In 1992, Blige released her debut album What's The 411?. The album sold 3.4 million copies on the strength of singles You Remind Me, Real Love, Reminisce, Sweet Thing, and Love No Limit. The album pioneered a new genre known as Hip-Hop Soul and is credited with influencing the marriage of Hip-Hop and R&B.
In 1994, Blige released her sophomore album My Life. Blige wrote or co-wrote fourteen of the seventeen album tracks. Supported by singles Be Happy, Mary Jane (All Night Long), I'm Goin' Down, and You Bring Me Joy, the album sold over three million copies and was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA in 1996. It has since been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Not Gon' Cry, a 1996 single written and produced by Babyface for Waiting To Exhale soundtrack (1995), peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blige's highest charting single of the 1990s. The same year, Blige won her first Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for her performance on I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By by Method Man.
On April 22, 1997, Blige released her third album, Share My World on MCA Records. Blige cut ties with producers Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson and worked with the likes of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, R. Kelly, and Poke & Tone. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with sales of 240,000 copies, Blige's first to do so. Supported by singles Love Is All We Need, I Can Love You, Everything, Missing You, and Seven Days. Share My World was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA and sold nearly 4 million copies in U.S.
In Summer 1998, Blige embarked on the Share My World Tour, which resulted in a Gold-certified live album released later that year, simply titled The Tour. The album spawned one single, Misty Blue.
On August 17, 1999, Blige's fourth album, titled Mary was released. It marked a departure from her more familiar hip hop-oriented sound; this set featured a more earthy, whimsical, and adult contemporary-tinged collection of songs. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 239,000 copies in its first week. It spent 57 weeks on the chart and produced four charting singles: All That I Can Say, Deep Inside, Give Me You, and Your Child. Though not as successful as prior releases, the album still sold 2.1 million copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album, No More Drama. The album's first single, Family Affair (produced by Dr. Dre) became her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. Two other singles, Dance For Me and No More Drama were released, with the latter becoming a Top 20 hit. On January 29, 2002, the album re-released and featured three new songs, one being Rainy Dayz, which was released as a single and became another Top 20 hit for Blige. No More Drama has since sold 3.2 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million copies worldwide.
In 2003, Blige won her second Grammy (and first as a lead artist) for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "He Think I Don't Know".
On August 26, 2003, Blige's sixth album Love & Life was released on Geffen Records (which had absorbed MCA Records.) Blige reunited with producer Sean Combs for the album. Despite the album debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and becoming Blige's fourth consecutive UK top ten album, Love & Life became Blige's then lowest selling album selling 1 million copies. Still, it was nominated for Grammy Best Contemporary R&B Album.
Geffen Records released Blige's seventh studio album, The Breakthrough on December 20, 2005. For the album, Blige collaborated with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Bryan-Michael Cox, 9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Cool and Dre, and Dre & Vidal. It debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist in SoundScan history. The official lead single, Be Without You peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number one on the R&B chart for a record-setting fifteen consecutive weeks. In March 2017, Billboard Magazine ranked "Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop Song of all time. The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and won the Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance categories at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Other singles included Top 40 Hit Enough Cryin, Top Five R&B song Take Me As I Am, and UK Top Three Hit One. The Breakthrough won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2007.
In December 2006, a compilation called Reflections (A Retrospective) was released. It contained many of Blige's greatest hits and four new songs, including the worldwide lead single We Ride (I See the Future). The album peaked at number nine in the U.S, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK. It has sold more than 1.6 million copies.
Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains, was released on December 18, 2007, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 629,000 copies in its week and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album won Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2009. It spawned the Top 40 Hit Just Fine.
Blige's ninth studio album, Stronger with Each Tear, was released on December 21, 2009, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. The album had sold 726,100 copies in the United States by April 2010, and was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 6, 2011.
Blige was honored at the 2009 BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute by Anita Baker and Monica.
Blige's tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released in November 2011. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in the first week; it was eventually certified Gold in 2012 and has sold 763,000 in the US.
A Mary Christmas, Blige's first holiday album, was released on October 15, 2013 through Matriarch and Verve Records. In early December, A Mary Christmas became Blige's 12th top ten album after it rose to #10 in its eighth week and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Think Like A Man Too, which serves as Blige's 12th studio album, was released on June 17, 2014. On Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the soundtrack album charted at number six, marking Blige's 16th top ten entry on the chart, tying her with Mariah Carey for the second-most top tens by a female artist.
