building for history. This whole time I was building to be a rock star, and not now. I am the queen of hip-hop — Soul is a rock star.”
Read Clover Hope’s Sunday Review of Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough.
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