Vibe Magazine's February Issue to Feature Mary J. Blige Cover Story

Vibe Magazine's February Issue to Feature Mary J. Blige Cover Story

- The Six-Time Grammy Award Nominee Reveals the Truth Behind Her Love Songs in This Valentine's Day Themed Issue -

- Vibe Also Speaks to Filmmaker Spike Lee about the 20th Anniversary of 'School Daze'; Current #1 Hip Hop Star Flo Rida is Vibe's Next: Artist on the Verge -

- On Newsstands January 15 -

NEW YORK, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. Blige graces the cover of Vibe magazine's February issue, making this her record- breaking ninth cover feature -- the most for any celebrity in Vibe's 15-year history. This month's issue focuses on love and relationships through the sounds of music. Blige speaks candidly to Vibe about her past relationship struggles, her current marriage, and the truth behind her music.

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080109/NYW108 )

Coming off the heels of receiving six Grammy Award nominations and the December release of her latest and eighth studio album, "Growing Pains," which is currently the #1 album in the nation, Blige has come a long way since her tough love B-girl days. After years of openly struggling in her music with her personal life, she is now past the emotional extremes and trying to embrace the pain of growth.

In this issue, Blige reveals exclusively to Vibe the real feelings and stories behind some of her greatest love songs. The following are some outtakes:

Blige Reflects on Herself: "I'm proud of Mary J. Blige and the progress she's made. Am I fine all the time? Hell, no! But the days I am, I want to celebrate."

Blige Talks to Her Fans: "When I took the chance to show people I can be happy, I lost a million of my fans. I was like 'I'm gonna have to lose ya'll in order for us to live, because if I keep going down this dark hole, we're all gonna die together. I'm gonna slit my wrists or take some pills, and it's gonna be over."

Blige on Loving Her Husband: "That's my buddy, my best friend, my business partner. He's got my back like nobody's ever had my back. I feel like God used him to come and pull me together."

Blige on Being Beautiful: "I've never looked at myself as the most beautiful girl. I can't do Beyonce, hair blowing in the video. Halle Berry is just freaking gorgeous. There are some women who have this thing, so feminine and strong. I have none of those. My features don't call for me to be a glamour girl. I have to use my personality."

Blige Discusses Personal Growth: "Bill Cosby called me like, 'My wife, Camille, loves you! She says there's a song you need to write about love.' I finally called Bill back ... and said, 'we got the record.' He says, 'Mrs. Cosby will be so glad to hear that.' I damn near cried. I was crying because I was scared. That's why the album is called Growing Pains. I had to rapidly let go because there's so many people waiting on me to do the right thing -- and so many people waiting for me to do the wrong thing."

The February issue also includes Vibe's conversation with filmmaker Spike Lee as he reflects on the 20 years since he shocked Hollywood with the release of School Daze. The controversial film spotlighted black class warfare, boosted the careers of Laurence Fishburne, Tisha Campbell, and Jasmine Guy, and inspired the political imagination of the Hip Hop generation.

Hip Hop star Flo Rida is also featured this month as Vibe's Next: Artist on the Verge. His hit single, "Low," grabbed the top-selling spot this week for digital sales -- breaking a one-week record with 470,000 downloads in a single week while maintaining its #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100.

ABOUT VIBE:

VIBE Media Group, an affiliate of The Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., is a leading music/lifestyle media company that publishes the award-winning VIBE magazine, the preeminent brand in urban and music culture, which was founded by Quincy Jones in 1993. Additional VIBE Media Group properties include Vibe.com; Comcast's VIBE video-on-demand channel; The VIBE Awards; the wireless content service mVibe; and VIBE Books, which published The New York Times bestseller, Tupac Shakur.

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080109/NYW108
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN8
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: VIBE Media Group

CONTACT: Gena Gatewood, Communications Manager of Project 2050,
+1-646-290-8700 EXT: 208, or ggatewood@p2050.com, for VIBE Media Group

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