Roots of Mary J. Blige

Donald Lawrence is an American gospel music songwriter, record producer, composer, singer, and music arranger. He is best known for the songs he had created, in which had been known for their the blend of several genres and genre-influences. In the 2000s, his Grammy Award-nominated songs "The Blessing of Abraham" and "Encourage Yourself," became few of the most known "staples." He owns the record label, QuietWater Entertainment.

First Choice is an American girl group and vocal music trio from Philadelphia. Their soul and disco hits included "Armed and Extremely Dangerous", "Smarty Pants", "The Player ", "Guilty", "Love Thang", and "Doctor Love". They were signed to soul label Philly Groove and to disco label Gold Mind, and later to Warner Bros. and Salsoul.

Sean John Combs, also known professionally as Diddy, is an American former rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is credited with the discovery and development of musical artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher, among others.

David Debrandon Brown, professionally known as Lucky Daye, is an American singer-songwriter who works in the R&B genre. He signed with Keep Cool Records and RCA Records and released his first two extended plays entitled I (2018) and II (2019),leading to the release of his first studio album, Painted (2019). His third extended play, Table for Two (2021), won the Best Progressive R&B Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Peter O. Phillips, better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier, RZA, and Q-Tip as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Early on in his career, he was also famed for his remix work.

Roy Davis Jr. is an American electronic musician from Chicago, Illinois, specialising in house music.

Maxwell Dixon, known professionally as Grand Puba, is an American rapper and record producer, best known as a member of Brand Nubian from New Rochelle, New York. He was formerly a member of Masters of Ceremony.

LeToya Nicole Luckett-Coles is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a member of Destiny's Child, she achieved four US Top 10 hit singles, "No, No, No", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Jumpin', Jumpin'", and "Say My Name", sold over 25 million records, and won two Grammy Awards. In the 2000s, she began her solo career after leaving the group and signing a record deal with Capitol Records.

Diana Gordon, formerly known as Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her debut album With the Music I Die was released in 2011, with its lead single "Dirty Talk" receiving triple platinum and platinum certifications in Australia and the United Kingdom respectively, and topping the ARIA Singles Chart in the former country. She began going by her birth name in 2016, and released the extended plays Pure (2018) and Wasted Youth (2020).

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. In 2023, Billboard and Vibe ranked him as the greatest rapper of all time. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest music artist in history, worth an estimated US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

William Armistead Tyler is an American guitarist and composer who plays "cosmic country," folk, indie folk, and pop rock.

Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, and record executive. A three-time Grammy Award winner and eleven-time nominee, he is the founder of Surf Club Inc., an independent label, publishing company, and entertainment company.

Debra Renee Laws is an American singer and actress from Houston, Texas. She is best known for her 1981 R&B/soul ballad "Very Special". In her music career, she works closely with her siblings, Eloise Laws, Hubert Laws and Ronnie Laws, who are producers.

Bianca Deiandra Atterberry, also known by her stage name Blush, is an American songwriter. Atterberry has co-written for Demi Lovato, Blackpink, K. Michelle, Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray, Meghan Trainor, and Kid Cudi, among others. She co-wrote Lovato's 2021 single "Dancing With The Devil", which entered the Billboard Hot 100, as well as three additional tracks from its parent album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over (2021).

Raymond "Rea" Michael Garvey is an Irish singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Germany. In 1998, he formed the band Reamonn. Over the 11 years that Garvey was their frontman, they saw chart-topping success in Europe, with a number of gold and platinum selling albums, Tuesday, Dream No. 7, Beautiful Sky, Wish and Eleven and several sold out European tours. In 2010, after the release of the band's best-of album/DVD Eleven, and a best-of tour, the band parted ways. Garvey took this time to pursue a solo career, which gave birth to his first solo album Can't Stand the Silence in 2011. This album saw Garvey's transition from anthem rock with Reamonn, to alternative electro-pop.

Kenneth M. "Keni" Burke is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist.