Mary J. Blige's My Life: Where Are They Now?

Catch up with the creators of MJB's crowning achievement.

Mary J. Blige's My Life: Where Are They Now? - This just in: Time flies. Mary J. Blige's classic sophomore album, My Life, hit shelves 18 years ago today, Nov. 29. The days, weeks, months and years may have been all too fleeting, but the album—Mary's best—certainly wasn't. Though Mary's unforgettable voice and gut-wrenching songwriting carried the music, she was helped by a top-notch team of songwriters, producers and other collaborators. And like Mary, they've come a long way too—whether up or down. Here, we catch up with the creators of My Life 18 years later. —Alex Gale  (Photo: MCA Records)

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Mary J. Blige's My Life: Where Are They Now? - This just in: Time flies. Mary J. Blige's classic sophomore album, My Life, hit shelves 18 years ago today, Nov. 29. The days, weeks, months and years may have been all too fleeting, but the album—Mary's best—certainly wasn't. Though Mary's unforgettable voice and gut-wrenching songwriting carried the music, she was helped by a top-notch team of songwriters, producers and other collaborators. And like Mary, they've come a long way too—whether up or down. Here, we catch up with the creators of My Life 18 years later. —Alex Gale  (Photo: MCA Records)

90s Legends in the Making - Then known as Puff Daddy, the Bad Boy founder would go on to sign more legendary artists, such as Faith Evans and 112. His in-house production team also worked with a younger Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Boyz II Men, and Mariah Carey. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

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Sean "Diddy" Combs - Diddy may be a whole lot richer and more famous now, but creatively, there's no doubt his best year was 1994. Just two months after he helped introduce Biggie to the world on Ready to Die, he co-produced all but two tracks on Mary J. Blige's finest album. His creativity peaked, but his now-inescapable fame was only getting started. If you want to know where he is now, open up any newspaper on any almost any given day. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

Photo By Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment

Nashiem Myrick - Nashiem Myrick got a random production credit for "K. Murray Interlude," which features Keith Murray rhyming over a snippet of Myrick's beat for Biggie's "Who Shot Ya." Myrick was an integral part of Diddy's Hitmen production team, so it's probable he helped out elsewhere on the album as well. He and the Hitmen landed hits with Nas, Jay-Z and many more in the years to follow. More recently, Myrick helped score the 2009 film Notorious, and also produced for Queensbridge vet Cormega.  (Photo: Nashiem Myrick/Facebook)

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Nashiem Myrick - Nashiem Myrick got a random production credit for "K. Murray Interlude," which features Keith Murray rhyming over a snippet of Myrick's beat for Biggie's "Who Shot Ya." Myrick was an integral part of Diddy's Hitmen production team, so it's probable he helped out elsewhere on the album as well. He and the Hitmen landed hits with Nas, Jay-Z and many more in the years to follow. More recently, Myrick helped score the 2009 film Notorious, and also produced for Queensbridge vet Cormega.  (Photo: Nashiem Myrick/Facebook)

Chucky Thompson - Chucky Thompson created four tracks for TLC with Diddy as a key member of his Hitmen production team. Chucky's built an impressive discography in the two decades since, producing hits for Nas, Mary J. Blige and, most recently, Faith Evans's 2010 album, Something About Faith.  (Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images)

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Chucky Thompson - Another big gun in Diddy's Hitmen crew, Chucky Thompson co-produced the majority of the album along with Mr. Combs himself. After landing hits with TLC and Faith Evans, he produced "One Mic" for Nas. In recent years, he's been working Ledisi and Leela James, as well as Faith once again.(Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images)

Keith Murray - Keith Murray plays the title role on "K. Murray Interlude," spitting over Biggie's "Who Shot Ya" before Diddy hilariously cuts him off with "put on some of that smooth s--t." It was the same year that Murray released his debut album, The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, and it would be a high point. Though Murray released a few more albums into the new millennium, including El Nino with Redman and Erick Sermon, nothing ever matched the impact of his debut's title track. He's been dropping music independently and online in recent years, including In Gods We Trust, Crush Microphone To Dust, a collabo album with fellow veteran big-word rapper Can-I-Bus. (Photo:  Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Keith Murray - Keith Murray plays the title role on "K. Murray Interlude," spitting over Biggie's "Who Shot Ya" before Diddy hilariously cuts him off with "put on some of that smooth s--t." It was the same year that Murray released his debut album, The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World, and it would be a high point. Though Murray released a few more albums into the new millennium, including El Nino with Redman and Erick Sermon, nothing ever matched the impact of his debut's title track. He's been dropping music independently and online in recent years, including In Gods We Trust, Crush Microphone To Dust, a collabo album with fellow veteran big-word rapper Can-I-Bus. (Photo:  Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Jean-Claude Olivier aka "Poke" - Jean-Claude Olivier aka Poke co-wrote and co-produced the album's closer, "Be Happy," one of Mary's signature hits. Along with his partner Tone, he was one half of the Trackmasters production duo, whose beats anchored massive hits from Nas ("Hate Me Now"), LL Cool J ("I Shot Ya") and Destiny's Child "Independent Women Pt. 1"). The duo went on hiatus for a few years while Poke dove into TV production, but after reconvening in 2008, they've landed new credits with Game, Keyshia Cole and LL Cool J.    (Photo: Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

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Jean-Claude Olivier aka "Poke" - Jean-Claude Olivier aka Poke co-wrote and co-produced the album's closer, "Be Happy," one of Mary's signature hits. Along with his partner Tone, he was one half of the Trackmasters production duo, whose beats anchored massive hits from Nas ("Hate Me Now"), LL Cool J ("I Shot Ya") and Destiny's Child "Independent Women Pt. 1"). The duo went on hiatus for a few years while Poke dove into TV production, but after reconvening in 2008, they've landed new credits with Game, Keyshia Cole and LL Cool J.    (Photo: Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

