Regardless of the legacy of their hit music collectively, “The Boy Is Mine”—two ladies feuding over a boy—and the best way the business pitted them in opposition to one another, Brandy and Monica have regained “management” of the narrative.
Earlier this 12 months, the 46-year-old “I Wanna Be Down” singer and the 44-year-old “Angle of Mine” songstress revealed they’d set their variations apart whereas on “The Tonight Present.”
As the newest cowl stars for Essence journal, the 2 open up additional in regards to the so-called rift they’d within the late ’90s and the way they not solely managed to squash their beef however take their story again.
“I feel that though the lyrical content material and a few of what began to play out created extra division than it did togetherness, we’ve taken management of that,” Monica informed the publication.
Launched in 1998, “The Boy Is Mine” appeared on each Brandy’s “By no means Say By no means” and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” albums that 12 months, and soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Scorching 100, the place it stayed for 13 consecutive weeks.
On the time, Brandy was simply 18 and Monica 17, and the report catapulted them to the highest of the R&B and pop charts. It rapidly turned a cultural milestone, shaping the sound of an period whereas additionally fueling rumors of competitors. That stress finally got here to a head in a reported backstage brawl on the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
After almost 30 years, greater than a dozen albums, Grammys, American Music Awards, and Billboard honors between them, the narrative has shifted. “The Boy Is Mine” stays a benchmark in music historical past, and the ladies who made it a success are gearing as much as step again into the highlight along with a joint 24-city tour.
“We’ve had an incredible reconnection, and the best way that it has come collectively on our phrases and our time is simply divine timing,” Monica shared.
Wanting again on the epic report and their journey, Brandy stated, “I see it as a lot greater than only a hit report.”
“On the time, it was two younger ladies coming collectively, bringing our voices and our tales into one second—and the world linked with it in a manner we couldn’t have imagined,” she continued. “For me, it represented sisterhood and the ability of collaboration. Now, all these years later, it looks like a landmark in R&B historical past, but additionally a reminder of how far we’ve come as ladies and as artists.”
“The Boy Is Mine Tour,” that includes Kelly Rowland, Muni Lengthy, and Jamal Roberts, kicks off October 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
