Back in my day, there was one female R&B artist I rocked with heavy- that got-damn Mary J. Blige. There were some others who were good, others who were aight, others whose singles and videos I wasn’t mad at… but I wasn’t bumpin’ all their albums or anything. The chances of me walkin’ down the street (or sittin’ in my room for that matter) with Monica‘s Miss Thang in the headphones were unlikely. But MJB was something different. As I said when I covered the 411 joint about a year ago, she was damn near like a rapper in a singer’s body (but still, she SANG). The beats were hard, the singing was unpolished but strong, and her whole style was naturally hip-hop.
One of the best things about Mary J’s music was that in addition to the albums, she always dropped remixes to all her singles- which would pop up on the mixtapes, and a number of which I copped myself back when I was buying records. That noted, in my first of many more AllTime8 entries to come, this one is in honor of my eight favorite Mary remixes of the ’90s.
8- “Reminisce” (feat. Pete Rock & CL Smooth) (1992): After being a big hit the previous summer with “They Reminisce Over You” and their album Mecca & The Soul Brother, PR & CL were in high demand. Matched up with MJB, who’d also blown up that summer, the remix of her single “Reminisce” was right on time. My God…
7- “Everything” (feat. Jermaine Dupri & R.O.C.) (1997): This was perhaps MJB’s wackest video ever, but not a bad remix at all, back when JD was doing his best Puffy imitation. Inspired greatly by D-Nice‘s “Call Me D-Nice”, Mary does it as only she did it.
6- “You Don’t Have To Worry” (feat. Craig Mack) (1993): With Puff getting ready to get Bad Boy kicked off in ’94, he (re-) introduces his newly signed artist Craig Mack on the remix for Mary’s “You Don’t Have To Worry”. Mack’s verse is about as “Craig Mack-ish” as you’d expect, but the beat was knockin’.
5- “Love Is All We Need” (feat. Foxy Brown) (1997): So… Mary, no longer rockin’ with her old team by ’97, linked up with the closest thing to that sound back then- that of the TrackMasters. Her Share My World album wasn’t quite up there with her previous two, but still good in its own right. The most notable remix from that album was this one, featuring fellow TM affiliate Foxy Brown.
4- “Be Happy” (feat. Keith Murray) (1994): In late-’94, Keith Murray was one of the hottest new MC’s on the scene, while MJB was about to drop a classic with the My Life album. The lead single “Be Happy” was already jumpin’, and she followed with a Murray-featured remix that took on its own life as well.
3- “I’m Goin’ Down” (feat. Mr. Cheeks) (1995): More Bad Boy/Uptown cross-promotion here, as the instrumental of B.I.G.‘s “The What” gets looped up for MJB and a new artist on Uptown, Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz. Added in were a few vocal samples from the track, by both Big and Method Man, who of course went on to do his very own remix with Mary in ’95.
2- “I Love You” (feat. Smif-N-Wessun) (1995): Not too many R&B artists were having street/underground groups like Smif-N-Wessun appear on their songs, even in ’95. However, leave it to Mary J. to do it. This remix doesn’t differ much from the original classic version, but the S-n-W appearance takes it from a 10 to an 11.
1- “Love No Limit” (1993): No featured MC on this one, but MJB and a “Keep Rising To The Top” sample was the only thing needed here. It almost sounds like a blend from a mixtape, which is an example of the appeal that got her over big with the hip-hop audience back then. That also specifically sums up why I was into her music that much… it was a mix of singing I could appreciate and beats that I could nod my head to.
A lot of artists followed that pattern, and some have even done it better in recent years than she’s been able to… not to mention, she kilt me with that autotune joint last year. And as much as it sucks to say it, I gotta let it be said: to hell with a good 70% of her stuff from the last 10 years. Still, Mary’s the greatest (and one of the last ones left) from that era- with remixes like these being why she’s who she is and the others… ain’t. Salute!
-D!
Man Im gonna say this.. If you werent feeling those MJB remixes or say some stuff like “Those were so wack” You cant call yourself a R&B/Hip Hop fan. Real talk lol.
Her remixes are up there with R.Kelly’s 12 play remixes from the early 90s. Good post playa
I think Mary J. was really the one that kicked that whole R&B/hip-hop remix thing off strong. Not the first to do it, but the first to do it as much as she did… then eyyy’body popped up with one. It was like a mandatory thing that when an artist came out with a new single, there was a “hip-hop remix” on it.
And she didn’t come off like a singer trying hard as hell to fit in w/ the remixes either… it was just real with her.
-D!
