Source: Jason Kim, SELF / Jason Kim, SELF
R&B icon Mary J. Blige dropped off her 15th studio album Good Morning Gorgeous on Feb.11, and fans can’t get enough of the project’s hit song “Rent Money.”
While speaking to Angie Martinez over the weekend, the 51-year-old said that the new single was all about her difficult divorce process from ex-husband Kendu Isaacs. Blige, who filed for divorce in 2016, shared that she had to give up a ton of alimony to Isaacs after the tough split, leaving her dang near penniless.
“When I first got the divorce. I had to give up all this alimony and I didn’t have any more money to give because he had spent it,” the Yonkers native explained. “I had to go on tour and make all the money back to pay the alimony and I didn’t have no money to pay my rent. It was also a metaphor. I didn’t have my soul. I was just drained of everything so it was time for somebody to pay,” she added. “I was very angry then when I made that song.”
Well, it looks like Mary had the last laugh because the legendary songstresses’ career has been booming ever since her heartbreaking divorce. The star has made millions from her music career and now, she’s taking on the world of acting in films and TV shows such as Power Book II: Ghost and 2017’s Mudbound, for which she scored two Oscar nominations.
RELATED CONTENT: Mary J. Blige Talks About “Doing The Most’ In Life After Divorce And Her Burgeoning Acting Career
Fans will get to see the Queen of R&B sing during tonight’s Super Bowl LVI halftime show, where she’ll join rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem for an epic performance. You would think that such a big event would pay well, right?
Think again. During an interview on The Cruz Show this week, the “No More Drama” crooner revealed that she wouldn’t be receiving a paycheck for the big performance.
“Listen, you gonna be paid for the rest of your life off of this,” Blige explained. “They don’t have to pay me. But if it was payin’ it would be a lot of money. But I’m good. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Eminem says that in ‘Lose Yourself,’ this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Check out a clip from the interview below.
RELATED CONTENT: ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’: Mary J. Blige Didn’t Believe She Was Beautiful Until 2016
