What’s the 411? The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, better known as Mary J. Blige, rocked the Barclays Center stage in Brooklyn on Thursday night (Oct. 20) for her Good Morning Gorgeous Tour, playing classics such as “Real Love,” “MVP,” “Just Fine,” “Good Morning Gorgeous,” and “Enough Cryin.” The New York native, who has six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, was joined by newer R&B talents Queen Naija and Ella Mai as the opening acts. The two ladies warmed the crowd up for Blige with their own hit records, leaving fans wanting more.
The headlining Blige made the crowd swoon with her soulful vocals and iconic dance moves in four acts, with guest appearances from Jadakiss, Fivio Foreign, Fabolous, and more. Blige also brought out some of New York’s finest celebrities to her sold-out hometown show, including Fat Joe, Jim Jones, Papoose, and Remy Ma.
Billboard compiled a list of the top five best moments from Queen Mary’s show. Check it out below!
1.Ella Mai Brings Out Babyface
After Queen Naija performed, the London singer-songwriter took the stage to perform hits such as “Trippin” and the smash record that put her on the map, “Boo’d Up.” Ella Mai had the crowd singing to every song, but the moment that took her performance up a notch was when she welcomed Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds on the stage. Babyface, who has written for Whitney Houston, SWV, Toni Braxton, and countless other legendary acts, rocked the stage in an all-black ensemble to perform his recent collaboration with Ella Mai, “Keeps On Fallin.” The performance of these two sent the crowd into a frenzy, making it one of the most unforgettable moments of the night.
2. Diddy Bops
“Give me all your love and don’t stop” — Brother Love, that is! Diddy made a grand entrance during Blige’s performance of “All Night Long.” Blige, dressed in a yellow Louis Vuitton set from head to toe, and Diddy dressed in all black, did the “Mary Dance” across the stage, as the beat for the song continued. Diddy and Blige go way back, so it’s no surprise that the superstar paid a visit to his dear friend in their home state to two-step together once again.
3. Jadakiss Rocks the Mic
You can’t mention New York hip-hop without mentioning Jadakiss. For her performance of “Rent Money,” Blige brought out the rapper to spit his verse. “C’mon Jada!” Blige introduced him. The crowd applauded the collaboration, confirming that New York was definitely in the house on Thursday night.
4. Mary Shouts Out GloRilla
In the show’s 2nd act, Blige performed “Not Gon Cry,” actually leading to the singer crying real tears. She hit impressive high notes and even sung the record a cappella with a passion that made the singer look as though she caught the Holy Ghost. “If you ever see me crying, these are happy tears because I’m free,” Blige said to the crowd. She then broke out into rapping rising star GloRilla’s “F.N.F,” which the crowd joined Blige in chanting. Looks like GloRilla got a stamp of approval from another major celeb.
5. MJB is Da Real MVP
During the last act of the night, Blige changed into a sequence set with matching leather silver boots. She then went into her classic bag and performed her 2007 classic. The crowd jumped to their feet, dancing and singing while Blige hit some of her signature old school-dance moves. A shower of sparks flowed behind the R&B legend as she prepared to perform her last record of the night, “MVP.” “Thank my fans all around this building!” Blige raved. “I can call myself the MVP.”
