Mary J. Blige, the queen of hip-hop soul, is known for her heart-gripping emotional lyrics. The “I’m Not Gonna Cry” singer has been vocal about the palpable pain in her music stemming from years of abuse. She says that she was raped at 5 years old by a family friend and it shaped her self-perception years into her adulthood.
“I remember feeling, literally right before it happened, I just could not believe that this person was going to do this to me,” Blige said. “That thing followed me all my life. The shame of thinking my molestation was my fault – it led me to believe I wasn’t worth anything.”
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