Dalvin DeGrate aka "Mr. Dalvin" - Dalvin DeGrate should already be known to most true R&B heads as Mr. Dalvin, one fourth of seminal '90s group Jodeci. He produced and co-wrote (along with K-Ci, Jodeci bandmate and MJB boyfriend) the slinky "No One Else." After splitting from Jodeci in the late '90s, Degrate released a solo album, Met.A.Mor.Phic, in 2000. He was reportedly set to release a sequel to that album in 2010 via Def Jam, but that the deal fell through. Instead, he's working on a new independent album, tentatively titled Egomaniac.    (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

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Dalvin DeGrate aka "Mr. Dalvin" - Dalvin DeGrate should already be known to most true R&B heads as Mr. Dalvin, one fourth of seminal '90s group Jodeci. He produced and co-wrote (along with K-Ci, Jodeci bandmate and MJB boyfriend) the slinky "No One Else." After splitting from Jodeci in the late '90s, Degrate released a solo album, Met.A.Mor.Phic, in 2000. He was reportedly set to release a sequel to that album in 2010 via Def Jam, but that the deal fell through. Instead, he's working on a new independent album, tentatively titled Egomaniac.    (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

K-Ci: September 2 - The R&B star, one half of the duo K-Ci & JoJo, celebrates his 43rd birthday. (Photo: Courtesy Facebook)

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Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey - Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, star of Jodeci, co-wrote "No One Else" with his bandmate Mr. Dalvin. But some say his role on the album was much deeper than that, as he and Mary were allegedly engaged in a physically abusive, drug-fueled, relationship at the time. As a result, many attribute the pain and heartbreak that permeates the album to K-Ci. He and his brother, JoJo, left Jodeci a few years after My Life, releasing a handful of albums and touring extensively as a duo. But the pair's substance abuse—highlighted (or lowlighted) by Youtube videos of each of them collapsing onstage—halted their careers. K-Ci did manage to release a solo album, My Book, in 2006, and he and JoJo teamed up for the Japan-only release Love two years later.  (Photo: Facebook/K-Ci-Jojo)

Joel "JoJo" Hailey - Jodeci star and brother to K-Ci, JoJo co-wrote album standout "You Bring My Joy" with Diddy, Thompson and Mary herself. JoJo was last seen on VH1's Couples Therapy earlier this fall, where he and his wife tried to deal with his excessive drinking. It didn't work: They reportedly split a few weeks ago. (Photo: Jun Sato/WireImage)

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Joel "JoJo" Hailey - Jodeci star and brother to K-Ci, JoJo co-wrote album standout "You Bring My Joy" with Diddy, Thompson and Mary herself. JoJo was last seen on VH1's Couples Therapy earlier this fall, where he and his wife tried to deal with his excessive drinking. It didn't work: They reportedly split a few weeks ago. (Photo: Jun Sato/WireImage)

Andre Harrell: September 26 - The former Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde member and Motown Records CEO is 52. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Andre Harrell - Andre Harrell, the head of Uptown Records (which released the album), served as executive producer along with Diddy. Harrell left Uptown to head up Motown just a year later, and now runs indie label Harrell Records, which is gearing up to push its first act, Hamilton Park. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Herb Middleton - Bronx native Herb Middleton co-produced "You Gotta Believe" and "I Never Wanna Live Without You" with Diddy and Chucky Thompson. In the years since, he’s steadily built a resume as a solid behind-the-scenes R&B songwriter and producer, working with Total, SWV and Kenny Latimore. His most recent collaborators include Raheem Devaughn, the Sounds of Blackness and gospel artist Deanna Ransom, who’s signed to NuVybe Records, the indie imprint Herb runs with his wife.(Photo: Facebook/HerbMiddleton)

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Herb Middleton - Bronx native Herb Middleton co-produced "You Gotta Believe" and "I Never Wanna Live Without You" with Diddy and Chucky Thompson. In the years since, he’s steadily built a resume as a solid behind-the-scenes R&B songwriter and producer, working with Total, SWV and Kenny Latimore. His most recent collaborators include Raheem Devaughn, the Sounds of Blackness and gospel artist Deanna Ransom, who’s signed to NuVybe Records, the indie imprint Herb runs with his wife.(Photo: Facebook/HerbMiddleton)

Faithful - Singer Faith Evans attends the 2012 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images For BET)

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Faith Evans - This year, Faith Evans slipped back into the spotlight by executive producing and starring in the TVOne reality show R&B Divas. She also headlined an album of the same title comprised of unreleased songs from her and the show's cast, which also features Nicci Gilbert, Monifah, Syleena Johnson and KeKe Wyatt.  (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images For BET)

Mary J. Blige - Mary J. Blige has come a long way since this classic, career-defining triumph of an album: eight more albums, tens of millions more records sold, world tours, seemingly countless guest appearaces on the best rappers' best songs. She has one of the most dedicated fanbases in music, and it all started here. Yes, What's the 411? introduced us to Mary's pioneering hip hop soul sound, but My Life is the album that introduced us to her as a person. Needless to say, we liked what we saw—and still do. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Mary J. Blige - Mary J. Blige has come a long way since this classic, career-defining triumph of an album: eight more albums, tens of millions more records sold, world tours, seemingly countless guest appearaces on the best rappers' best songs. She has one of the most dedicated fanbases in music, and it all started here. Yes, What's the 411? introduced us to Mary's pioneering hip hop soul sound, but My Life is the album that introduced us to her as a person. Needless to say, we liked what we saw—and still do. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)