Photo Billboard
Photo Billboard

Brandy and Monica had both established themselves as R&B breakouts by 1998, but the two artists had yet to top the Billboard Hot 100.

Each had come close: Monica's "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" hit No. 2 in 1995, and Brandy's "Sittin' Up in My Room" did so in 1996.

They would finally reach No. 1 together on "The Boy Is Mine," a duet in which they snipe over the same love interest.

According to Monica, she and Brandy chose the song to make light of persistent media speculation that they were feuding. "People compared us and I never understood it," Monica told Fred Bronson for his Billboard Book of Number One Hits. "They never did that...with Brandy and Aaliyah. It was always Brandy and Monica," she said. "That's why we took the song."

Full Lyrics: Brandy and Monica's ‘The Boy Is Mine’

The boy is mine, the boy is mine

The boy is mine, the boy is mine

The boy is mine

Excuse me can I please talk to you for a minute?

Uh huh sure, you know you look kinda familiar

Yeah you do to, but I just wanted to know do you know somebody named?

You know his name

Oh yeah definitely I know his name

Well I just want to let you that he's mine

Huh no, no he's mine

You need to give it up

Had about enough

It's not hard to see

The boy is mine

I'm sorry that you

Seem to be confused

He belongs to me

The boy is mine

Think it's time we got this straight

Sit and talk face to face

There is no way you could mistake

Him for your man, are you insane?

You see I know that you may be

Just a bit jealous of me

But you're blind if you can't see

That his love is all in me

See I tried to hesitate

I didn't want to say what he told me

He said without me he couldn't make it

Through the day, ain't that a shame?

But maybe you misunderstood

'Cause I can't see how he could

Wanna change something that's so good

All my love was all it took (the boy is mine)

You need to give it up

Had about enough (enough)

It's not hard to see

The boy is mine (boy is mine)

I'm sorry that you (sorry that you)

Seem to be confused (confused, ohh)

He belongs to me

The boy is mine

Must you do the things you do?

You keep on acting like a fool

You need to know it's me not you

And if you didn't know it, girl it's true

I think that you should realize

And try to understand why

He is a part of my life

I know it's killing you inside

You can say what you wanna say

What we have you can't take

From the truth you can't escape

I can tell the real from the fake

When will you get the picture

You're the past, I'm the future

Get away, it's my time to shine

If you didn't know, the boy is mine, ohh

You need to give it up

Had about enough (enough)

It's not hard to see (to see)

The boy is mine (the boy is mine)

I'm sorry that you (sorry that you)

Seem to be confused (seem to be confused)

He belongs to me (he belongs to me)

The boy is mine (the boy is mine)

You need to give it up (ooh)

Had about enough (had about enough)

It's not hard to see (he's mine, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine)

The boy is mine

I'm sorry that you (I'm so sorry you seem to be confused)

Seem to be confused

He belongs to me (he belongs to me)

The boy is mine

You can't destroy this love I found

Your silly games I won't allow

The boy is mine without a doubt

You might as well throw in the towel

What makes you think that he wants you

When I'm the one that brought him to

The special place that's in my heart?

He was my love right from the start

You need to give it up (give it on up)

Had about enough

It's not hard to see

The boy is mine (the boy is mine, oh)

I'm sorry that you (I'm so sorry that you)

Seem to be confused (seem to be confused)

He belongs to me (he belongs to me)

The boy is mine (no, no)

You need to give it up (you need to give it up)

Had about enough ('bout enough)

It's not hard to see

The boy is mine (the boy is mine)

I'm sorry that you (mine, ohh)

Seem to be confused (seem to be confused)

He belongs to me (he belongs to me)

The boy is mine (the boy is mine)

You need to give it up (not yours, but mine)

Had about enough (not yours, but mine)

It's not hard to see (not yours, but mine)

The boy is mine

I'm sorry that you

Seem to be confused

He belongs to me

The boy is mine

Who are Brandy and Monica?

Photo Getty
Photo Getty

Brandy and Monica are two singers who have been compared almost their entire careers. The ladies both became extremely successful at a young age and enjoyed a number of chart-topping singles.

For the past several months, fans of the R&B stars have been hoping that the ladies would do a Verzuz battle. On Aug. 31, they got their wish. The event was epic as the women played their biggest hits and brought nostalgia to more than 1 million viewers for an unforgettable three hours. Here’s more about the superstars’ careers, tragedies they experienced, and the answer to who is actually older: Brandy or Monica?

Monica’s age and career

Monica Denise Arnold was born in College Park, Georgia, on Oct. 24, 1980, to parents Marilyn Best and M.C. “Billy” Arnold Jr, according to IMDb.

Best was a church singer and Monica followed in her mother’s footsteps by performing during services when she was a child. The songbird frequently entered talent competitions and joined a traveling gospel choir when she was 10. A year later, she was discovered by music producer Dallas Austin. Her first album, Miss Thang, was released in 1995.

That album included the smash hits “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days),” “Before You Walk Out of My Life,” and “Why I Love You So Much.” Monica then teamed up with Brandy for “The Boy Is Mine,” which was released in 1998. It became one of the biggest hits in America that year.

Photo Hot102
Photo Hot102

Brandy’s age and career

Brandy Norwood is older than Monica. IMDb notes that she was born in McComb, Mississippi, on Feb. 11, 1979, to parents Sonja and Willie Norwood.

Brandy also came from a musical family as her father was a gospel singer and choir director. And like Monica, she began singing in the church choir at a young age. Her dad was a voice coach for her and her brother, Ray J, and in 1993 he got her a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation.

Brandy released her self-titled album in 1994. It included the top 10 singles “I Wanna Be Down,” “Baby,” and “Best Friend.” Another one of her chart-topping singles titled “Sittin’ Up in My Room” was released the following year on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack.

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