Mary J. Blige, Thriving | Track Review

Grammy-winning R&B singer Mary J. Blige keeps on rolling out quality music with her latest, confident single, “Thriving,” featuring Nas.

“Keep smilin’, make ‘em wild out / Stay loud, don’t dumb it down / Hold my crown up to the sky / Hold your crown up to the sky.” Although Mary J. Blige may be past her most lucrative prime, but that doesn’t stop the Grammy-winning, ‘queen of hip-hop soul’ from releasing compelling, new music.  That’s exactly what she does with her new single, “Thriving.” As MJB indeed ‘thrives,’ she gets a lift from another top-notch musician in his own right, Nas.

Blige is on autopilot from the jump, period.  Backed by banging production by DJ Camper (Darhyl Camper, Jr.), the queen flexes hard from the start. “Look what I did, I made history,” she sings on the first verse, continuing, “They don’t know what to do with me.” Her confidence continues to be through the roof on the second verse, as she asserts, “You see, I’m on a mission (Yeah) / Ain’t no baggage weighin’ me down (No).” As great as the verses, refrain (featured at the top of the review), and the pre-chorus are, it’s the chorus the seals the deal:

“No, we’re not just survivin’, yeah we’re thrivin’ over here

All those sad songs don’t break me, just gave me a record deal

Ooh, ooh,

We’re not just survivin’, yeah we’re thrivin’ over here.”

As aforementioned, Blige gets an assist, courtesy of Nas. He delivers the goods on the third verse, providing contrast, yet at the same time, complementing MJB – “I dodged bullets and jail time and kept drivin’ / Stood tall through it all, keep thrivin’.”

Final Thoughts

More could be said about “Thriving,” but all in all, it’s a strong, well-rounded single from one of R&B’s very best. Mary J. Blige sounds awesome, Nas plays a superb supporting role, and by all means, she’s correct when she says, “we’re thriving.”

Mary J. Blige • Thriving (with Nas) [Single] • Republic • Release: 5.8.19

Photo Credit: Republic