The DJ Booth… We never miss a beat…

Mary J. Blige - I'm The One

Mary J. Blige
Artist:Mary J. Blige
Title:I'm The One
Producer: Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins
Album:Stronger With Each Tear
Label:Matriarch/Geffen/Interscope
Twitter:@maryjblige
Website:Mary J. Blige's Website

Average Rating:   32101   3.7
Total Ratings:       66

Strong-woman swagger has long been a female R&B staple, but few can match Mary J. Blige‘s streetwise assertiveness.  On her latest single, the veteran singer engages in some, “I’m not sayin’ I’m the best, but I’m the best” braggadocio as she tells a fickle man what her devotees in the Booth and beyond already know: “I’m The One.”  Blige’s crowd-pleasing brand of urban soul is backed by the time-tested production stylings of Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, whose midtempo, synth-heavy boardwork should have all the ladies and fellas stepping out onto the dancefloor.  Booth favorite Drake jumps on board to provide moral support, rapping MJB’s praises in a studio-enhanced, pop-reference-peppered guest verse (I definitely wasn’t expecting a White Stripes namedrop) that won’t be appearing on the record’s official single version—it’s a bummer, I know.  Regardless, ItO has no shortage of club appeal, and will certainly get its share of spins in anticipation of Me, Myself & Mary‘s Stronger With Each Tear winter release.


Related Songs

Submit a Review and/or Rating

comment-box

Member Reviews and Ratings

Showing 50 of 66 Ratings.   See All Ratings

M Dollas
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 84
Rating:  32121
I like this joint, dope vibez


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

cb126405
DJ Booth Crew

cb126405
Total Ratings: 1621
Rating:  43211
After I just got done rating a 5 star for a song called Death of Autotune, I'm right back on the bandwagon with this record! Mostly from the Darkchild production, but this one here is CRACK! MJB held it down with the vocals for a surefire club hit. Drake wasn't the best feature for this, but he was hot nonetheless.

Prediction - There will be many remix's made to this record.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Juanito_88
Resident DJ

Juanito_88
Total Ratings: 1078
Rating:  32121
The production is cool for dance music. Mary is nice on this, and the hook and melody are pretty catchy. I still wasn't sure whethere to rotate this, but Drizzy pushed it to rotation status for me. (Love the White Stripes reference!)


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Emma Lane
Resident DJ

Emma Lane
Total Ratings: 153
Rating:  32121
Go Mary! Loved it!


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

MrAuckCity
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 40
Rating:  43211
liked it alot
wished drake went harder tho but still love him


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Big-A
Resident DJ

 
Total Ratings: 576
Rating:  14321
MJB with autotune and singing about swagger?? wooooooooow. pretty basic repetetive production too, Darkchild can do MUCH better! plus a feature from the most overrated, overhyped dude ever named Drake. nah, this is absolutely a no go to me. u can't sell me shiat and says its gold, nah. not with me...


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Jewelz
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 104
Rating:  32121
I like it, MJ and Drake, great combo


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

LStar Productions
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 92
Rating:  43211
Mary J is a legend and this song proves it again. Love ya Maryyyy


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

cb126405
DJ Booth Crew

cb126405
Total Ratings: 1621
Rating:  43211
Anyone rating this below 3 stars- do you not go to the clubs much and/or are you listening to this song at a very low volume?


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

that1kid13
Resident DJ

that1kid13
Total Ratings: 1644
Rating:  21321
yeah im with Big-A ONLY where he says somethin bout MJB talkin bout swagger, idk bout that. not really her subject.
BUT Big-A, Drake is nowhere near overhyped. he's acually underrated cuz his skill is amazing. He saves this from bein garbage
but back to her, idk man this just..
aint Mary J... and the autotune? no way.
but i guess thats what we all said bout Jamie Foxx and his CD wasnt half bad.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

that1kid13
Resident DJ

that1kid13
Total Ratings: 1644
Rating:  21321
@CB126405: there's a lot of songs that can go hard in the club, but this+ Mary J doesnt equal "club music" to me..
what kinda club u talkin bout?


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Aussie_Pride
Resident DJ

Aussie_Pride
Total Ratings: 1177
Rating:  43211
I was seriously waiting for a artist (besides Wayne) to take advantage of Drake's sudden popularity. The production, MJB's vocals & Drizzy sounded great on this.

@cb - A remix would be fair epic, though its to bad we wont hear a verse from T.I. who would of sounded pretty sweet over the production.

