"Take Me As I Am" is a song by American singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

It was written by Jordan Suecof and Thabiso Nkhereanye along with three members of the writing collective

The Clutch The Clutch was an American collective of songwriters and record producers based in Atlanta, consisted oCandice Clotiel "Gg" Nelson Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis, Patrick Michael "J. Que" Smith, Balewa Muhammad and Keri Hilson. They are responsible for ...

Ezekiel Lewis The Clutch was an American collective of songwriters and record producers based in Atlanta, consisted oCandice Clotiel "Gg" Nelson Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis, Patrick Michael "J. Que" Smith, Balewa Muhammad and Keri Hilson. They are responsible for ...

, Candice Nelson, and singer

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. She was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and spent most of her youth working with producer Anthony Dent as a songwriter and background vocalist for ...

, for her seventh studio album, ''

The Breakthrough ''The Breakthrough'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 20, 2005, by Geffen Records. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including 9th Wonder, Rodney Jerkins, ...

'' (2005). Production was helmed by

Infinity Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions amo ...

and

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several art ...

, with co-production from Tal Herzberg. The song samples "Garden of Peace" (1979) by American jazz musician

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

. Due to the inclusion of the sample, he is also credited as songwriter. Released as the album's fourth and final single, "Take Me As I Am" debuted on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart in August 2006, reaching number three.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Take Me as I Am" was directed by

Bille Woodruff Bille Woodruff is a director of film, television and music videos, noted for directing many videos for a number of R&B and hip-hop artists since the mid-1990s. These artists include Joe (singer), Joe, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music video ...

and filmed in July 2006. It uses an alternate version of the song that has a shorter instrumental intro, as well as a longer bridge after the second hook. "Take Me as I Am" premiered on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's countdown show ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'' in September 2006. In the video, Blige portrays different women in different life situations except for her alter ego, Brook Lynn, who plays Date Mary. As the video begins, Blige is a waitress/dishwasher getting her children ready for school and also trying to get her boyfriend / husband a job. Next, Blige is an editor during a photo shoot, in which a photographer is photographing Blige as a model. "Model Mary" is replaced with another model due to a tabloid report of a breakdown. "Editor Mary" is then sexually harassed by a corporate and walks out; while "model Mary" overdoses drugs in the bathroom of the photo shoot set, shortly after being replaced. In the restaurant which "Waitress Mary" works, Blige plays another character as well. This one is simply the girlfriend of a controlling boyfriend and is at lunch with her date. The date (

Lance Gross Lance Darnell Kwaku Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' and OWN sitcom '' Tyler Perry's The Paynes''., as well as appearing in other Tyl ...

) refuses to allow Blige to eat the

appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...

bread, takes her menu from her and orders her a salad, clearly trying to personally control her weight. The date then gets up and appears to be flirting with a young woman in a pink dress. "Date Mary" (portrayed by Blige's alter ego, Brook Lynn) is checking her makeup and sees her date in the mirror reflection, then gets up and throws a glass of water in their faces, then leaves. Waitress Mary returns home after accidentally dropping food at work and kicks her lazy boyfriend out.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from ''The Breakthrough'' liner notes. *Mary J. Blige – vocal producer, vocals *Mike Eleopolous – assistant engineer *

– conductor, producer, vocal producer *Tal Herzberg – co-producer, engineer *

– writer *

– writer (sample) *

– writer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

– mixing assistant * Candice Nelson – writer *Thabiso Nkhereanye – writer *

Dave Pensado Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios ...

– mixing *Allen Sides – recording * Jordan "Infinity" Suecof – producer, writer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Mary J. Blige singles 2006 singles Mary J. Blige songs Music videos directed by Bille Woodruff Songs written by Keri Hilson Songs written by Ron Fair Geffen Records singles Song recordings produced by Ron Fair 2005 songs Songs written by Ezekiel Lewis Songs written by Candice Nelson (songwriter) Songs written by Infinity (producer) 2000s ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads