Mary J. Blige may be a force in the music industry, but that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t get nervous when faced with other legends in her field. And that’s exactly what happened when she came face to face with the late Aretha Franklin years ago— but the story of what transpired will definitely surprise you.
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Sitting down for a new interview with Andy Cohen on the latest episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” Blige recalled her first time meeting the “Respect” singer at a recording studio in the past. The two soul singers once shared the stage for VH1’s “Divas Live TV” special in 1998, but according to the “Can’t Be Without You” singer, actually coming in contact with Franklin at the studio one-on-one was a bit more intense than she expected.
Explaining how the music icon was there to collaborate with her and Babyface for her 1999 single “Don’t Waste Your Time,” Blige jokingly described Franklin’s outfit as one that lowkey communicated to her that she was ready to fight and said that she gave her a confusing nickname that she thought was an insult.
“Aretha came in a hoodie, a sweatsuit, one pant-leg rolled up, like she was coming to fight or something. She had on this long trench coat and the hoodie and she was like, ‘How you doin? Hey, what’s up, Choppy?’” Blige explained. “I thought [Choppy] was like an insult, but someone said that she was admiring me, like saying that I could sing. But everything just felt so…Babyface was even scared!”
The “Just Fine” singer went on to say that things were even more uncomfortable because Franklin didn’t like being cold anywhere she went, so the studio was abnormally warm. Thankfully, once Blige’s mother stepped on the scene, things between the two singers came to a more respectful (no pun intended) level. However, it still wasn’t enough to keep the “A Rose Is Still A Rose” singer from being “mean,” as Blige shared.
This wouldn’t be the first time that somebody said they were on pins and needles around Franklin. As beloved as she was, she also had a reputation for not mincing words, keeping it all the way real and being shady every now and then. Who could forget her 2014 legendary shady moment towards Taylor Swift? “Beautiful gowns,” anyone? And what about demanding all her money in cash before doing any performance? And her literally refusing to comment on Nicki Minaj and her talent?
Taking all this into consideration, it’s not hard to believe Blige’s story, but at least the song sounded good!
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