Speaking of T.I., the other MJB song that got leaked that featured T.I. was pretty good as well.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Joe92
Resident DJ

 
Total Ratings: 409
Rating:  43211
@cb - way to tell it to them i couldnt agree anymore cuz this song is hot. And for whoever said drake is overrated is @*#$! retarded, and u obviously one of them jayz dick riders who hates wayne even though hes dope


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

ultimate hip-hop
Resident DJ

 
Total Ratings: 688
Rating:  32121
The production and hook are pretty catchy and Drake is a good feature. MJB on autotune sounds interesting but I probably would of liked it better if she used her regular voice. Weird how this came out the same day as D.O.A. Good track Drake pushed it to 3 stars


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

GStan10
Resident DJ

GStan10
Total Ratings: 1315
Rating:  32121
This was catchy. Funny what cb126405 said. I just rated "Death of Auto-tune" a 5 as well, but I can't really hate on this. It was pretty catchy and should do well in the clubs. MJB always sounds good and Drake was decent on here.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

Guest
Rating:  14321
       
Yeah I have to agree with Big-A on this one. Mary and auto tune is not the business, plus the music is not good to me. Hook is too repetitive and the production is generic. It's catchy, you can dance to this but it lacks quality.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

J-locsta
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 3
Rating:  21321
it's ok.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

that1kid13
Resident DJ

that1kid13
Total Ratings: 1644
Rating:  21321
@1_O-TYME_1: u shud chill out man. no need 4 callin people retarded and stuff. everyone has a different taste in music. i agree drake isnt overrated but if someone thinks so, its their opinion.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

cb126405
DJ Booth Crew

cb126405
Total Ratings: 1621
Rating:  43211
@that1kid13: I feel you, but this song WILL make moves in the clubs. MJB isn't a personal favorite of mine, and definitely isn't somebody I keep my fingers crossed for hoping I hear when I go to the clubs, but I can't take that away from her here. When I'm partying and/or at the club I am the least critical of music, because dance music above all has one goal - to make you dance. Will I play this when I'm making a PB&J in my kitchen or mowing the lawn? No. But I gotta give solid dance music credit when it's due.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

cb126405
DJ Booth Crew

cb126405
Total Ratings: 1621
Rating:  43211
@1_O-TYME_1: Thanks for the love fam, but please keep it cool with the name calling.


Posted on Jun 07, 2009    

FredRico
Resident DJ

FredRico
Total Ratings: 1308
Rating:  21321
T_T ... production is hot, but other than that... I mean, this song could have been done by anyone.

D.O.A.!! So unnecessary... stop being mercenaries.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

dillon_68
Resident DJ

dillon_68
Total Ratings: 1181
Rating:  54321
I'm not a big MJB fan, but this is hot. Nice beat, Nice lyrics, and NICE verse from Drake (Who seems overrated, but is actually good enough to be called the best rapper on the rise). I aint hatin on this one, 5 stars.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

DJ Z
DJ Booth Crew

DJ Z
Total Ratings: 8062
Rating:  21321
MJB with AutoTune is like Tiger Woods playing golf with a handicap = completely unnecessary.
line



Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

mmcoolman2000
DJ Booth Member

mmcoolman2000
Total Ratings: 187
Rating:  54321
The thing is DJ Z, that with this song, even with auto-tune, Mary still shows she has a sickkk voice. The hook is hella ill, and Drake's flow doesn't match perfectly, but who cares? Production and vocals are both enjoyable, so all these low-raters need to loosen up. Ya dig?


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

Mr.Top Hat
Resident DJ

Mr.Top Hat
Total Ratings: 3522
Rating:  32121
WOW! its good to hear MJB on such an uptempo beat BUT I don't know if all the voice effects (no more autotune) lol are necessary ... Is Drake on dat too???
Its good for what it is (Club-Music) ... Backed by a melodic/catchy prod from Darkchild, the track really jumps out of the speaker ... Rotation.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

LeWy
Resident DJ

LeWy
Total Ratings: 587
Rating:  21321
Drake is MY FAVORITE RAPPER RIGHT NOW!!
His wordplay is absolutely NUTS!!
I can hear this getting some radio play but not alot!!
Mary doesnt need Auto-Tune to make a hit so IDK why they used it!! Doesnt take away from the song but makes me ask WHY MARY WHY??
Beat is pretty good but it's the usually club type production!!
Drake saves this from being completely forgettable


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

Mike Dreams
Resident DJ

Mike Dreams
Total Ratings: 2133
Rating:  32121
Dang, I'm usually so opinionated, but I gotta do this again, cuz it's right on the money with what I was thinking:

"MJB with AutoTune is like Tiger Woods playing golf with a handicap = completely unnecessary. "-DJZ

Also, Drake's verse was cool, but not all that great. See, till now, he's been dropping verses that are dang near untouchable in my opinion, but it seems like he might start featuring on a LOT of tracks this summer because people are jut now warming up to him. I don't want him to start dropping less than perfect verses. I will say awesome production though and if it was anyone other than Mary J, I would have thought the club vibe was dope and a great record. But this is the Queen of Hip Hop Soul we're talking about. I mean, I'm all for versatility, but she can make a great club record without autotune (See "Family Affair").

