My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1) by Mary J. Blige

My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Mary J. Blige, released on November 21, 2011, by Geffen Records and Matriarch Records. Titled as the sequel and serving as a thematical extension to her 1994 breakthrough album My Life, which portrayed a dark period in Blige's personal life, it talks about the themes of struggle, heartbreak, and strength while reflecting the growth and evolution she had experienced since the release of its predecessor. Production for the album took place during 2010 to 2011 at several recording studios in New York City and Los Angeles and was handled by Danja, Eric Hudson, Rodney Jerkins, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Harmony Samuels, StarGate, Tricky Stewart, The Underdogs, and Jerry Wonda. Upon its release, My Life II received generally positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart with first weeks sales of 156,000 copies. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and became the best-selling R&B album of 2012.