In 2001 Mary J. Blige boldly proclaimed in her timeless hit that she would accept “No More Drama” in her life, and she meant it.  Now, granted she did get married and divorced from her now ex-husband Kendu Isaacs after that song, which brought some highly publicized drama to her life.  But within that, Mary has continued to hold her head high amidst every obstacle.  The singer is ready to move forward in life, and this time, she’s demanding more control with whom and what comes into her life.

For 12 years, Blige was married to Isaacs before a contentious divorce battle would begin and last for years.  According to Page Six, the marriage was then plagued by infidelity with none other than her artist, Starshell.    TMZ also obtained court documents that showed Kendu allegedly spending upwards of over $400k on Starshell.  On top of everything, Isaacs was asking for an abundance of money in spousal support and other expenditures, of which he was seeking $5k per month to give to his parents as he had already been doing that practice while being married to Mary.  It is to be noted that Isaacs was not only her husband but her manager as well.

“I am not responsible for supporting [Martin’s] parents and his children from another relationship which he lists as ongoing monthly expenses,” said Mary in legal papers, as reported by Page Six.  However, Isaacs, who also made claims of being “unemployable”, was awarded $30k a month in spousal support.    Speaking with Variety, Mary shared how she really felt about the drama that ensued thanks to her now ex-husband.

“I’m living. I’m not happy about a lot of things. I thought someone loved me, right? Turns out, he was a con artist and he didn’t, and now he’s coming after me for all my money,” the Grammy Award-winning artist said. “When you come out of something like that, you realize you were never the one. There was someone else that was his queen. I got played. I got suckered. I have to keep smiling and keep my spirits up because this is designed to kill me.”

Since the divorce, Blige has been focused on a bevy of other projects, including a few acting roles.  While it doesn’t seem as though she may be ready to date again, when it is the right time there’s one thing for sure:  she’s got no time for broke men.  “He has to have more money than me, that’s for sure,” Blige said in an interview with DJ Ace of BBC Radio 1Xtra.  “Because I’m not taking care of any more men!”

Blige added about her life now that she’s free of Isaacs: “I’m having a ball. I’m having so much fun. I’m free. Free in my mind. Free in my spirit. Free to be me, to do me and just enjoy my life and have people enjoy it with me.”

Talk about the “Strength Of A Woman.”