Black Women in Entertainment
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Birthday Girl Mary J. Blige
Today is Mary J. Blige’s 47th birthday, and the iconic singer has come a long way from her early days in Richmond Hill, Georgia, and her developmental years in Yonkers.
We know the ways in which her style has evolved, as well as her music, but there aren’t many small, fun things we know about Blige. Maybe that’s because she comes off serious a lot of the time — except when she’s busting a move. So why not get to know more about the things she’s done and loved and been through over the last 47 years? Check out 10 things you probably didn’t know about Mary J. Blige in honor of her birthday, and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which she was awarded with today.
She tried to sneak press-on nails and lashes while filming Mudbound.
In an interview with The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah, Mudbound director Dee Rees said that while she was able to convince Blige to go makeup-free to play matriarch Florence Jackson, that didn’t mean the singer didn’t have her moments where she tried to fit beauty essentials in the frame.
“She tried to sneak in some eyelashes every now and then, or sneak in some nails. I’m like, no gel tips for Florence,” Rees said. “I was like, ‘What is that in the frame? Is that a f–king French manicure?!’”
Way before Mudbound, she made her acting debut on The Jamie Foxx Show.
It was during the 1998 “Papa Don’t Preach” episode where Blige played the daughter of Ronald “Mr. Biggs” Isley. She played Ola Mae, the daughter of a strict pastor who can seriously sing:
Mary doesn’t talk about that scar under her eye.
When asked about it by CNN in 2004 when they did a profile on the singer , journalist Emil Wilbekin said, “From what I vaguely understand about the scar on Mary’s face is that it’s something that happened when she was young.”
“It is a very traumatic experience,” he continued. “It is something that she is either made a pact with herself or with someone else to never talk about.”
As for Blige, she made it clear where she stands on the subject during that same profile: “I don’t talk about that.”
She’s a great poplocker.
During a Rolling Stone interview in 2007, the singer was asked about her memories of parties back in Yonkers, New York when she was growing up. As it turns out, Mary’s dancing skills go far beyond the bop we all see her do while performing.
“I was really, really good. I was a poplocker. I used to battle guys in the hallways,” she said. “And as far as the electric boogie and all that goes, I was nice. I still think I’m nice. I wouldn’t do it in public, but if I did, I wouldn’t embarrass…
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