Mary J Blige (8 Mins) Before she became the undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige was fighting battles far bigger than the music charts. In a revealing 2000 interview with Jo Whiley, Mary opened up about her difficult childhood, watching her mother work multiple jobs just to keep food on the table, and how those experiences inspired her acting work. She also spoke candidly about addiction, admitting there was a time when she stayed awake for days at a time, pushing herself to dangerous extremes before a terrifying health scare forced her to change her life. But perhaps most striking was her message of unconditional love. At a time when many artists distanced themselves from George Michael after he publicly came out as gay, Mary stood firmly by him: "What George Michael did, he did. He didn't do it to me, and it's none of my business." From surviving addiction and heartbreak to becoming one of music's most respected voices, Mary J. Blige's story is a reminder that resilie...