Following her concert date at the Essence Festival, on July 9, 2014 it was announced Blige would move to London to experiment with a new sound for her new album. Blige spent a month in London recording her album in RAK Studios with a host of young British acts, including Disclosure, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith. Twelve new songs, co-written and recorded by the singer, were released on November 24, 2014 on an album entitled The London Sessions. The album received acclaim and was included on many Best Albums of 2014 lists. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 and number one on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with 55,000 albums sold and 2,000 shifted in album-equivalent units. It became her 13th top ten entry on the Billboard 200 and her tenth number one entry on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Following a heavily publicized divorce from her husband and manager Kendu Isaacs, Blige released her thirteenth studio album Strength of a Woman on April 28, 2017. Supported by Urban AC hit singles Thick of It and U + Me (Love Lesson), Strength of a Woman debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 on the issue dated ending May 20, 2017, with 78,000 album-equivalent units, selling 72,000 standard copies in its first week. It became Blige's highest-charting album since 2009's Stronger with Each Tear, and her tenth top five entry on the chart.
In 2017, Blige starred in the period drama film Mudbound directed by Dee Rees. Playing Florence Jackson, the matriarch of her family. For her performance in Mudbound, Blige was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received nominations for Best Original Song for Mighty River, becoming the first person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and original song in the same year.
On July 12, 2018, Blige released a new single, titled Only Love.
Next Level
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You excite a nigga till you got me feeling niced up
Everything about it feels amazing, spiced up
Hot and steamy like my mother cooked a little white soup
See that twenty karats, please get a priced up
I'm past that girlfriend shit baby, wifed up
Elevated feeling like we going couple flights up
Next level, with a hope you ain't afraid of height, what
Waiting for a small fire and add flame to the spark
And let us ride up together to the next level let me do my part
It feels like your hands were designed to be on my body
You best believe that, and I agree with you too
Like I was made to be your girl, yeah
And you already know
That's why I won't give my time to just anybody
You know I'm with your baby
'Cause my time's your time, my world's your world
So if it's cool with you
I'm a tell my girls go out tonight, without me
Got things to do with you, let's bring the party to the house tonight
Cause tonight I'm ready yeah
I'd rather be with my baby, I think it's time that me and him go
To the next level
Uh, I don't bother like crazy
I hope he's ready cause we gonna go, to the next level
Baby ain't nothin' left to do but rock on
Want a G5 to the next level, hop on
Let's go (yeah) to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright
I love it when we're in the bed and we cuddle
Or you riding out with me like we on a space shuttle
Let's go (yeah) to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah
And I'm OK as long as I got your arms around me
You know I love when I got my arms around you too
I feel free to loose control
Let it go baby
And I was lost in love, so glad that you found me
Cause your love's too good, too just, let go
So if it's cool with you
I'm a tell my girls go out tonight, without me
Nothing's to do with you, let's bring the party to the house tonight
'Cause tonight I'm ready yeah
I'd rather be with my baby, I think it's time that me and him go
To the next level
Oh I don't bother like crazy
I hope he's ready cause we gonna go, to the next level
Baby ain't nothin' left for you to do but rock on
Want a G5 to the next level, hop on
Let's go (yeah) to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright
I love the way you really take my love
Or you riding out with me like we on a space shuttle
Let's go (yeah) to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Everybody get to putting up your lighter now
Baby girl you see me shining much brighter now, yeah
Fulfilling all of your desires now
Give me a hug, open your arms a little wider now
Damn, you see the feeling we creating
Bottles up, let's make a toast and do a lot of summer breaking
Let's go to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah alright
I'd rather be with my baby, I think it's time that me and him go
To the next level
Uh, I don't bother like crazy
I hope he's ready cause we gonna go, to the next level
I think it's time that we go on
Baby come on, let's go
To the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah alright
I love it when we're in the bed and we cuddle
Or you riding out with me like we on a space shuttle
Let's go (yeah) to the next level
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Let's go to the next level
The lyrics of Mary J. Blige's song Next Level highlight the intense passion and desire between two people in a relationship. The singer reflects on the woman's ability to light up a room with her presence and excite her partner's emotions until he is "feeling niced up." She also acknowledges that their love-making is hot and steamy, similar to the way her mother prepares white soup. The singer and her partner are on their way to being together for a long time, as she is "wifed up." The couple is elevated and feels like they are going "couple flights up," and they hope the woman is not afraid of heights as they take on the next level together.
The second verse of the song shows how the couple's love is exclusive, and they prioritize spending time with one another. The singer asserts that she would rather be with her partner than going out with her girls. She expresses how, with him, she feels free to lose control, and she has him to thank for finding her when she was lost in love. The couple's love is "too good to just let go," and they are ready to take things to the "next level."
Line by Line Meaning
I said baby girl, lighting up the room like the light's up
The singer is complimenting their partner for being the center of attention and bringing a light to the room.
You excite a nigga till you got me feeling niced up
The singer's partner is able to make them feel good and excited.
Everything about it feels amazing, spiced up
The singer is expressing how their partner makes them feel good and full of excitement.
Hot and steamy like my mother cooked a little white soup
The artist is making a comparison of the feeling of being with their partner to the warmth and comfort of their mother's cooking.
