Mary J. Blige stays delivering iconic moments even when she’s just casually chatting.
Stopping by the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast with Carmelo Anthony, the Queen of Hip‑Hop Soul revealed a fun little music‑history twist: she actually passed on Rihanna’s “Umbrella” before it became one of the biggest pop smashes of the 2000s.
Mary, in peak Mary fashion, cracked up as she explained why she didn’t take the track.
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“Yo, my fans is going to bug out on me if they hear me talkin’ about ‘Aye, Aye, Aye,’” she joked, sending the room into laughter.
It’s classic Blige — honest, self‑aware, and effortlessly hilarious.
But she didn’t stop there. Mary admitted that when she finally heard Rihanna’s version, she instantly knew she’d made the right call. Some songs are simply destined for the artist they land with, and “Umbrella” was clearly meant to be Rih’s meteor‑level moment.
The conversation unfolded on this week’s episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, where Mary and Melo dove into career stories, near‑misses, and the kind of behind‑the‑scenes gems only a legend like Blige can drop with such ease.
Dig out Miss Blige’s full chat this week on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast, former Nuggets/Knicks NBA player — video below.
Comment below. Would you have loved a Mary J. version of “Umbrella,” or was it always destined for Rihanna?
