I’ve never seen the Barclays Center‘s patio as flooded as it was on Saturday (May 11) with people anticipating doors to open for Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman concert. Excitement-filled chatter rippled through the melanated crowd for the star-studded show that would take place that evening with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, 50 Cent, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Jill Scott, and more.
As the doors opened, the crowd waddled their way into the venue, making sure not to purposely step on anyone’s heels or force their way into the entrance. Even an older lady was kind enough to let me go before her as she awaited the arrival of her daughter, who she says brought her to the show for Mother’s Day. As the audience filled into their seats — with some going back and forth through aisles to retrieve drinks and food, and others trying to finesse their way to sit on the floor — Funk Flex didn’t hesitate to get the party started with a mix of oldies fit for the 30 and up crowd.
Classics like “Rapture Of Love,” Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend” and Golden Age Hip-Hop classics permeated the room as true music lovers recited every word to the heavens. Although murmurs of aggravation with Flex’s constant commentary amid songs were overheard, it didn’t stop anyone from jumping to their feet and hitting a move or two.
As the clocked inched towards showtime, WanMor set the tone with a special Mother’s Day performance which honored their mom and mother’s of Hip-Hop. The mothers of Jim Jones, Pop Smoke, Jadakiss and A Boogie received their flowers in real time, as the quarter bellowed Boyz II Men’s beloved ballad, “A Song For Mama.” Following the heartfelt moment, rising singer, Honey Bxby, opened the showed with a few of her growing singles followed by Lola Brooke, Jadakiss, 50 Cent, A Boogie, Jill Scott, Fat Joe and of course, the headliner and creator of SOAW Festival & Summit, Mary J . Blige — who shared her world with her fans for the entire day. Muni Long was also scheduled to perform, but for unknown reasons, she did not appear.
As a first time SOAW attendee, I felt seen and heard as a Black woman who’s expected to be strong on a daily. Mary J. Blige‘s discography has not only served as a soundtrack to my 32-year-old life, but also the women who came before me — like my aunt who introduced me to the Grammy-winner’s music as a child. The Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit is truly a Black woman’s playground, and the arena concert was the perfect way to cap a day full of enlightenment and gems.
In partnership with Pepsi, Live Nation Urban, ASCAP, and more, the unforgettable day/night was capped with a confetti filled arena — making it truly an experience that every woman should acquaint themselves with at least once.
Take a look through the top six performances from the SOAW concert below.
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Lola Brooke Set The Tone With High Energy
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya It wouldn’t feel right if Brooklyn’s own Lola Brooke didn’t set the tone for a concert held in her own home city. Lola followed Honey Bxby‘s humble opener before a mature crowd that didn’t really appreciate the “Touchin'” crooner’s set.
However, when the petite giant took the stage, she asserted that she came to “start this thing off right.” Lola performed her most popular singles “Don’t Play With it,” “You” featuring Bryson Tiller, “So Disrespectful” and her newest single “Shelter Baby.” Her set consisted of her signature jogs across the stage, some choreography, and crowd participation. Lola commanded the stage confidently and definitely gave a star-quality show that all ages received well.
Take a look at her set below.
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WanMor Serenaded Their Mom With "A Song For Mama"
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya Mary J. Blige signed brother-quartet, WanMor, to her Beautiful Life Productions imprint and has since helped developed the boys into the R&B force they are today. The four siblings who are also the sons of Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) gave a special Mother’s Day tribute to their mom, along with a few mothers of Hip-Hop.
The boys sang their predecessors’ beloved ballad “A Song For Mama” where they left the matriarch of their family in joyful tears. Joined by the group on stage were the mothers of Jim Jones (Nancy Jones a.k.a Mama Jone), A Boogie Wit da Hoodie (Althea Dubose), Jadakiss (Debbie Phillips), and the late Pop Smoke (Audrey Jackson). Each woman received a beautiful bouquet of flowers symbolizing a “job well done” for all that they’ve done for their successful sons.
Jackson received an overwhelming amount of love from the crowd as she lost her son, Pop Smoke, to gun violence at the brink of his promising rap career in 2020.
Watch as WanMor honors their mother and the Hip-Hop moms below.
