With her 1994 breakthrough sophomore album My Life, Mary J. Blige secured herself the title of Queen of Hip-Hop Soul when she delivered the R&B; classic. The album, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019, is getting a deluxe reissue on November 20 via Geffen/UMe. In 1992, the Yonkers-raised singer, recorded her 3x platinum debut, What’s the 411?, with Sean “Puffy” Combs behind the board, marking the beginning of the Blige/Puffy golden era. The bar was set with her debut and Mary was up to the challenge when she released the most introspective, personal, and culturally impactful album of her career, My Life. With Bad Boy’s hitmaker Chucky Thompson and Price Charles Alexander at the boards, My Life blended street-savvy R&B; with quiet storm ballads. Blige flexed her encyclopedic knowledge of soul by sampling Roy Ayers (“My Life”), Curtis Mayfield (“I’m The Only Woman”), Isaac Hayes (“I Love You”) and Barry White (“You Bring Me Joy”). Even 25 years later, Blige’s bristling delivery on My Life still sounds raw. She completely owns Rose Royce’s 1976 soul classic “I’m Going Down,” and her promise of happiness amid the drama still rings true on the exuberant “You Bring Me Joy.” With Blige taking the songwriting reins, My Life remains her most revelatory and creatively vital work to date. Earning an award for Top R&B; Album at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best R&B; album in 1996, My Life stands alone as an unflinching document of Blige as she struggled to see light in the darkness. With My Life, Blige established herself an unrivaled voice in R&B.; She would go on release 11 more studio albums, start her own film production company and earn an Oscar nomination. Last December, Amazon Studios announced that an as-yet-untitled Blige documentary is in production, helmed by Sean “Diddy” Combs. Over the course of her career, Blige became a symbol of female empowerment and perseverance, but on My Life, she lay her soul bare to brilliant ends. For those who want to relive Blige’s embattled masterpiece, now’s the chance to rediscover My Life in two vinyl formats, sourced from the original masters.