In 1994, with nearly two years having passed since the release of What’s the 411?, Blige began the recording process for My Life, the songstress’ highly-anticipated sophomore effort. Every woman in the world is after him, every man in the world is after me, but I didn’t know every man was after me until later ’cause I was too busy wanting him. And it’s very, very hard when you have two famous people, young. “And I was one of the biggest female R&B singers at the time and we were both big, big artists. “It was really hard because Jodeci was a phenomenal, phenomenal R&B band,” Blige recalled during a recent interview. One of the first high-profile relationships between two R&B stars, the pair’s sexual and musical chemistry manifested itself in 1992 with “I Don’t Want to Do Anything,” a duet from What’s the 411? Blige and Hailey’s love-life was fodder for the tabloids and rumor-mill but had more serious implications with constant reports of physical and verbal altercations between the two making the rounds and adding a toxic element to their romance. Around that time, Blige also began dating label-mate K-Ci Hailey, a member of R&B group Jodeci, who had also set the charts on fire with their 1991 debut, Forever My Lady. Notoriously moody and abrasive in interviews, Blige’s reputation as an unpredictable unprofessional wild-card with the potential to combust at any given moment began to precede her, further solidifying her rugged image in industry circles. Unable to properly adjust to her newfound fame and suffering from past trauma stemming from being the victim of sexual abuse as a child and teenager, Blige began to self-medicate by using cocaine and alcohol to cope with stress. In spite of her debut being touted as one of the stronger efforts of the year and her star rising at a rapid rate, trouble brewed in Blige’s paradise and would begin to become apparent in the aftermath of the album’s release. By the time What’s the 411?, Blige’s solo debut, arrived in summer 1992, that look signaled a departure from traditional R&B tropes and hip-hop’s growing influence on the genre.
Entrusted with transforming Blige and cultivating her image as an artist, Combs, along with stylist Misa Hytlon-Brim, keyed in on her around-the-way girl tendencies and magnified them, outfitting Blige in street-approved designer wears, backward baseball caps, and baggy Girbaud jeans. Earning her first credits singing background for Uptown artist Father MC, Blige’s career as a soloist stalled before being paired with Sean “Puffy” Combs, a hot-shot A&R with a stylish flair and a pulse on what was hot in the streets and the clubs. Unbeknownst to Blige, a demo of the performance would be passed along to Jeff Redd, an artist and A&R at Uptown Records, who was taken aback by Blige’s vocal prowess.įacilitating a meeting with label president and CEO Andre Harrell, Redd’s efforts resulted In Blige inking a deal in 1989, becoming the youngest act on the roster and its first female R&B artist. The course of Blige’s future would forever be altered following a visit to the Galleria Mall, in White Plains, New York, where she sang a cover of Anita Baker’s “Caught up in the Rapture” in a recording booth on a whim. However, her roots in the rough-and-tumble Schlobohm Houses and a lack of connections within the music industry made her chance at attaining a music career an unlikely one.
Raised in Yonkers, New York, Blige discovered her talent as a singer at seven years old, honing her skills with performances for local residents, friends, and family.
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