Mary J. Blige and K-Ci’s relationship ended years ago, but it was never truly over.
The former couple got together just as their careers were blossoming in the 1990s. Their time together resulted in an engagement in 1996.
Their relationshiplasted about four years, according to K-Ci, before they split.
Some outlets have reported their relationship lasted up to 10 years, and even K-Ci once said in a now-deleted 2015 “The Breakfast Club” interview that “That was 10, 12 years of a relationship.”
Despite their love, infidelity, substance abuse and domestic violence fueled intense moments in their relationship. Blige and K-Ci eventually went their separate ways and broke off their engagement in the late 1990s. But they’ve always seemed to remain in each other’s orbit.
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On Nov. 2, K-Ci and his Jodeci group member, Mr. Dalvin, sat down with Hot 97 host Nessa Diab and shared his thoughts on Mary’s evolution and where they stand today.
“I’m so proud of her. I wish her nothing but the best,” said K-Ci. “She’s really that woman now. You know what I’m saying? Like I always thought she could be.”
Nessa asked K-Ci if he and Mary ever had any sing-offs, to which he responded, “Mary ain’t try. She knew better than that.” He did mention that they never got to work on a collaboration album together.
“We never got to that. Everybody think me and Mary was together for a long time. We only together for four years,” K-Ci said. “She did her album. I did my album, and we went our separate ways after our second album.”
However, K-Ci made it clear he wouldn’t have been against doing a joint album with his ex.
“I would have loved to. It would have been nice. It would have been real nice,” he said.
He also spilled the beans that Blige wanted him to appear in Las Vegas with her for Mary J. Blige’s “My Life, My Story” Las Vegas residency at Park MGM casino.
He said, “Her people had tried to get in contact with me this past weekend. She wanted me to join her on a residency. But I couldn’t do it ’cause I had to come here to see you.”
It’s not clear if the interview with Hot 97 was filmed days before publishing, but Mary’s last residency date was Oct. 31. She won’t return for the final dates until February 2027.
Recalling the conversation with her team, the 57-year-old said, “I told her, I said, ‘Tell her I’m sorry. I’m not going to be able to make it because I got to go to New York and promote this tour.”
Jodeci is on a 36-city tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their “Forever My Lady” album. The tour started Oct. 24 and will end Dec. 19.
Fans reacted online to K-Ci turning down Blige’s offer to perform with her in Vegas.
One disappointed individual said, “Lmao so they said do this interview with Nessa over a spot date with MJB….oh that’s grand.”
Another person who wasn’t a fan of K-Ci’s decision wrote, “K-Ci know he could’ve slid over to Mary’s residency.”
A third fan who couldn’t believe it typed, “Who on his team advised him to turn that down.”
In 2023, Jodeci and Blige performed together for the first time in 30 years for her “Strength Of A Woman Festival.” It was Blige’s second annual concert at the time, which she held in Atlanta.
Before getting together romantically, Blige and Jodeci were label mates on the late Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records.
Blige, a nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer, opened up about performing with the R&B group for the first time in three decades.
That year, she told V-103, per AllHipHop, “At the end of the day, Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, we’re a family, and we helped each other in a lot of ways. Me and [Jodeci member Joel “JoJo” Hailey] wrote some songs together, and he sang background.”
The singer added, “So regardless of whatever our little beef was back in the day, we were young, but now we’re all grown. At the end of the day, I’m a fan of Jodeci. We realize how important we are to each other, so it was beautiful to see them.”
Besides being her partner, K-Ci lent his vocals to Blige’s “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” song on her 1992 debut album, “What’s the 411?”
They also appeared on the 1993 collaboration “Next Stop Uptown” with Heavy D & the Boyz, Christopher Williams, and Father MD.
Who on his team advised him to turn that down
K-Ci says Mary J. Blige asked him to join her on a date for her Residency but he couldn’t do it because he had to do this interview to promote their tour
pic.twitter.com/4PrRSJILeo
— Nicole (@Nprezzed) November 5, 2026
