"So I like what I see when I’m looking at me
When I’m walking past the mirror"
- Mary J. Blige, Just Fine
Mary's new album Growing Pains is hitting stores December 18th.


Invited by celebrity, they entered the exclusive culture of cigar smokers, the men who smoke cigars - they are the modern-day cigar celebrity.  From the once "underground" society simply  referred to as "Hip-Hop", are power-house celebrities Jay-Z, Jadakiss and R. Kelly, now figure-head mainstream artists known for their exquisite tastes, indulgences in the finer things of life; they are the modern day Renaissance Man and Cigar Aficionado - the cigar is the symbol of their success.

"Beauty and the Beast"

All that glitters is not gold and from hip-hop's life's lessons - lemonade from lemons is made, and the Queen of the "hip-hop" ranks is crowned.

"It's nice when people make you feel like somebody, when they make you feel loved, but the most important kind of love is when you find love for yourself...." Mary J. Blige

I'm a huge Mary J. Blige fan. With tenacity, faith and inner strength, she overcame despair and conquered the demons that consumed her life - a hidden Blessing from a life most of us could only dream of - this was the early years of hip-hop. A gift to us all, her experiences wrapped as lyrical genius in the form of her personal memoir.

I'm unsure whether Mary is among the women who smoke cigars and has puffed on a Zino Platinum cigar or straddled my favorite Romeo y Julieta - her life story is an inspiration for all, and I say we anoint her as an honorary Cigar Aficionada for her contribution to the "cause", and empowering women through her music.

Thank you Mary! I'll be picking up the CD on December 18, which, by the way is a birthday gift for me.

Lots of Luv...this is her latest video and the first single "Just Fine" from her upcoming CD.




A Life in Transition - Cigar Anyone?