Today, Mary J. Blige celebrated her 47th birthday with a memorable and life-long present. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul received her long-awaited star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Joining Mary on her special day in Hollywood were long-time friends and business partners Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Tyrese, Andre Harrell, and Angie Martinez.
“I’m so grateful for this star right now because I’ve earned it probably three times,” said Blige. “I say that with confidence and not arrogance. I say it because I know that now, and I know my worth, and what this means.”
The dedication also included speeches from Harrell and Diddy, who called the ceremony a celebration “of our queen.”
“This is a celebration, a celebration of our queen,” said Diddy. “This is about our sister getting her star on Hollywood, getting her true recognition. This thing is also about family. We’ve been through a whole lot. We started from nothing. I used to pick Mary up from the projects. I had me a Volkswagen Rabbit. I had two rims on it. I couldn’t afford four. We would drive down the highway in New York and just dream. We would say, ‘We wanna be somebody. We wanna be big. We wanna big something for our people. We wanna come and shake up the world.’ And we did that.”
“I remember the expression on Mary’s face when I would say to her ‘Your voice is going to sing with rock legends. Your voice is going to change your life and make you royal,’” Harrell said.
Blige thanked Diddy and Harrell for their roles in her career, and she recognized other friends and family in the audience who have helped her.
Blige took a special moment to acknowledge “Mudbound” director Dee Rees who also attended. “You really, really saved my life,” Blige said. “‘Mudbound’” opened up doors and gave me strength I didn’t even know I had.”
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