Mary J. Blige's 50 Best Songs

MJB's What's the 411? was released 22 years ago today.

8. "I'm Going Down" - We don't know who came up with the unlikely idea of Mary resurrecting this forgotten 1977 Rose Royce ballad, but it was a perfect match. She owned the song—one of the rare cases where a cover exceeds the O.G.—and fit in seamlessly with My Life's theme of lost and unrequited love. (Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)
7. "Real Love" (Remix) feat. the Notorious B.I.G. - This remix of Mary's "Real Love" made her hip hop connection more explicit than ever, with classic samples from Betty Wright and Lafayette Afro Rock band and a show-stopping verse from a young BK rapper then named Biggie Smalls, his second-ever on wax. (Photos from left: Michael Benabib / Retna Ltd,Chi Modu/diverseimages/Getty Images)
6. "Not Gon' Cry" - Written and produced by Babyface for the 1996 Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, "Not Gon' Cry" was Mary's biggest hit to date, selling 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and peaking at No. 2 on Billboard. Even back then, few could do strength in the face of heartbreak better than Mary. (Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)
5. "Family Affair" - This momentous Dr. Dre-produced banger may have been the first time that Mary really let her hair down and just had fun (you'd have to be having fun to come up with words like "dancery" and "hateration"). Listeners undoubtedly enjoyed themselves too, to the tune of six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100—Mary's first No. 1 hit. (Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)4. "Reminisce" - Though Mary more than anyone made new-jack swing obsolete with her hip hop-soul coup d'etat, on "Reminisce," she proved she was a queen of that subgenre as well. Already, the now-familiar longing and irrepressible passion inherent to her voice was on full display. (Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)

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7. "Real Love" (Remix) feat. the Notorious B.I.G. - This remix of Mary's "Real Love" made her hip hop connection more explicit than ever, with classic samples from Betty Wright and Lafayette Afro Rock band and a show-stopping verse from a young BK rapper then named Biggie Smalls, his second-ever on wax. (Photos from left: Michael Benabib / Retna Ltd,Chi Modu/diverseimages/Getty Images)

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