In 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. In 2017, Billboard magazine named her 2006 song ' Be Without You' as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song of all time, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and over 75 weeks on the chart. Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years. She received a Legends Award at the World Music Awards in 2006, and the Voice of Music Award from ASCAP in 2007. Both What's the 411? and her 1994 album My Life are featured on the Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and the latter on Time magazine's All-Time 100 Albums.

In 1992, Blige released her debut album, What's the 411?, which is credited for introducing the mix of R&B and hip hop into mainstream pop culture, and her 1993 ' What's the 411? Remix', popularized rap as a featuring act, it is the first album by a singer to have a rapper on every song.

She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song ' Mighty River', becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards. She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Her career began in 1991 when she was signed to Uptown Records. Mary Jane Blige ( / b l aЙЄ К’/ born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and actress.

Mary j blige be without you album cover