Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentMusic

Mary J. Blige ‘So Grateful’ for Walk of Fame Star ‘Because I’ve Earned it Probably 3 Times’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Singer Mary J. Blige cemented her status in Tinseltown with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday, Jan. 11. Sean “Diddy” Combs and R&B megaproducers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were among those present to honor her.

“I’m so grateful for this star right now because I’ve earned it probably three times,” Variety reported Blige told attendees of the honor, which was granted on her 47th birthday. “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.”

Diddy praised the singer as a family member, according to NBC News. He also applauded how Blige, who has sold over 50 million albums, “moves people with not just with her voice but with who she is.”

Also in attendance was writer-director of the film “Mudbound,” which Blige starred in, Dee Rees and Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell.

“I am feeling like a proud musical father,” said Harrell, who founded the label to which Blige signed at 18. “Mary receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, is like Black women and little girls from around the world with a dream also receiving one.”

Many fans were happy for the nine-time Grammy winner and shared their thoughts online.

https://twitter.com/so14below/status/951570320263172106

https://twitter.com/TheKhalilCole/status/951653748916580352

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top