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Jadakiss Performs Classics With The Lox
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya One thing about Jadakiss; he’s going to keep it cool and calm as the crowd goes wild for his incomparable classics. The Kiss of Death was shown much love as he gave his fans live renditions of “Knock Ya Self Out,” “Back To Life 2001,” and his verse on “All About The Benjamins (Remix).”
With the crowd already hyped dancing to his heavy-hitters with drinks in hand, Jada then brought out Sheek Louch and Styles P to reunite as The Lox. The trio did their bangers together and individual singles including Sheek’s “Good Love” and “Good Times (I Get High)” by Styles P.
Truly a sight to see, Jadakiss, Sheek, and Styles reminded the crowd of the golden days in Hip-Hop when the focus was to make good music that stuck.
See below.
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50 Cent's Continues To Prove His Catalog Is Gold
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya 50 Cent may be a troll at times, but one thing is for certain: his music catalog speaks for itself. The G-Unit boss, backed by Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda, hit the stage giving his fans exactly what they wanted. The youngest to the oldest of men and women could be seen rapping along to his classics including “Candy Shop,” “Many Men,” “In Da Club,” and many more. The Queens native gave theatrics as he popped off his set from an accelerated stage, and included smoke, pyrotechnics, backup dancers, wardrobe changes, and more.
With more surprises in store, the TV mogul performed the theme song to his show Power, and was joined onstage by Larenz Tate, Michael Rainey Jr., Mekai Curtis, and Da’Vinchi (BMF). The audience lost it as the actors waved to the crowd and took snaps of their big concert moment.
Ellen Qbertplaya The multi-hyphenate’s performance resembled much of his Final Lap Tour, as the setlist included his top-charting singles and even the lap dance segment from his dancers. And of course Fif wouldn’t be Fif if he wasn’t a bit petty. At one point during his act, he made an insensitive joke about Diddy — an ongoing thing he’s been doing online and at almost every show he’s been tapped to be a part of.
However, he got back on track when Mary J. Blige came out to “Hate It Or Love It,” leaving the crowd in applause and covered in gold streamers.
Take a look at him performing below.
Ellen Qbertplaya 
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Jill Scott Brought The Soultry Vibes
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya Jilly from Philly was a co-headliner at the Strength of a Woman concert and upon hitting the stage, the coveted R&B/Soul singer shifted the entire energy in the arena.
Jill Scott sported an all-black ensemble, long blue box-braids, and her heart on her sleeve. Calling fans “baby” and asking of their well being showed just how much Jill is connected to her supporters. Concert-goers admirably sang along to a medley of her best singles including “Golden,” “A Long Walk,” “The Way” and others — and yes, the mic was on! Although the main event was Mary J. Blige‘s set, the arena went just as wild for Ms. Scott who left the room feeling warm and full of good vibes.
See a clip from her set below.
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The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul Reigned Supreme On Stage
Image Credit: Ellen Qbertplaya Mary J. Blige appeared onstage a few times ahead of her actual set, but finally gave fans what they were waiting for with her magnetic, mesmerizing energy. The boot-bopping Queen of Hip-Hop Soul ran through a medley of her most timeless hits, surely bringing every woman in the room back to a moment in time when she soundtracked their life. Mary kicked off her time slot with “Love No Limit (Remix)” as she hit her signature two step to a crowd chanting “Go, Mary!”
The 53-year-old also graced the stage with “Family Affair,” “Real Love,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Just Fine,” and many more. Within MJB’s set, she brought out A Boogie wit da Hoodie who barely rapped along to his song “Did Me Wrong,” which samples her 1995 song “I Love You.” Blige also brought out Vado to perform their collab “Beautiful Life Allstars” — even though he was late to the stage. What set it off is when Mary and Method Man teamed up to give a live performance of their timeless duet, “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By.”
The two’s chemistry was just as good in 1995 when they released the record. See below.
After the crowd tirelessly sang and danced along to Mary’s incomparable catalog, she surprised fans with an announcement that she collaborated with Giuseppe Zanotti for “The Mary Boot” — which sold out a day after its release.
“Mary J. Blige and Giuseppe just created the Mary J. Blige boot and you can get these boots tomorrow online. Monday. They are for sale,” she informed the roaring crowd while wearing the slouchy, gleaming gold thigh-high boots. “The Mary boot is here. Everybody has been asking, there ya go! Happy Mother’s Day, ladies!”
VIBE caught the announcement on cam. See below.