Mary J. Blige Hits #1 Again (and Again and Again)

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no stopping the
Queen of Hip-Hop Soul! Mary J. Blige has ascended to the top spot on
the Billboard 200 again this week with sales of 118,022. Not content
to sit atop just one chart, Mary's single "Be Without You" is
currently #1 at Urban radio and the video for the track is the #1 most
played on BET.

Released on December 20th, "The Breakthrough" rocketed up the
Billboard chart to debut at #1. Massive first week sales of 727,163
earned it the honor of being the best opening week for a solo R&B
female artist in SoundScan history. The CD also has the distinction of
being the fourth-best debut of all of 2005. "The Breakthrough" has
currently sold 1.2 million copies.

Beyond commercial success, the press is unanimous in their praise of
the artistry of "The Breakthrough." Vanity Fair raves, " ... she's
still the Queen ... " USA Today claims, "Another Blige 'Breakthrough'
... Blige still touches souls ..." People Magazine calls the CD "...
one of her most impassioned performances, proving a little drama can
go a long way." NY Daily News says Mary, "... wins by finely
delivering songs that show how complicated simple joy can be." The
Boston Globe hails the CD as "... a start-to-finish triumph."

Mary's six prior platinum and multi-platinum hit albums include such
classics, "No More Drama," "What's the 411," "My Life," "Share My
World," "Mary" and "Love & Life." SOURCE Geffen Records