Brandy Says She and Monica ‘Played Into’ Their Infamous Feud Following ‘The Boy Is Mine’
For years, Brandy and Monica have been known as the ultimate rivals whose feud dates back to the late ’90s. While many were convinced the singers just never got along, Brandy has now revealed the truth about her rumored feud with Monica.
A recap of Brandy and Monica’s past drama
Brandy and Monica were two of the biggest R&B singers of the ’90s. Because of this, the two came together to collaborate on a song off of Brandy’s second studio album, Never Say Never, and the final result ended up making history.
“The Boy Is Mine” became the first number-one pop hit for both artists, and the best-selling song of the year in the United States. After selling 2.6 million copies and spending 13 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single went on to earn countless nominations and accolades, including three Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy.
But despite the song’s success, Brandy and Monica did not have the best relationship behind the scenes.
Even before they recorded the song, it was rumored that the singers did not get along, but they maintained that there wasn’t any bad blood between them.
However, it was later revealed that Brandy and Monica recorded their vocals for the song separately and even had a falling out the first time they met.
“The first time they actually saw each other to do it was at the American Music Awards or something,” producer Dallas Austin told VladTV in 2019. “Before they could even get to the stage, Monica decked her in the face.”
Though the singers still performed on stage at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, that was the first and last time they sang “The Boy Is Mine” together live.
Brandy recently said her beef with Monica was a result of the media
Though Brandy and Monica reunited in 2012 to collaborate on their song, “It All Belongs To Me,” fans were convinced that the two hadn’t put their beef to rest and still had bad blood brewing between them.
In the years following the release of their second duet, fans caught on to the subtle, and low-key shade Brandy threw toward Monica in concert and on social media.
Brandy even told a fan “Girl bye” after being asked if she would participate in Monica’s “So Gone” challenge. Monica seemingly ignored the shade and continued to speak respectfully of her counterpart in the press.
Although both remained tight-lipped on the status of their relationship after that, Brandy recently opened up about her past beef with Monica, which she claimed was a result of the media and fans instigating drama.
“For us to be put against each other like that, I didn’t think that was funny at all. The fanbases and the media really threw a wrench in that experience,” she said, according to The Jasmine Brand. “Sometimes you get caught up in being popular and relevant, and that makes you lose the reason why you’re connected to music. I’m scared of that. I don’t ever want to get to a point where I’m doing music for the wrong reasons.”
Brandy reveals the truth about her and Monica’s infamous feud
For years, many believed that Brandy and Monica’s feud was intense. But according to the “Moesha” alum, their allegedly beef was blown out of proportion.
“And I think, especially when you say Monica and myself, I mean, that song was about a boy and it was about us competing over a boy,” Brandy recently told Zane Lowe on Apple Music. “And so naturally people are going to put us against each other even more because of the topic of the song and what we’re speaking about. So we played into the competitiveness of it.”
But despite the media and fans causing a slight rift between the singers in the past, Brandy doesn’t regret her duet with Monica, as it opened doors to many amazing opportunities.
“And I want to say this. After that duet, I remember Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey then doing a duet,” she added. I always say that it was because of ‘The Boy Is Mine’ my two favorite artists got together to do a duet. I always feel like me and Monica had something to do with that.”
