Mary J. Blige – “Love Yourself” (Feat. Kanye West)
Earlier this week, soul queen Mary J. Blige announced the impending release of Strength Of A Woman, a new album that’ll feature contributions from people like Missy Elliott, Quavo, and Kaytranada. And today, she’s shared its first single: An absolute jam called “Love Yourself” that features a guest verse from one Kanye West. The song is classic MJB: A emotionally excoriating vocal, sung as if her life depended on it, delivered over a neck-snapping hip-hop beat, all horn-blasts and slap-your-face drums. On this one, the message is in the hook: “You gotta love yourself before you can love somebody else.” It’s a great song, and honestly, the Kanye verse might be the weakest thing about it. Listen to it below.
Strength Of A Woman is out 4/28 on Capitol.