From reuniting for the 2012 R&B hit ‘It All Belongs to Me’ to the 2020 VERZUZ, praising each other in their separate interviews, and more, Brandy and Monica – despite consistently reiterating there is no tension between them – seem forever tied to the beef of their teenage years.
When music lovers aren’t comparing the trajectory of their respective careers, fans are quarreling over who is better overall.
Tired of the nearly 30-year hoopla, Mo took to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ recently to discuss her disdain for the discourse, admiration for B-Rocka, and so much more.
Chatting it up with ‘THR’ about the 25th anniversary of her sophomore album, ‘The Boy is Mine,’ the GRAMMY winner dished on the LP’s enduring impact on her career and the R&B landscape at large.
When quizzed about the song after which the project is titled, she waxed honest about its historical importance and emphasized her stance against new artists covering it.
“I truthfully believe that it’s [only] for Brandy and I,” the 43-year-old diva said. “I appreciate that she and Rodney [Jerkins] asked me to be a part of the song and be a part of the record, but for me, it’s a part of history that I would love to remain untouched.”
There may be some exceptions, however.
“Now, I have heard the music used that is cool when people recreate it for themselves but not attempt to do what she and I did,” she clarified. “If someone does something with it, I prefer that they make it their own and do something totally different, but I feel like what she and I did is sacred.”
When it comes to her ‘Boy is Mine’ co-star, Monica reiterated for the umpteenth time that they have no discord despite years of reports of the contrary.
“We are more than good,” she shared about Brandy. “I [turned] 43 in October. I have nothing but love and admiration in my heart for her, and I’m good with everyone.”
Mo also made it clear that she wishes supporters and detractors would pause the narrative that the ladies have a longstanding rivalry.
“As far as she and I go, a lot of what people hear is about two teenage girls. Now we’re two grown women, that’s a completely different thing. So it’s something that I kind of wish would go away, to be very honest. I wish people would stop putting the two against each other. I wish people would stop attempting to compare who sing better, who looks better, who outdid the other one, because I never came into the space with a spirit of competition anyway. I came into the space with the spirit of winning for us both because we both represent two very special groups of people, and I don’t think we should be compared. I think we’re complete polar opposites vocally, personally, in every way, and that’s what makes it so amazing. And I wish people would just let it be that and not even compare the two or create any animosity, even within our fan groups.
Read the full interview here.