Ranking the Best Songs on Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it here again – there was something in the water in July. Thirty years ago today, Mary J Blige helped reshape R&B with a hip-hop twist, thanks to her landmark debut, What’s the 411? It’s hard to imagine today if you didn’t live through it, but this was among the albums that solidified the ties between rap and R&B for decades.

Today I’m joined by one of my faves, Damon Dunn, AKA my R&B offspring. Together, we’ll break down the best and least best (cuz there’s no worst here) of this pivotal album.

What’s your pick for best song?

Damon: “Changes I’ve Been Going Through” 

Okay let me start by saying that no matter what the album is I’m gonna be an album cut person and this absolute gem is definitely in my opinion the best song on the album. It’s like a heartbreak / self empowerment song which can just be played a high decibels and it works. The mix of the hard hitting drum sample beat and the soft piano keys too – yeah this song takes the number 1 spot for me, no doubt about it .

Edd: “Love No Limit”

If you’re listening to this album for the first time, your ears might not immediately pick up on the understated “Love No Limit.” It’s not as aggressive as “Changes I’ve Been Going Through,” not as energetic as “Real Love” or heartfelt as “Sweet Thing.” I’m not sure what the magic behind the mellowness of “Love No Limit,” but Dave Hall’s jazzy production really sets this one apart for me. While some of the tracks on 411 – great as they are – feel like a product of their time today, “Love No Limit” works in any era. Issa vibe way before y’all ran that term into the ground.

The best feature performance belongs to whom?

Damon: Busta Rhymes on “Intro Talk”

It’s probably because I’m a Busta stan and this was my first time really listening to anything he’s done so it’s always going to hold a special place in my musical mind. I remember exactly where I was when I first listened to this song in a store in the middle of Spain and I was like “woah.” He barely does his usual Busta antics here but his voice and the production mixed makes this one of my favourite album intros/interludes ever.

Edd: K-Ci Hailey on “I Don’t Want to Do Anything”

K-Ci yelling K-Ci-shly all over this track is by far the biggest highlight for me. His chemistry with MJB is off the charts and he absolutely steals the show. Mary’s no slouch of course, but early 90s K-Ci was blessed with one of the most distinctive voices in the game. He runs away with this one.

Which track gave us this project’s best video?

Damon: “Real Love”

I’ll be honest here, I’m never crazy about music videos unless it’s like something crazy Missy, Busta or Janet would do. But I do appreciate the videos from Mary’s What’s  the 411? era. “Real Love” wins it for me simply due to the fun hyperactive dancing in the baseball caps and oversized shirts, it’s so early 90s and I love it. Shout out to “Reminisce” by the way even though it has the dumb fake lighting effect every video had back then.

Edd: “Real Love”

Another no brainer. I remember a friend stopping over after school RAVING about this new song he heard called “Real Love,” and how it was unlike anything else out. We turned on MTV to see if we could catch it and the programming gods instantly smiled upon us – literally minutes after tuning in, I glimpsed “Real Love” in all its majesty.  Keep in mind, R&B videos were typically sultry numbers filmed with love interests wandering around rooms with satin sheets. Nah, Mary and friends were stomping around in darkened streets. It didn’t feel like an R&B video, it felt like a hip-hop video and it set the tone for what was to come over the next decade.

The award for Best Production goes to…

Damon: “Real Love”

I mentioned this earlier but what I love about this album is the the alternating hard and soft sounds. It’s usually a hard drum sample and a soft piano/guitar/wind instrument but for “Real Love” it’s a hard drum mixed with these loud keys and it’s so infectious. A song made to be played a very high decibels at clubs / parties or really anywhere and the layered vocals on the bridge, just pure flames right there.

Edd: “Real Love”

As you can tell by my rating, I don’t think “Real Love” is the crown jewel of this album but it’s arguably its most important and influential track.  Its production has a lot to do with that. Simply saying the words “real love” means your brain is flooded by those iconic keys. The “Top Billin” sample allows the track to be equal parts genuine and gritty, which only adds to MJB’s b-girl aura. It’s not my personal favorite beat on this album (that’s “Changes I’ve Been Going Through”) but “Real Love” is the most impressive.

