Forgiving Yourself with Mary J. Blige

When Mary J. Blige was preparing to release her No More Drama album, she didn't ask for more promotion or a bigger budget. She asked her label to line up every single person who had worked for her. Then she apologized to each one. "I used to get upset and curse everybody out because my music, things weren't working," she says. "It wasn't their fault. It was my fault."

That moment of accountability marked a turning point for the woman who would become the Queen of Hip Hop Soul — a shift from blaming others to taking responsibility, from shame to self-forgiveness.

From the Projects to the Stage

Blige grew up in the projects of Yonkers, New York, raised primarily by her mother, a woman who worked two jobs and "had to be a man and a woman." Her mother had a scholarship for singing but couldn't pursue it because she had children young. She sang around the house constantly, and Blige discovered she could sing at age seven, performing "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb at a school talent show without any fear.