LOL...dang, I guess I'm still just as opinionated as I always am.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

BDF44
Resident DJ

BDF44
Total Ratings: 2283
Rating:  32121
DRAKE, why didn't you use the famous phrase, " I'm on a son@ with Mary J Bli@e my ni@@as" ? That is a dream of every rapper to have a track with the queen. I a@ree with z by the way, if you can sin@, you have NO USE FOR THE DECEASED AUTO TUNE! JAY SAYS STOP USIN IT. Aside from Wayne, Kanye, Teddy pain and my boy LeSbLeSd no one should be usin that anymore. Period.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

tdotraza
Resident DJ

tdotraza
Total Ratings: 909
Rating:  21321
And on this one I'm agreeing with Z.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

Dj_SuPeRzErO
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

King Mike
DJ Booth Member

King Mike
Total Ratings: 178
Rating:  43211
I'VE BEEN RIDING WITH (MARY) SINCE 92 SO OUTSIDE OF THAT AUTO-TUNE BULLSH*T..... SHE CAN DO NO WRONG WITH ME.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

mo city
Resident DJ

 
Total Ratings: 357
Rating:  32121
WOWWW THIS IS OKAY


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

Discover(!!!Stunna!!!)
Resident DJ

Discover(!!!Stunna!!!)
Total Ratings: 425
Rating:  43211
True! Autotune is a no no for someone who can sing so good without it lol Z gr8 simile. I have also listened to hova today and have become more of a hater of autotune (with the exception of yours truly T-Pain). But the production was so solid. Drake did his usual and now I have to rate it a banger fosho. Kinda funny tho that she is talking about swagger.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

White Kix
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 67
Rating:  21321
I'm not a fan of MJB. I'm not saying she has a bad voice, it's just that I can't stand to listen to her. I usually like Darkchild, but I thought the production could have been a little smoother.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

||ECSTACY||
DJ Booth Member

||ECSTACY||
Total Ratings: 1
Rating:  54321
OOO @*#$! THIS SONG IS @*#$! THUGISH MAN BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHY EVERY @*#$! ONE SAYS @*#$! SWAGGER ALL OF A @*#$! SUDDEN THAT IS MY @*#$! WORD DAMN!!!


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

frozilla33
Resident DJ

frozilla33
Total Ratings: 385
Rating:  43211
Banging! Mary J. Blige is always bringing it and this is more club than a lot of her stuff I've heard recently. I like it a lot. Drake is hit or miss with me and on this he hit. Great club effort, not on the level of black eyed peas but still good.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

XT
Resident DJ

XT
Total Ratings: 365
Rating:  32121
darkchild did their thing on this production its hot as hell
i agree 100% with cb, this pumps me up definitely club worthy track


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

revengepenn
DJ Booth Member

revengepenn
Total Ratings: 182
Rating:  43211
Mary Mary.... This woman has got it goin on.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

ratedjayone
DJ Booth Member

ratedjayone
Total Ratings: 6
Rating:  32121
you can never go wrong with a darkchild production and MARY's vocals go well with the production! DRAKE is always fire but is that a lil autotune that i hear --- that kind of ruins it!


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

jesavail02
Resident DJ

 
Total Ratings: 1170
Rating:  32121
OK


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

deadlois69
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 109
Rating:  43211
hottt. drake made the song.


Posted on Jun 08, 2009    

sugar and spice
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 09, 2009    

muzikfan 4 life1611
DJ Booth Member

muzikfan 4 life1611
Total Ratings: 112
Rating:  54321
this joint hot haters back up


Posted on Jun 09, 2009    

djnogood
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 09, 2009    

gypsy1107
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 10, 2009    

D-/\/\an
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 148
Rating:  32121
this is to dk(danity kane) for mary. it's the darkchild beat


Posted on Jun 11, 2009    

aimin_high
DJ Booth Member

 
Total Ratings: 1
STRAIGHT FIRE....BANANAS, I AM PLEASANTLY SICK!!!!........


Posted on Jun 12, 2009    

bowwserr
Resident DJ

bowwserr
Total Ratings: 573
Rating:  43211
Ok, not cool. Coulda sworn I had rated this song...anywhos, this track is tight. I'm with cb on this one. The track is fire, and whoever rates it low must be a little too young for the clubs. So turn up your speakers, give another listen, then come back and comment.

Please. :)


Posted on Jun 13, 2009    

Dj_SuPeRzErO
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 13, 2009    

gypsy1107
Rating:  54321
Posted on Jun 13, 2009    

Showing 50 of 66 Ratings.   See All Ratings

Post a Rating




Editor's Picks

[Single]  Hi-Rez  “Music In Me”
The Fort Lauderdale up-and-comer has hip-hop flowing through his veins on his latest mixtape leak (a Booth-exclusive world premiere).
[Single]  M-Phazes  “Another Classic (M-Phazes Remix)”
The Australian beatsmith joins forces with Burke and Torae to deliver "Another Classic" off his Phazed Out album.
[Single]  Young Scolla  “Take What's Mine”
Scolla isn't content to sit back and see what comes - he's going to Take What's Mine.
[Single]  R. Kelly  “Share My Love”
The R&B icon unleashes the first official single, a self-produced steppin' number, from his forthcoming album, Write Me Back.
[Mixtape]  The Cranberry Show “Paranormal Karaoke”
The Milwaukee twosome step into the Booth to bring us their sophomore street release.

Best Hip Hop of 2011

RefinedHype Reup

DJ Booth Newsletter

Sign up to receive a weekly recap of our top stories, downloads, and mixtapes.