Mary, quite contrary

Mary J Blige is doing a day of press to coincide with the release of her fifth studio album No More Dramas. Unfortunately, by all evidence, whoever spoke to her prior to hotpress has severely ruffled some feathers. Minutes into the conversation – with no time wasted on small talk or niceties – she’s off on one.

“People act like I murdered somebody,” she says, speaking of her onetime association with the US East Coast gangsta rap scene. “I never murdered anyone. I just lived to survive and the only survival I knew was to keep my guard up. It seemed like everybody was after me and chasing me and wanting something to happen to me bad. So I had to keep my guard up and I had to fight my battles.”

And very public battles they were – both with her own demons and with anyone who crossed her, in particular the press. In one incident, Blige allegedly struck a female journalist who had come a little too close to the bone. Her exasperated record label even forced her to attend an etiquette school for R&B stars – something she still quite clearly resents.

“I didn’t finish because I didn’t feel like no one had to teach me how to be what I am,” she says, barely pausing for breath. “I wasn’t a troublemaker. People started making trouble with me so they got trouble in the end. The press started trouble with Mary J Blige, they lied about me. They said terrible things about me. They twisted my words. I’m not telling you this because I want you to think that’s the right thing to do. I’m telling you this so that people can know that I wasn’t a monster.”

From this outburst, you have to wonder how much of Blige’s grievance with the media stems from frustration with herself – frustration at just how forthright she was in the past about her hell-raising days.

“What was happening in my personal life and public life at one time was the same thing,” she says, speaking about the drink and drug addictions that weighed her down even while her fame was rocketing. “I don’t know how to describe it, because to me everybody knew. It wasn’t like I was hiding anything – it was like ‘Here it all is’. I have been drug free for about eight years now and alcohol is next. I can’t change what happened then, I can only change what is gonna happen.”

It’s tempting to concentrate solely on the turbulent aspects of Blige’s personality. But the self-styled ‘Queen Of Hip Hop Soul’ is far from one-dimensional. From her God-fearing album credits to her addictions, from her charitable endeavours to her desire to look and make a million dollars, Blige is a conundrum of contradictions that defies teasing out.

Born in New York and raised in the projects and Georgia, Blige grew up surrounded by music. Her father, who walked out on the family when Blige was four, was a jazz musician. Her mother played her all the old classic soul songs. Blige sang in her local church and music was a release from the hopelessness that besieged her peers’ mindset.

It’s difficult to equate the assured, polished diva that graces the cover of No More Dramas with the insecure teenager that scrapped on NY street corners. But experiencing life in the pits of despair has no doubt contributed to the singer’s present day unfailing confidence.

“I have self-belief because I made it out of there,” she says. “I learned that there was hope. I learned that anything that comes out of your mouth becomes an existing thing. And if you continue to say I won’t and I’m broke and I can’t and I won’t, then that’s exactly what you’re gonna get. But right now I feel really good about saying I’m all right and there is hope. Because I made it out.”

No More Dramas is the follow up to the platinum-plus selling, Grammy-Award-winning album Mary. Lyrically it continues to document Blige’s turnaround – away from the demons and addictions that dogged her right up until Mary and towards renewed faith and spirituality. Musically it’s a return to the singer’s hip-hop roots that she’d seemingly abandoned. It’s indicative of the respect that she commands that Blige had her pick of the rap royalty to work with. Apart from the myriad of stellar producers involved (Dr Dre, Jam & Lewis and The Neptunes amongst others), Missy Elliot, Eve and Lenny Kravitz all contribute to the album.

“I chose to work with a mixture of people because a mixture of people bring good music,” says Blige, explaining the reasoning behind the all star cast. “You pick who you’ve always wanted to work with and I’ve always wanted to work with Eve. Men and women respect her as an artist and as a person. She can hold her own, she can do and be whatever she wants. I love Missy Elliot and I love what Lenny Kravitz stands for. He stands for music.”

From the dancefloor-friendly hip-pop of the Dre-produced single ‘Family Affair’, to the unaccompanied poem ‘Forever No More’ – “I sing a love song, a song for yesterday, today, tomorrow and beyond.” – No More Dramas is unashamedly feel-good.

“I’m in a positive state of mind right now and I just want to send off positive messages,” says Blige, referring to the “poor role model” she was in the past. She sees her music as a way of putting her past to rights. “I’m trying to give something to the universe. I would like people to understand that it’s a positive conception. It’s about living, just trying to make it through life happy. There’s always something going on, there’s always dramas. Bottom line is just try to make it through with the joy you have in you.”

Growing up in Yonkers, NY, music was Blige’s release from her desperate living conditions. So does it again provide an escape route now that she’s clean living? “Music doesn’t,” she says, “God does, prayer does. Praying for the strength to get through another day, to be a better person and to not want to drink anymore.”

Blige’s faith is writ large all over No More Dramas – from the Thank You’s directed to the “Lord and Saviour” to the numerous lyrical references. Equally God is inescapable in her conversation.

“Strength comes from praying and from the understanding that everything that I went through I don’t have to go through anymore. The strength comes from knowing that these people in this world with all their opinions cannot make you or break you as a person. They can try to stop your music career, but you are still who you are. Even without money, even without a career I am still Mary J Blige and the world can’t tell me anything different.”

A native New Yorker, Blige is still trying to come to terms with the recent attacks there. “Just remember if we ever get a regular day, to be normal without worrying that something is gonna happen, let’s remain caring and loving,” she says, evidently struggling. “This is deep. When and if this blows over, continue to pray, continue to love.”

Blige has in recent years become involved in fundraising for AIDS education and research and has appeared in anti-drug public service announcements. She also recently sang on the cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s going on’ – the Band Aid-type single to be released later this year.

“Bono reached out to everyone that he figured would make a difference on the record,” she says. “He’s one of the nicest people – he’s just grounded on love. A lot of people make you feel like you’re not from the same planet. He’s the type of person that makes you feel love when you see him. To be able to give back is very important to me. When I was a kid I never had anything. It means a whole lot to be able to – money and whatever. You get it so that you can give it away – clothes, money, time and knowledge. Anything.”

Sometimes composed and happy with her lot, sometimes feisty and ready to take on the world, Blige can be difficult to get a grasp of. But as she turns 30, it seems that the girl from the projects would most like you to believe that she’s back in control.

“I’m an adult now. I’ve been through so much in my life that hurt me and caused me so much pain. I don’t want to keep going backwards and doing the exact same thing and expecting a different result. It’s time to turn over a new leaf.”

No More Dramas is out now on Universal