Brandy and Monica get real about the way ‘The Boy Is Mine’ drove them apart

Brandy and Monica open up about their so-called rift, how they mended their relationship, and the legacy of their hit song.

Despite the legacy of their hit song together, “The Boy Is Mine”—two girls feuding over a boy—and the way the industry pitted them against each other, Brandy and Monica have regained “control” of the narrative.

Earlier this year, the 46-year-old “I Wanna Be Down” singer and the 44-year-old “Angle of Mine” songstress revealed they had set their differences aside while on “The Tonight Show.” 

As the latest cover stars for Essence magazine, the two R&B stars open up further about the so-called rift they had in the late ’90s and how they not only managed to squash their beef but take their story back.

“I think that even though the lyrical content and some of what started to play out created more division than it did togetherness, we’ve taken control of that,” Monica told the publication.

Released in 1998, “The Boy Is Mine” appeared on both Brandy’s “Never Say Never” and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” albums that year, and soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 13 consecutive weeks. 

At the time, Brandy was just 18 and Monica 17, and the record catapulted them to the top of the R&B and pop charts. It quickly became a cultural touchstone shaping the sound of an era while also fueling rumors of competition. That tension eventually came to a head in a reported backstage brawl at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

After nearly 30 years, more than a dozen albums, Grammys, American Music Awards, and Billboard honors between them, the narrative has shifted. “The Boy Is Mine” remains a benchmark in music history, and the women who made it a hit are gearing up to step back into the spotlight together with a joint 24-city tour.

“We’ve had an amazing reconnection, and the way that it has come together on our terms and our time is just divine timing,” Monica shared.

Looking back on the epic record and their journey, Brandy said, “I see it as so much bigger than just a hit record.” 

“At the time, it was two young women coming together, bringing our voices and our stories into one moment—and the world connected with it in a way we couldn’t have imagined,” she continued. “For me, it represented sisterhood and the power of collaboration. Now, all these years later, it feels like a landmark in R&B history, but also a reminder of how far we’ve come as women and as artists.”

“The Boy Is Mine Tour,” featuring Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, and Jamal Roberts, kicks off October 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio.