You know Mary J. Blige has put in the time and work throughout the decades. Now, she’s being recognized for her excellence.
According to Baller Alert, it was announced on June 12 that Mary J. will be the Lifetime Achievement recipient at this year’s BET Awards. If there was any time to cue Blige’s signature dance, this would be it. Best believe the award’s show will be a “dancery.”
The ceremony is set to air live at 8 p.m., Friday, June 21. It’ll be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Reportedly, the source names Mary J. Blige the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul.” With this in mind, it’s good to remember that she has eight multi-platinum albums under her belt, as well as nine Grammys. And we don’t even have to mention her acting career.
Matter Of Fact, Yes We Will Talk About Mary’s Acting>>>
When Mary J. Blige’s father, Thomas Blige, was severely stabbed multiple times, medical staff did not know if he’d make it through. The woman who stabbed him also had an uncertain fate, as she faced life in prison. What she ended up getting, however, shocked many.
Mary J.’s Dad Explained The Stabbing Incident…
In 2014, Mary J. Blige’s then 63 year old father, Thomas Blige, was listed in critical condition after being stabbed with a kitchen knife in his throat, lung, and arm, by his then 50 year old girlfriend, Cheryl White. He remained hospitalized for a while and Cheryl was arrested on an ‘assault with intent to murder’ charge.
Mary J. Blige’s sister, Latonya Blige, with their dad, Thomas Blige [Pinterest]The incident went down in Battle Creek, Michigan, outside of Thomas friend’s apartment at 6:59 a.m. on January 23, 2014. Thankfully, Thomas Blige made a remarkable recovery…and by the time Cheryl White’s trial in August of that same year, he was able to tell the judge how his girlfriend stabbed him:
“I was up early getting ready for school and I saw Cheryl White slashing my tires,” Thomas Blige told Judge Frank Line. “As I went to her she started slashing me. She said something out of anger like, ‘you won’t mess with me.'”
There’s More…Peep What Blige Says Happened After The Stabbing>>>
Remember the singer, Starshell, who Mary J. Blige reportedly accused of having an affair with her then husband, Kendu Isaacs? She was also once signed to Mary J.’s company prior to Mary J. alleging that Kendu used her money to fund fancy trips and gifts for Starshell.
Well, we were wondering whatever happened to her ever since the media frenzy she was tossed into via Mary’s and Kendu’s lengthy divorce battle, so we did a lil’ diggin.’
Why? because for a minute, it seemed as though ol’ girl had fallen underneath the radar and away from the public’s eye, presumably due to the mistress rumors. Now though, she’s managed to come up big time since the Mary J- Kendu cheating scandal. She’s also got a new career…and a apparently, a new wealthy man.
Not sure if those cheating rumors about Kendu and Starshell were true, but I’m 99.9% sure that Kendu is NOT the one funding her current lifestyle, which she and her parents are apparently enjoying the perks of…
Although Mary J. Blige and her ex-husband Kendu Isaacs have moved on from their marriage there’s still quite a bit of calamity left in the aftermath of their divorce. The two of them were facing a lawsuit pertaining to a property they secured through Golden Venus LLC which claims that not only did the two of them severely damage the property they both skipped out on rent and fees totaling $60,000. And now after a brief hiatus Golden Venus LLC can check one item off their list as they will be seeing their former tenants in court very soon.
After a nasty court battle fraught with cheating allegations, slander and money grabs Mary J. Blige and Kendu Isaacs divorce was finalized in March of 2018, though that didn’t have anything to do with the Golden Venus lawsuit which has been pending for a few years. It started back in 2015 when Blige and Isaacs agreed to move into a $7.5M six bedroom, eight bathroom mansion at the beautiful Mulholland Estates. Their rental payment was $25,000 per month, to which they agreed to pay faithfully. When their rent went up by $2,000 the following year they paid it for three months and then they stopped paying their rent altogether.
As a measure of good faith they decided they would move out of their home at the Mulholland Estates and asked that their $50,000 security deposit be applied to the money they owed in back rent. However, Golden Ventures claims that once they went to inspect the mansion after Blige and Isaacs’ exit they were amazed by the shape it was left in.
Salt-N-Pepa will be in effect on a TV screen near you, in 2020 to be exact. According to Rolling Stone, Lifetime network has green-lighted the project.
We See You Queen Latifah!
Executive produced by non-other than “Ms. U.N.I.T.Y.” Queen Latifah herself and her Flavor Unit Production Company.
The Salt-N-Pepa miniseries traverses the lives of Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, as they go from nursing school students to entering the world of hip-hop and rap and their rise and successes, which includes becoming the first female rap act to go platinum. The miniseries will feature a slew of their hits, including “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “What a Man,” “Shoop” and “Push It,” among others. James and Denton will serve as executive producers alongside Jesse Collins, and Flavor Unit’s Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere.
No word if Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella will be featured in the miniseries, but that seems quite obvious.
Salt-N-Pepa is not the only musical group to be on Lifetime next year either. A popular gospel group will receive their own Lifetime biopic.
Even though Mary J. Blige has finally been able to settle her spousal dispute and officially divorce her now ex-husband, Kendu Isaacs, she’s still being hit with legal troubles resulting from their prior 13-year marriage. This go ’round, it’s costing her a pretty penny.
Why Blige & Isaacs Are Being Sued Over Mansion
It all started as a result of the Beverly Hills, Cali. mansion the former Mr. and Mrs. rented in May 2015. Golden Venus LLC- the company that owns the mansion- is now suing Mary and Kendu for profusely trashing the crib, ditchin’ on the rent, and apparently jackin’ some A/V equipment.
When the former lovebirds first rented the mansion in May 2015, Golden Venus agreed to lease it to them for $25,500 per month for rent, with a security deposit of $51,000…according to court records obtained by The Blast. Keep in mind that this was when everything was apparently still all good between Kendu and Mary J.
Then came trouble in paradise with their marriage, which seemed to reflect the payments, or lack thereof, for their mansion. According to Golden Venus’ lawsuit, in April 2016, they granted a lease extension to the Mr. Mrs. and tagged on a lil’ extra, by increasing the monthly rent to $27,000. Unfortunately, the company says Mary and Kendu didn’t pay their rent for the next four months- from August 2015 through November 2015. That forced Golden Venus to serve the couple with eviction notices, demanding that they pay up on the then $85,050 they owed, or else immediately exit the home for good.
An agreement was eventually made between the leasing company, Mary J., and Kendu, which required the couple to pay $27,000, but allowed the Golden Venus to keep the security deposit (which one would normally get back after the lease has been fulfilled), and that would’ve settled the score. However, things took a turn for the worst and here is where they are now:
Via The Blast– Golden Venus claims they never got the $27,000. Furthermore, they claim to have discovered $16,058.78 in damages to the home — including holes in the wall and repairs to the water heater, freezer, air conditioning unit and garage door. They also claim they realized $31,052.52 in audio/visual equipment had been “removed” from the home.
In all, Golden Venus says they are owed $58,211.13 from Mary J. Blige and Marin Isaacs, plus interest.
Between the undisclosed amount of bread that Mary J. Blige is now dishin’ out Kendu’s every month, combined with this mansion rent lawsuit, her divorce is costing her more than emotional stress, that’s for sure.
By the way, did we mention that she’s still battling that hefty tax bill, which both she and Kendu acquired during their union? If you missed that tidbit of unfortunate news, scroll down for the latest…
Mary J. Fights Back Against Tax Levy
In August 2017, it was reported that Mary J. filed court docs, stating that she earns about $366,900.00 monthly- mostly from music royalties and her production company. However, at that time, the IRS hit her with a tax bill for ‘unpaid back taxes of approximately $6.5 million for the years 2008 through 2016,’ according to Daily Mail.
Now, as of Sept. 2018, Law360 has reported that Mary J. is fighting back against that colossal sized tax bill, which apparently is gonna end up with her baring the brunt of the weight anyways…given Kendu’s self-proclaimed lack of finances at this time:
Mary J. Blige claims the Internal Revenue Service did not consider financial information she submitted showing her inability to pay a $2.1 million tax deficiency.
Remember actress, Wendy Raquel Robinson? She first made her big splash in Hollywood, after co-starring as the school principal, alongside Steve Harvey in “The Steve Harvey Show” sitcom. She also made major noise on the former hit series, “The Game.” Although she’s starred in several other roles throughout her career, it’s her role as a wife to her husband of 15 years, that she was personally devoted to for quite some time. That is, apparently until things unfortunately began to break down between them.
That breakdown couldn’t have been more prevalent than when her husband, Marco Perkins, surprisingly filed for divorce a few days ago at an L.A. county courthouse. Now, it’s just been reported that not only is he ready to throw in the towel on their union, but he wants the divorce judge to do him a favor too.
Wendy Raquel Robinson’s estranged hubby, Marco Perkins, claims in divorce docs — obtained by TMZ — he needs Wendy to pay him significant spousal support when their divorce is all said and done ’cause she allegedly left him destitute after he had a stroke back in 2015.
Marco says he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle while married to Wendy, and is asking a judge to make her cough up at least $10,000 a month so he can maintain that life — adding that she can afford it, since he believes her monthly income is in the ballpark of $200k/month. … Marco filed for divorce last week after 15 years together with Wendy. They have no minor children.
At this point, its unclear if Marc’s reported stroke left him with any type of permanent medical damage. Hopefully whatever issues he and Wendy are, it won’t turn out to be a lengthy battle like Mary J. Blige and Kendu’s divorce was. With exception of Marc mentioning his stroke in the divorce docs, the rest of his demands and claims sound somewhat similar to Kendu’s.
Kendu claimed that Mary left him broke and destitute and he also once claimed that he ended up hospitalized with a medical condition as a result.Thankfully, those two have now settled the score for an undisclosed amount of money for Kendu, but just for the heck of it, here’s a quick recap of where they once were:
When news first broke in October 2016, that Kendu was goin’ IN for his chunk of Mary’s money, fans were flabbergasted as hell. Why? Because after laying an eye on his reported lengthy list of demands, many folks were like, ‘C’mon now, Kendu, really?’
Apparently, Kendu asked the judge to grant him money for everything from $8,000 a month for a private chef and $5,732 on groceries to $5,000 a month in child support for his two kids from a previous relationship. He even allegedly wanted a whopping $21,000 for monthly charities and $10,000 for entertainment, gifts and vacations. This was the full list of demands that were reported at that that time…
Byn January 2018, Kendu was still trying his damnest to get more money from Mary J. That’s when he’d claimed Mary’s new music, latest appearances, and tour all included profits he should have eared income from, because he feels that she was profiting off their divorce. He also accused Mary of withholding bread from him during the time he worked as her personal manager for her prior King & Queen of Hearts tour. For that tour, he demanded an additional $345,000.
Wendy Raquel Robinson’s soon-to-be-ex-husband just might be taking a cue from Kendu’s book on this one. Only time will tell…wishing them a smooth, peaceful divorce process.
“No Drama” is what Mary J. Blige once sang about, but unfortunately that’s still not what she’s getting. Even though her divorce from ex-husband, Kendu Isaacs, is finally a don dada, the stress from their bitter divorce process is blaring louder than a million sirens. We already knew Kendu was gunnin’ for an overly healthy spousal support settlement, but now Mary’s got another money issue- two of the homes she and Kendu owned together.
News has now surfaced that Kendu and Mary owe a ton of money on their two properties, so the bank has just snatched them from the former couple. Here’s what was reported:
Via Bossip: …A bank sued the pair [Mary J. and Kendu] and started foreclosure proceedings and claimed they’ve stopped making payments on two of her palatial homes. … Last month, Apex Bank sued both Blige and Isaacs to foreclose on properties in Cresskill and Saddle River, NJ, claiming the pair hadn’t made payments in months. In the first lawsuit, Blige and Isaacs are accused of not paying down the $8.1 million mortgage that Blige used to buy the Saddle River estate for $12.3 million 10 years ago. The property boasts eight bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a studio, media room, library and staff quarters.
The second suit accuses Blige and her ex of defaulting on another $2 million mortgage that she used to buy another place a few towns over. Blige bought that home back in 2001, and the 6,100 square foot home has six bedrooms, a master suite on its own private floor and sits on an acre lot. The bank wants control of the two homes and Blige and Isaacs out ASAP. It was unclear Thursday who lived in the properties, but one was taken off the market shortly after the couple’s divorce became final.
Prior to this latest money issue, the IRS hit Mary J. and Kendu with a whopping $5million tax lien in 2017. The lien was a result of tax bills they acquired during their 14 year marriage. It’s probably safe to assume that they’re tax bill will actually become Mary’s sole responsibility. According to Kendu, she left him in a dire and destitute situation financially and career-wise.
Mary J. Was Homeless After Split From Kendu
In 2017, during Mary J.’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony, she emotionally revealed that her 2016 split from Kendu, left her homeless. She admitted that she had no place to go and had it not been for Interscope Records CEO, Jimmy Iovine and his wife, Liberty, she doesn’t know what she would have done:
“I’m so grateful for this star right now because I’ve earned it probably three times,” Blige told the Hollywood Walk of Fame crowd. “I say that with confidence and not arrogance. I say it because I know that now, and I know my worth, and what this means.”When all hell was turning loose in 2016 and I had to file [for divorce] and all of that stuff, I was homeless last year. Jimmy Iovine took me into his Malibu home- him and his beautiful wife, Liberty- and I will never forget that.”
Geesh, this is bad for Mary J.. Although it’s easy to point fingers at Kendu in this case, I’ll try be fair about this expensive debt-filled disaster he dumped on her. Mary was the bread winner in their relationship since the beginning. So these financial responsibilities she now has to handle for both of them, probably doesn’t come as a shock to her…nor should it be, just sayin.’ Keep your head up though Mary!
When reports began circulating about Mary J. Blige and Kendu Isaacs downward spiraling marriage, their finances and other marital problems were made public. But money wasn’t the only issue made public. Rumors about Kendu’s alleged affair were also circulating. For those who don’t remember the woman, in question, she was Mary J. Blige’s protege, upcoming singer Starshell; a person who was relatively close to Mary. While most people see being labeled a mistress as an unfavorable thing, apparently, Starshell has made all the publicity work in her favor. According to Digital Music News, Starshell has managed to raise a whopping $1 million dollars over the past couple months and for a very good cause. So, how did she do it? Well ironically her success is the result of a song.
According to TechCrunch, Starshell’s song “Birthday Girl” has led to success on many different levels. In fact, “Birthday Girl” has become more than a song, and the publication suggests its now a movement; “something of an anthem.” If you haven’t seen Starshell’s video, check it out.
However, the song is more than just a record with lyrics over a beat. The site reports that “Birthday Girl” has opened many doors for Starshell’s Birthday Girl World website. Over the past three years, Sharshell – whose real name is LaNeah Menzies – has seen the monumental success in the digital world. The website has had impressive analytics with more than 250 million unique impressions since she launched it.
The publication also offered a breakdown of the site’s stats:
Dubbed Birthday Girl World, the website received 208,740 total visits in January. Since its launch three years ago, Menzies’ website has reached over 250 million unique impressions. Birthday Girl World has become so popular that the singer has managed to raise $1 million in financing.
Because of the impressive site analytics, Starshell managed to catch the attention of Value Investment Group. Now the site has received $1 million in financing from the investment firm reportedly founded by Rashaun Williams. For those who don’t know, Rashaun is no stranger to the investment world or the music business. In the past, he became a big name working for Nas’ Queensbridge Venture Partners fund and the global diversified holding company, Steel Partners.
So what led to the massive movement Birthday Girl has become? During the interview, Starshell revealed the song is relatively personal as she recalled the loss of her sister to suicide. “For me, I happened to lose my sister to teenage suicide,” Sharshell told the publication. “I decided to build a platform about suicide and mental health and I created a song to back into the idea of loving yourself. I created the song so I could back into the conversation.
”She went on to share how the site came about. It all started as a simple Kickstarter campaign to raise money for her merchandise line. However, many investment companies were interested in content in addition to the merchandise. So, Starshell delivered and it turned out to be a great business move. “The content side is our strongest side. Part of the content we offer are purposeful practices… helping you find your purpose; helping you live your best life,” said. “On top of that we donate a portion of our proceeds to suicide prevention and mental health.”
With the investment funds, it looks like Starshell is on track to further expand her brand. Yesterday, she took to Instagram with an interesting announcement about Birthday Girl World.:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BinDAg_gnHj
Why It’s So Popular:
Despite the rumors about her alleged involvement with Kendu Isaacs amid the Mary J. Blige divorce reports, Starshell believes technology is the real reason why her song has been so successful. “I feel like technology was the one way I could generate the most social impact,” she said. “Music was great, but it was just a song.”
In addition to the $1 million raised, Starshell is also working to close a partnership deal with the Jed Foundation to further expnd the site’s reach. “It’s an easier way to talk about mental health because it’s about celebrating you, celebrating your life and how to self-care,” says Menzies. “I was aiming from a world where every woman loves and celebrates themselves.”
