Mary J. Blige Honored By The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has added Mary J. Blige‘s album “My Life” to the National Recording Registry for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance. Mary reflected on the album, stating,…
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Mary J. Blige performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California.
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)The Library of Congress has added Mary J. Blige's album "My Life" to the National Recording Registry for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance.
Mary reflected on the album, stating, "My favorite lyric from the My Life album is, ‘Life can be only what you make of it.’"
Members of the National Recording Preservation Board have nominated singles and albums to the National Recording Registry every year since 2002. The 2025 class includes iconic recordings like Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black." Check out a complete listing of the recording in the R&B and Rap/Hip Hop genre of the National Recording Registry below. What recordings do you think should be added to the registry?
| TITLE | ARTIST | YEAR RELEASE | YEAR INDUCTED | GENRE |
| Respect (single) | Aretha Franklin | 1967 | 2002 | R&B |
| What'd I Say (parts 1 and 2) | Ray Charles | 1959 | 2002 | R&B |
| The Message (single) | Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five | 1982 | 2002 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) | Otis Redding | 1965 | 2003 | R&B |
| What's Going On (album) | Marvin Gaye | 1971 | 2003 | R&B |
| Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) (single) | The Penguins | 1954 | 2004 | R&B |
| Live at the Apollo (album) | James Brown | 1963 | 2004 | R&B |
| Fear of a Black Planet (album) | Public Enemy | 1990 | 2004 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Dancing in the Street (single) | Martha and the Vandellas | 1964 | 2005 | R&B |
| The Revolution Will Not Be Televised | Gil Scott-Heron | 1970 | 2005 | R&B |
| Songs in the Key of Life (album) | Stevie Wonder | 1976 | 2005 | R&B |
| A Change is Gonna Come (single) | Sam Cooke | 1964 | 2006 | R&B |
| Tracks of My Tears (single) | Smokey Robinson and the Miracles | 1965 | 2007 | R&B |
| At Last (single) | Etta James | 1961 | 2008 | R&B |
| Dear Mama | Tupac Shakur | 1995 | 2009 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Let's Stay Together (single) | Al Green | 1971 | 2010 | R&B |
| 3 Feet High and Rising (album) | De La Soul | 1989 | 2010 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Mothership Connection (album) | Parliament | 1976 | 2011 | R&B |
| Rapper's Delight (single) | Sugarhill Gang | 1979 | 2011 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Wild Tchoupitoulas (album) | The Wild Tchoupitoulas | 1976 | 2012 | R&B |
| Theme from 'Shaft' (album) | Issac Hayes | 1971 | 2013 | R&B |
| Stand! (album) | Sly and the Family Stone | 1969 | 2014 | R&B |
| The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (album) | Lauryn Hill | 1998 | 2014 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| People Get Ready (single) | The Impressions | 1965 | 2015 | R&B |
| Hound Dog | Big Mama Thornton | 1952 | 2016 | R&B |
| In the Midnight Hour | Wilson Pickett | 1965 | 2016 | R&B |
| We Are Family (single) | Sister Sledge | 1979 | 2016 | R&B |
| Straight Outta Compton (album) | NWA | 1988 | 2016 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Raising Hell (album) | Run-DMC | 1986 | 2017 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Mississippi Goddam (single) | Nina Simone | 1964 | 2018 | R&B |
| The Blueprint (album) | Jay-Z | 2001 | 2018 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| The Chronic (album) | Dr. Dre | 1992 | 2019 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Lady Marmalade (single) | Labelle | 1974 | 2020 | R&B |
| Illmatic (album) | Nas | 1994 | 2020 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Reach Out, I’ll Be There (single) | The Four Tops | 1966 | 2022 | R&B |
| The Low End Theory (album) | A Tribe Called Quest | 1991 | 2022 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (album) | Wu-Tang Clan | 1993 | 2022 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| St. Louis Blues (single) | Handy’s Memphis Blues Band | 1922 | 2023 | R&B |
| Wang Dang Doodle (single) | Koko Taylor | 1965 | 2023 | R&B |
| All Hail the Queen (album) | Queen Latifah | 1989 | 2023 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| La Di Da Di (single) | Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick | 1985 | 2024 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| Ready to Die (album) | Notorious BIG | 1994 | 2024 | Rap/Hip Hop |
| My Life | Mary J. Blige | 1994 | 2025 | R&B |
