Victoria Arocho/AP/Shutterstock
It’s Happening! Brandy and Monica Will Face Off on Verzuz 22 Years After Dropping ‘The Boy Is Mine’
It’s happening, y’all! Singers Brandy and Monica will face off on Verzuz, 22 years after releasing their legendary duet “The Boy Is Mine.” The 1998 song was a battle in and of itself — and the ladies have been followed by rumors of a rivalry over the years — so it’s really exciting to hear the starlets will confront each other ~in the ring~ once more. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming musical competition.
How Can I Watch Brandy and Monica’s Battle?
Luckily, if you have internet access, you’ll be able to stream the milestone moment. The R&B artists will face off on Instagram Live via Verzuz’s profile on August 31. The battle will begin at 8 p.m. EST. Rapper Swizz Beats announced the legendary matchup on August 22.
Who Has More Hits, Brandy or Monica?
Brandy boasts 9 Top 10 hits on the Billboard 100 charts, while Monica has 11 Top 10 hits to her name. Both ladies, of course, shared the No. 1 spot for “The Boy Is Mine,” which topped the charts for a whopping 13 weeks beginning in June 1998. Brandy’s second No. 1 hit was “Have You Ever?” in January 1999.
Monica’s second No. 1 came just four months after “The Boy Is Mine.” Her song “The First Night” topped the charts in October 1998. Her third No. 1 was “Angel of Mine” in February 1999.
Did Brandy and Monica Have a Feud IRL?
The starlets have publicly maintained they had no problem with one another and respected each other as artists — however, there has always been rumors of a feud behind the scenes. Their reps denied the whispers of a fight between the artists at the 1998 MTV VMAs.
In August 2019, producer Dallas Austin claimed he saw Monica punch Brandy in the face backstage at the VMAs that year. He also claimed the ladies recorded their parts separately for him to mix and never met face to face before the track went big.
In 2018, Brandy changed the lyrics to “The Song Is Mine” while performing at Essence Fest — so it seems there may still be some resentment between the singers.
What Is Verzuz?
According to Variety, Verzuz is a “weekly, real-time, virtual DJ battle on Instagram Live that pits icons of R&B and hip-hop against each other in (usually) friendly musical competition.”
Verzuz was founded in March 2020 by Swizz and rapper Timbaland as an answer to how, well, isolating self-isolation can be. The pair saw the opportunity for friendly competition and social media discourse amid the coronavirus pandemic and Verzuz was born — though the idea had been brewing for some time before quarantine hit.
Who Else Has Done a Verzuz Battle?
Tons of A-list rappers and R&B artists have participated in the battle sessions since the spring. T-Pain and Lil Jon went head to head in April. Erykah Badu and Jill Scott battled it out in May, as did Nelly and Ludacris. Singers Alicia Keys and John Legend matched up in June, while DMX and Snoop Dogg brought the heat in July.
The most recent Verzuz battle was between Rick Ross and 2 Chainz on August 6.