What’s the most underrated song here?

Damon: “Slow Down”

This one was easy, the singles get a lot of attention and some album cuts like “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” get a lot of attention also and even with the remix album brought some extra heat to many of the songs but WHERE IS THE REMIX TO “SLOW DOWN”?!?!?? This song is one of my favourites and it even got the pass from my Mother when I played the album in the car like 2 years ago. I don’t see anyone talking about this song and I don’t know why, I love everything from the production and the way it’s sung too, it’s just perfection to me. Criminally underrated.

Edd: “Changes I’ve Been Going Through”

There comes a time when fathers butt heads with their sons and this is one of ‘em – I know Damon loves “Slow Down” but it’s by far the lowlight for me. I’M NOT SAYING IT’S TRASH, CALM DOWN – What’s the 411 is basura-free in my eyes. But if I had to cut a song, it would be that one. The most underrated by far is “Changes I’ve Been Going Through,” a song that slaps harder than Solange wearing concrete catchers mitts in an elevator. It’s quite shocking that this never became a high-octane radio hit.

And what’s the most overrated?

Damon: “Sweet Thing”

Now before I start I need to say that I love a good cover song; most of my playlist is cover songs. I don’t hate this song, it’s just the one that gets me the least and I think it’s because it’s the least hip-hop influenced song out of them all. Which is fine, I just like it the least compared to the others. Now I love the original version of the song because Chaka is an insane vocalist but I’ve heard that people actually prefer Mary’s version which to me is a bit crazy. Also I don’t really understand why it was chosen as a single either. I like the song but yeah, to me, I just don’t get the hype.

Edd: “Real Love”

GO AHEAD AND CANCEL ME, BRO! Again, “Real Love” is by no means a bad song. As I said earlier, it’s probably THE most important song on the album. But allow me to pick nits and split hairs – while it’s culturally significant, I consider many other songs here to be of stronger quality, in terms of songwriting and delivery (“Real Love” has the production on lock, though). Really, I’m just arguing to be arguing because there’s no “overrated” song on this album. “Real Love” is dope, just not THE dopest.  

Which song should have been a single?

Damon: “I Don’t Want To Do Anything”

I’ll keep this short and sweet. First off, I genuinely thought this was a single  maybe because of the Uptown Unplugged performance and even ignoring that the song is so loved by fans to this day that I just feel like if it was a single (over “Sweet Thing”) it would’ve worked better . Second reason is because the rise of Jodeci and the hip-hop soul movement being a phenomenon at the time it would’ve made perfect sense to be released as a single (maybe as a final single, after the album took off)

Edd: “I Don’t Want To Do Anything”

This is another easy one, as a smoldering duet between two of the biggest rising stars in R&B seemed like a given and I’m still not sure why it happened. Perhaps it was due to how tumultuous their real-life relationship was at the time, but that’s just speculation on my part. I mean, literally half the tracks on the album became singles so it’s not like What’s the 411 was hurtin’ for promo. Still, it’s a glaring omission.

Is this Mary’s best album?

Damon: In my humble opinion, no. My Life will forever reign supreme but I’m not gonna think you’re crazy for saying it’s number 1 (unless you slander My Life, then we will have a problem). For me, it’s at number 2 because of the influence, the iconic-ness and because Share My World has “Our Love” and I really don’t like that song. It’s a classic but not number one for me.

Edd: It’s not My Life, so it’s a no for me dog *American Idol meme.* And even though I still rank Share My World above it, What’s the 411 is remains an undisputed classic and an pivotal release for both Mary’s career and the state of R&B. It laid the groundwork for R&B’s much-needed transition away from New Jack Swing (take the nostalgia goggles off, playas, it was time for something new) and paved the way for marriage of R&B and hip-hop that’s still going strong today. Oh, and without this album, there is no My Life, so its legacy is intact.

Who do you agree with, Damon or Dad? Let us know below.