Roc Marciano
The Prequel

With her 1992 debut What’s The 411?, Blige folded the nascent sounds of hip-hop into her music and its aesthetic into her style. HERstory Vol.1 reflects on that era and on Blige’s emergence as the queen of hip-hop soul. The collection, spanning singles, collaborations, and remixes, maps her early trajectory from “Real Love” all the way to 1997’s “Love Is All We Need.” Even alongside some of the most acclaimed rappers of all time—Jay-Z, Method Man, Nas, and Biggie—Blige pierces through.