Brandy And Monica Draw Record Numbers In Verzuz Battle
Back in 1998, Brandy and Monica ruled the airwaves with the smash hit The Boy Is Mine. The two divas recently united to take part in a Verzuz battle and it looks like the pair have broken another record.
Variety reports that the buzzed-about Verzuz battle drew a total of 1.2 million viewers, easily outperforming all the previous sessions. The session also drew in big names such as the current Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, who called on the viewers to vote. This was echoed by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who was also watching the battle.
Other celebrity names that watched the Verzuz battle between Brandy and Monica included Snoop Dogg, Nas, Queen Latifah, and Lena Waithe just to name a few. Just like Harris and Obama, the celebrities flooded the chat with emojis and exclamations.
Us Weekly Magazine notes that the two divas took the Verzuz battle as an opportunity to clear the air about supposed bad blood between them. The last time the two of them talked to each other was in 2012, when they worked on the song It All Belongs To Me.
Monica said that she wanted to talk to Brandy face to face, saying that the more people talk about them it was becoming more difficult. Monica maintained that she has always been straightforward and reaffirmed her admiration for Brandy’s life and music.
For her part, Brandy praised the longevity of Monica’s career and declared that she only has the “utmost love and respect” for her. She also reassured Monica that no one knows what she had to go through during the course of her career.
The rumors of a feud between the two singers has been going on for a long time, as far back as the release of The Boy Is Mine. In 2019, music producer Dallas Austin claimed that Brandy physically attacked Monica backstage at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards before their performance.
Austin has also claimed that neither one of the singers wanted to meet each other when making The Boy Is Mine, choosing instead to record their parts separate from each other.
The record-breaking views garnered by Brandy and Monica’s Verzuz battle is the latest accomplishment of the set-up pioneered by rapper Timbaland and hip hop artist Swizz. The pair began Verzuz due to the boredom brought about by the coronavirus-induced lockdowns and has featured big names like Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Snoop Dogg, DMX, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Nelly, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Lil Jon, and T-Pain.