Teena Marie's Influence Found In Mary J. Blige, Hip-Hop, More
Teena Marie's Influence Found In Mary J. Blige, Hip-Hop, More Late soul veteran paved the way for several of today's hitmakers. R&B great Teena Marie died over the weekend, but her enduring legacy can be found in the legions of soul stars who followed in her footsteps. Marie joined the iconic Motown label in the late '70s and spent the next three decades building a reputation as a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist with a gift for penning lyrics and belting with soulful abandon. Her influence — from her top-flight musicianship to her pioneering image as a white, female R&B artist — can be found in many of today's hitmakers. Mary J. Blige The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has pointed to Marie as an early influence when the budding superstar was coming up in her scrappy Yonkers, New York, neighborhood. "Tina Mari inspired me vocally as a child. Her songs I sang in the mirror with a hair brush. I'm so hurt," she tweeted on Sunday.