Are Brandy and Monica Friends Now After Verzuz Battle?

Brandy and Monica gave 90s R&B fans exactly what they needed Monday night in their Verzuz battle. The two artists went head to head, playing some of their greatest hits for fans to livestream. A reunion between the powerhouses has been a long time coming and something that many fans never thought would happen. But after a pleasant Verzuz battle with only a little shade thrown between the two of them, fans are wondering if Monica and Brandy’s two-decade-old rivalry has been squashed.

Why were Brandy and Monica feuding?

Monica and Brandy were two of the biggest female R&B artists of the 90s so when they teamed up in 1998 for “The Boy is Mine,” it was an instant success. But while the song spent weeks on the top of Billboard charts, reports started surfacing that their relationship was nowhere near as successful. Rumors started circulating that the two fought at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

Producer Dallas Austin, who worked with the two on the duet, said that Monica never wanted to work with Brandy because her image was too clean and didn’t match Monica’s style. He also said that the two recorded their parts of the song separately.

“The first time they actually saw each other to do it was at the American Music Awards or something,” he said. “Before they could even get to the stage, Monica decked her in the face.”

Since then, the two have been shading one another any chance they get.

Are Brandy and Monica friends now?

After the Verzuz battle, Monica and Brandy told Entertainment Tonight how they were able to put the past behind them and come together for the live-stream.

“It’s over now. And it took very adult conversation. There’s no shame in saying that,” Monica said. “We had to come to that place and to that moment that we had, that allowed us to sit here today. That had to happen first.

“I think communication is key,” she continued. “People talk about that in relationships, but it’s the same thing when you’re working together, or in a friendship or anything else… I spent a lot of years just puzzled, but kinda going through my own things in life, too. And so I found it easier to just stay apart than to come together. But with the communication here, it makes it easy to be in, to be amongst each other and then be genuine. ‘Cause for me, if it’s not sincere, then I don’t want any part of it.”

Overall, it just felt like it was finally time for the women to put the beef behind them.

“If it’s not authentic, I can’t be a part of it,” Brandy said. “And this entire experience felt divine, it felt like the right time. I think when it’s this magical, it’s bigger than feud, it’s bigger than beef, it’s like, you need to just let that go and just let the music speak.”

Though the two did throw a little shade at one another during the battle, it all seemed to be good-natured. So, while the singers may not be best friends, they certainly aren’t feuding anymore.