Seventeen years ago this week, R&B changed. Just like Teddy Riley and his New Jack Swing sound brought a hip-hop approach to R&B around ’87, the Hip-Hop Soul sound took it a step further in ’92. And the album that made it happen was What’s The 411? by Mary J. Blige.
Little did I know while watching Father MC‘s “I’ll Do 4 U” video, the girl with that rough ponytail who sang the hook was about to go on to much bigger things. Starting off with “You Remind Me” and continuing from there, MJB shut the game down with 411. By this point, even the New Jack style had become more of a standard R&B sound. You didn’t hear singers coming out using actual hip-hop tracks as their background. But here, you had MJB with songs like “Real Love”, singing over Audio Two’s “Top Billin’”.
In ’92, there were a lot of female singers in the mold of Whitney Houston or Anita Baker, and some that had no real direction at all. But no one at the time was doing it like MJB was. She had a naturally hip-hop side to her, and was clearly every bit of what she was depicted as. You could tell from her songs, videos, and stage performances that she was one of those girls. The ones who grew up listening to Whitney, but liked Eric B. & Rakim just the same. She was like that girl from the neighborhood who could sing a song OR drag a chick down the street, depending on which one she felt like doin’.
It was so much of a different thing at the time, it took a minute for some traditional listeners to get into it. For example, I remember my mother being completely put off by her. She (like a lot of the “mature R&B” crowd) didn’t get Mary wearing jerseys instead of dresses and coming off almost like a rapper in her videos. But to the younger crowd, 411 was hitting them way more than Anita Baker was. It was also reflected by how some of the hardest hip-hop artists out were co-signing her, even at a time when rappers were still distancing themselves from singers. It became an exception to the rule for people who normally didn’t listen to R&B.
It might seem a lot more common now, but at that time, it could’ve either gone one way or the other. I don’t think that it would’ve worked the same if the songs weren’t as strong as they were. MJB wasn’t the first to try the R&B/hip-hop approach, but it wasn’t working for others like it did for her. She had the credibility and the music to pull it off like it needed to be. It even showed how much of a standout she was when right after 411 blew up, lots of other girls came out with the same style and failed to replicate it. It took a minute before others were able to do it successfully, and even then, MJB was clearly at the front of the pack.
One of my gripes as of late is that a lot of singers damn near wanna be rappers. It’s not just in their image, but even in their songs to the point where it’s sometimes hard to tell if they wanna sing or rap. One thing I can say for MJB (and 411 as an album) is that she didn’t overboard with it. Even with the image, the sound, and actually rapping with Grand Puba on the title track… Mary still illustrated the point that she was a singer first and foremost. So, adding on to the songs with the hip-hop edge, she had others like “Love No Limit” and “I Don’t Want To Do Anything Else” (with K-Ci of Jodeci) that were spirited vocal performances. Shit was undeniable.
With What’s The 411? (and the direction of Puffy), Mary J. Blige headed an entire new movement that’s still present right now. And for that, it’s known and acknowledged as a classic today.
“I Don’t Want To Do Anything” (feat. K-Ci)
“Changes I’ve Been Going Through”
“What’s The 411?” (feat. Grand Puba)
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
