Tyrese wants fans to know he’s “really hurt” after Mary J. Blige apparently passed on collaborating with him, though he still has “love” for the nine-time Grammy winner.
“I tried my best to get Mary J. Blige on both songs,” Tyrese, whose Painfully Beautiful album arrived last month, said in a recent social media video. “She passed on it. It’s okay. I feel a way about it. I’m hurt. I’m hurt. I’m really hurt, I can’t lie. But she passed on it.”
Adding to his view on the rejection, Tyrese clarified that he was “more so hurt” due to him having “customized” one song for Blige specifically.
“I wasn’t hurt that Mary passed on the song as if she didn’t have the choice because she does,” he said. “She’s a fucking legend. She’s my sister. I love her. I was more so hurt about her passing on the song because like a mad scientist I went into the studio, and when I tell you I customized this song, I made this motherfucker tailor-made for Mary.”
Expressing “love” for his would-be collaborator, Tyrese urged viewers to “get this message” out to his “Capricorn sister” Mary.
“I don’t even think you understand how much I love you,” he said of Blige. “You are just so one of a kind. You are one of one of one. Your heart, your soul, your compassion, your empathy towards everyone. You take care of everybody around you, loyal to a default at times. You’re amazing. I love you. I’m disappointed you didn’t do my song but that’s so much equity over all these years, I ain’t gon’ hold that to you.”
Earlier this year, Tyrese went public with his desire to make contact with Blige. More recently, he thanked fans for their support of his new album, adding that he “kept this project a secret because I wasn’t sure I could ever release it.”
ComplexCon returns to Las Vegas on October 25–26, 2025, with over 300 brands and live performances by Young Thug, YEAT & Friends, Peso Pluma, Central Cee, Ken Carson, and more. Get your tickets now.