What da hell…..Danj, your #2 is definately #1. Matter fact, its probably my altime favorite remix period.
I waver back-n-forth… lol
But not for nothin’, ‘ILY’ is prob. my fav. MJB song period. I’ma have to speak on that album too… ‘My Life’ was straight greatness.
-D!
dammit, guess im not a real r&b/hip hop fan lol cause ill take the originals over ALL these lol
‘keep rising to the top’ came from mary jane girls ‘all night long’ which was also remade by mary lol bad boy stayed recycling beats…
but im 100 with you on mary’s last ten years, that drake joint was GARBAGE…
haaaaa…
I think ‘keep rising’ came out first, but I too always thought they sounded wild similar.
The joint with Drake killed me… just the fact that she was hopping on the autotune trend too had me on some ‘gimme a fuuuuuukkiiinnnnnnnnn’ break’
-D!
I only like the joint with Drake because it’s good for dancing.
As far as some shit to just to sit and listen to, I put that in the same category with the Puff/Mary/Meth comeback attempt “Love @ 1st Sight.”
I like it at first. I bump it. I 2-step to it. And then after a while its like, this is NOT the real Mary.
Mary still GOT IT!
Yeah, SHE does… her music on the other hand… LOL
She has become a much better performer tho’. She used to have some pretty sad-ass performances in hindsight, back when she was gettin’ high, comin’ out with the hat down to her nose, breathin’ hard as shit. Def. stepped up in that area, and she still has the voice… but the music… eh.
-D!
Taking a look back at both Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige’s careers, who would’ve thought that Whitney, America’s pop princess, would be the one with a crack addiction, and Mary, America’s red-headed stepchild, would be the one with her shit together and have big endorsement deals with Chevrolet and AT&T?
OMG!!! I had a little to much fun on this post. LOL I am a die hard Mary stan. Everytime she comes to Baltimore, Im there. No one can touch Mary. I do agree that her material the past two albums was up in the air. But no matter what she always has that one ultra good joint that everyone can rock off too. Mary has grown and we all have to respect that.
Thanks for the Everything and Im Going Down remixes!!! I couldnt download fast enough. And for the record. Mary was doing whatever one was doing at the time with the Everything video. Jay Z, colorful ass suits. LMAO!!
“I do agree that her material the past two albums was up in the air.” *COUGH* Four *COUGH*
Hahaaaaa @ the part about the video… true, same kind of video, but the execution was allllll bad. Funny you mention Jay too- because his video back then was another bad example, haha. I know someone who says that about ‘Sunshine’- “that was what was going on at the time”… yeeeaaaaah, but his wasn’t as good as theirs, lol.
-D!
LMAO!!! I love Love and Life. I like The Breakthrough, but I couldnt get into Growing Pains or this new one to save my life. I dont think L&L and BT was that bad. She had me for a minute with Growing Pains, but Im completely lost with this new one. It’s like she is trying to find herself.
Even Jay said he regrets doing the Sunshine video. That shit was a hot monkey mess. Everything wasnt that bad. I just wasnt feeling the floating heads and shit. And I really could have done away with JD short ass trying to rap and dance in the video.
I must say that when “What’s the 411?” came out, I was still inside my sheltered Mother-induced coma where everything worldly was sinful and bad for you. I’d hang with my cousins, who had either the cassette/CD, and would blast it with the windows down as we rode around town. I think the thumping in my chest and the ringing in my ears made me question why people thought this album was so great. (Even though “Real Love” was my SHIT when I would sneak and watch the video on Video Soul. #whatchuknow)
Yearsssss later, I bought the album on a whim at Target to see what all the fuss was about. I didn’t give it my full attention, only listening to my faves. So one day I tried again, start to finish. I WAS HOOKED on all thing’s Mary.
No longer were “Real Love” and “You Are Everything” the only 2 Mary J. Blige songs I cared about. I gobbled up everything I could. Mary truly is the Queen of Hip-Hop and R&B. She (and her team) found a way to get that perfect blend, and it worked over, and over, and over again. And we won’t even talk about the soulfulness and rawness of her voice.
I think it’s great Mary is on her grown woman and got her shit together so she has a new sound now. But NOTHING beats ol’ skool, drug-induced, ass-beat-on-a-regular, Mary J. Blige.
“Ol’ skool, drug-induced, ass-beat-on-a-regular Mary J. Blige”! Quote of the week, LOL
And you’re right, as fukked up as that is, MJB at her lowest point made some of her best shit. Sad but true.
I’m also gonna have to go in on that ‘My Life’ album too… #yesmaam.
-D!