They say that life experience often inspires the best music. That's certainly been the case with Mary J. Blige's decades long career.

Over the last 20 years, there have been few artists who have come close to capturing the pain, turmoil and heartbreak of relationships gone sour like Mary J. Blige. Her raw vulnerability and aching lyrics over groove-heavy tracks has distinguished her as the voice of a generation. And so with her latest album, Strength of a Woman, she's continues her legacy.

There's a reason why she's dubbed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, and she gets right to proving it on her latest 14-track release, which features appearances from DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Missy Elliott and Kaytranada.

She's said that this album in particular pulls heavily from her personal life, as she deals with getting through her divorce from husband and manager, Kendu Isaacs. That's been apparent on singles like "Thick of It" and "U + Me (Love Lesson)."

“[Divorce] is not something I wanted to do, but I had no choice,” said Mary in a trailer for the documentary, The Making of A Strength of a Woman. “I’m not writing an album preaching to anyone about what they should do. I’m literally trying to heal myself through writing, singing, through some kind of way. Getting it out of my system.”

The documentary will air on May 2 on VH1. In the meantime, listen to her new album via Spotfiy below.

10 R&B Artists That Defined Hip-Hop Soul
 

More From Magic 104.9