See that twenty karats, please get a priced up
The artist is referring to their partner's jewelry, asking to have it valued and showing off their wealth.
I'm past that girlfriend shit baby, wifed up
The singer is saying they are ready for a serious commitment with their partner, using the term 'wifed up' to show that they want to take things to the next level.
Elevated feeling like we going couple flights up
The singer is expressing that being with their partner makes them feel good and like they are taking things to the next level.
Next level, with a hope you ain't afraid of height, what
The artist is saying they want to take things to the next level with their partner and hopes their partner is not afraid to do so.
Skyscrapers take it higher, even got a helicopter on the roof
The artist is using the imagery of tall buildings and a helicopter to show that they want to take things to the next level and reach new heights with their partner.
Waiting for a small fire and add flame to the spark
The artist is saying they want their relationship to continue growing and developing, and are waiting for that little 'spark' to ignite the next level of their relationship.
And let us ride up together to the next level let me do my part
The singer is saying they want to move to the next level with their partner and are willing to do their part to make it happen.
It feels like your hands were designed to be on my body
The artist is expressing how good it feels when their partner touches them, as if they were made for each other.
Like I was made to be your girl, yeah
The singer is expressing that they feel like they were meant to be with their partner.
That's why I won't give my time to just anybody
The singer is saying they value their time with their partner and will not waste it on just anyone.
You know I'm with your baby
The singer is reaffirming their commitment to their partner.
Cause my time's your time, my world's your world
The artist is saying that they are fully committed and invested in their relationship with their partner.
So if it's cool with you
The artist is asking their partner for permission or agreement to do something.
I'm a tell my girls go out tonight, without me
The singer is saying they want to spend time with their partner instead of going out with their girlfriends.
Got things to do with you, let's bring the party to the house tonight
The singer is saying they want to have a good time with their partner and have fun at home together.
Cause tonight I'm ready yeah
The artist is expressing their readiness to take things further with their partner.
I'd rather be with my baby, I think it's time that me and him go to the next level
The artist is saying they want to take their relationship with their partner to the next level and would rather spend time with them than anyone else.
Baby ain't nothin' left to do but rock on
The artist is saying they are ready to move forward and continue progressing in their relationship.
Want a G5 to the next level, hop on
The singer is using the metaphor of a G5 jet to show that they want to take their relationship to the next level and inviting their partner to join them.
Let's go to the next level
The artist is expressing their desire to take their relationship to the next level and move forward with their partner.
I love it when we're in the bed and we cuddle
The singer is expressing how much they enjoy being close and intimate with their partner.
Or you riding out with me like we on a space shuttle
The singer is using the metaphor of a space shuttle to show that they feel like they are going on a wild, exciting adventure with their partner.
And I'm OK as long as I got your arms around me
The singer is saying they feel safe and loved as long as they are with their partner.
I feel free to loose control
The artist is expressing how being with their partner makes them feel free to let their guard down and be themselves.
Let it go baby
The artist is encouraging their partner to let go and be themselves.
And I was lost in love, so glad that you found me
The singer is saying they were lost or struggling before they met their partner, and they are grateful for their relationship.
'Cause your love's too good, too just, let go
The singer is saying their love with their partner is too good to let go of.
Everybody get to putting up your lighter now
The artist is asking everyone to raise their lighters in a show of unity and support.
Baby girl you see me shining much brighter now, yeah
The artist's partner has made them feel happier and more successful, and they want to show it off.
Fulfilling all of your desires now
The artist is saying they want to make their partner happy and satisfied in their relationship.
Give me a hug, open your arms a little wider now
The singer is asking for a hug from their partner and using the phrase 'open your arms a little wider now' to show they want to be closer together.
Damn, you see the feeling we creating
The artist is expressing how good they feel together and the positive energy they are creating.
Bottles up, let's make a toast and do a lot of summer breaking
The singer is saying they want to celebrate and have a good time with their partner, possibly by drinking and enjoying the summer.
I think it's time that we go on
The singer is expressing their desire to move forward in their relationship and take things to the next level.
Baby come on, let's go to the next level
The singer is inviting their partner to join them in taking their relationship to the next level.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MARY J. BLIGE, FLOYD NATHANIEL HILLS, RICHARD PRESTON BUTLER, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
charles clem
This tune makes you want to dance. Nice song !!! 🤩👍
Matthew Rolle
This album is remarkable, favorite song on the album 🔥
nichole turner
Love MJB this album kept me in a relationship for 10yrs, thanks keep us focused
Kelli Lee
Loving this...Go MJB..
xxNiKKi NiCHOLE xx
Love this song❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jay Wad
This is STILL my song man!!
Dannisha Chandler
I love this song
Jay Wad
I love this song too. I even have the bootleg version of Mary's album.
Jay Poulton
care to share ? is it any different ?
Jay Wad
@Jay Poulton I would if I could