ILOSM family, we’ve just learned that Mary J. Blige may have been beaming from ear to ear at last night’s Oscar’s for several reasons. As most of us already know, the “What’s the 411” queen is the first ever entertainer to be nominated for acting performance and an original song in the same film. She was nominated for two Oscar Awards: for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in Mudbound, and also for her song from the movie, “Mighty River.”
HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 04: Mary J. Blige attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage)
But although our girl, Mary, didn’t win either of her nominations at Sunday night’s ceremony, those defeats weren’t gonna steal her joy. Why? Because Mary was sitting on some great secret news about her now failed marriage to Kendu Isaacs.
New About Secret Settlement
It’s been a grueling divorce process for Mary and her husband of 13 years, Kendu, ever since Mary filed papers in July 2016. They’ve battled it out publicly and Mary claimed that Kendu cheated on her, while secretly spending her money to take his alleged mistress on lavish trips and such. Kendu denied the accusations and proceeded to demand monthly spousal support of approximately $130K, ultimately lowering his request to $110K. In the meantime, for the past few months, Mary has been paying Kendu the court ordered temporary spousal support of $30K monthly.
Now though, word on the Old School curb is that as of Friday, March 2nd, the former Mr. and Mrs. divorce drama is no more. According to The Blast, Mary and Kendu secretly settled on an unknown amount of spousal support and are finally walking away from each other’s lives for good…with the exception of those monthly checks Mary will probably be dishing out for a while. That is, unless Kendu settled for a hefty one-time payout from Mary instead…that part is still unclear. What is clear though, is that Mary can finally say ‘I’s free nah!’
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 28: Singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige and Kendu Isaacs arrive at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Not quite sure what Kendu plans to do at this point. That brotha previously claimed that ever since Mary left him and fired him as her manager, he’s been unable to find work.
Kendu’s & Mary’s Recent Financial Claims Against Each Other
Also, on last week, it was widely reported that Kendu was after Mary’s Mudbound movie income and profits earned from her current touring and latest album. He reportedly filed docs, claiming that he deserves to receive portions of those profits, because he says Mary was exploiting their divorce issues to promote those ventures.
Mary then shot back in new court docs, claiming that Kendu doesn’t deserve a dime because he’s left it up to her to pay the $12 million debt they both accrued as a couple. She also stated that as far as her Mudbound earnings, there is none, because she actually lost money on the expenses it cost her just to star in the film.
Jay Z & Beyonce Throw Oscar After Party For Mary
https://www.instagram.com/p/BegtZJxl_8M/
Nonetheless, Mary appears to be way too happy right now, to let anything get her down and her homies Jay Z and Beyonce made sure of that. After the 90th Annual Academy Awards were wrapped Sunday night, Mary lived out Jay Z’s lyrics: “After the show it’s the after party and…”.
US Magazine reported that Jay and Bey’ threw Mary a lavish afterparty at the Chateau Marmont in L.A. and apparently it was damn near like a like a secret Mission Impossible venture. Only 150 guests were invited and they discreetly entered and exited through a walkway that was “shielded” from public view with “blackout curtains.” When asked aboutthe party on the Oscar’s redcarpet Mary only had this to say:
Via US Magazine: The event [was] held in the underground garage of the hotel on Sunset Boulevard and an insider tells Us Weekly that security was already tight hours before the soiree kicked off on Sunday, March 4. […] “The underground garage of the Chateau Marmont has been transformed into a very classy, old-school Hollywood glamor lounge,” the insider says. “There is a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the garage. Black carpet has been laid down with white booths set against the wall to give guests plenty of room to dance. There’s also a classic two-door coupe sports car in the center of the room.”
It was also reported that the party invitation read “No sitting, you have to be up and dancing.” So y’all already know Mary and all her guests were on the dance floor cuttin up’ while she celebrated both her Oscar noms and her newfound freedom. Now that Mary’s single, wonder if her ex-boo-thang, K-Ci (of Jodeci) is somewhere waiting to win his woman back. Let’s not act like we forgot how as soon as Mary filed for divorce, K-Ci boldly serenaded her (and her mother) at the 2017 VH1 ‘Dear Mama’ special like this…
K-Ci singing to his ex, Mary J. Blige, and her mother during the VH1 ‘Dear Mama’ taping on May 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images for VH1)
(Video) Did You Catch Mary’s Oscar Performance?
By the way, in case y’all missed it, not only did Mary deliver in Mudbound and on its soundtrack, she showed up and showed OUT for her Academy Award performance Sunday night. Check her out, singing “Mighty River” in the video below…
