The Legacy of “The Boy is Mine”

The Boy Is Mine is one of Brandy and Monica’s best duet R&B songs from the 90s era, which involved two girls fighting over a boy. This song has earned accolades, including a Grammy win. It sparked an alleged "feud" between Brandy and Monica, even though it was proven untrue. The song continues with more covers and remixes, making the song a hit by popular demand.

It begins in 1982 with Michael Jackson’s duet song with former Beatles member Paul McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine". The song explains how two men fell in love with the same girl and fought over her.

Excerpt lyrics from The Girl Is Mine:

Every night, she walks right in my dreams

Since I met her from the start

I'm so proud I am the only one

Who is special in her heart

The girl is mine

The doggone girl is mine

I know she's mine

Because the doggone girl is mine

Sixteen years later, then-teen R&B star Brandy was working on her sophomore album Never Say Never. She was watching an episode of The Jerry Springer Show, a tabloid talk show where love triangles among the guests were the theme. It gave Brandy the idea to write her single The Boy is Mine for her sophomore album.

Brandy co-wrote the song with Rodney "Darkchild Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Japhe Tejeda, and Fred Jerkins III. Jerkins and Dallas Austin also handled the production. Brandy, at first, sang the song; however, Jerkins wasn't feeling the solo and thought it would be a better idea to be a duet.

At Brandy's request, her label, Atlantic Records, approached fellow R&B teen singer Monica to collaborate. The two have seen each other but never interacted. With the permission of Clive Davis, who headed Monica's record company Arista Records, Monica eventually signed on to the project.

Excerpt lyrics from The Girl is 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

The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and filmed in Los Angeles, uses 90-degree tilts to depict the drama and the playfulness between the two. Making its debut on April 22, 1998, it uses the radio edit of the song, removing the intro. Actor Mekhi Phifer stars as the boy who is dating Brandy and Monica at the same time in the same apartment, while Brandy and Monica are technically fighting over this boy.

"Never Say Never" was released May 4, 1998. The Boy is Mine was released on the same day. The Boy is Mine received positive reviews and became number one on the charts. It became the second song in the history of the chart to ascend directly to number one from a previous position beneath the Top 20, at number 23, following the Beatles and the 27–1 leap of their single "Can't Buy Me Love" in April 1964. The duo won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Brandy was 17 at the time, making her the youngest R&B star to win a Grammy.

The Alleged Feud

Unlike the Michael and Paul feud, rumors spread that Brandy and Monica weren't getting along with each other. Before the song, rumors swirled that the two had dissed each other during the award season, and rumors believed that had to do with an alleged boy they were fighting over. After the release of their hit duet, the duo alleged famously had a fight backstage while rehearsing for a performance at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. Their feud persisted for years. Monica told in a 2012 interview with WZMX.

"We were young. We could barely stay in the room with each other. By no means was it jealousy or envy. She and I are polar opposites and instead of embracing that, we used our differences as reasons not to be amongst each other."

Since the debut of their duet, the two have remained close and ignored the rumors about their supposed feud. Recently, Monica addressed the “feud” on the CBS Mornings Show.

"It started as nothing and it really did turn into something. There was a lot of confusion and conflict and there was a lot of people around."

In 2012, fourteen years later, since the boy is mine, the two reunited and a song “It All Belongs to Me” for Monica’s album New Life, which is like the sequel to The Boy is Mine.

The Legacy continues

Decades later, The Boy is Mine spawned covers and remixes making the song more popular than before. Glee stars Amber Riley and Naya Rivera covered the song for an episode on Glee.

99 Souls remixed "The Girl is Mine" with the mashup of Destiny’s Child "Girl".

New Reports spread that pop singers Jessie J and Ariana Grande in 2012 however; years later Ariana Grande debuted her next song, The Boy Is Mine which is a similar tone to the 1998 song but with different lyrics.

Brandy and Monica made cameos in the music video. The two R&B stars would collaborate with Grande in the remix.

During the pandemic era, Brandy and Monica reunited for Verzuz.

James Corden, the host of the Late Late Show with James Corden parodies "The Boy is Mine" to the "Boyega is Mine" featuring actor Jeffery Tambwith actor John Boyega as "Boyega" in the parody music video.

Speaking of legacy, Sy'rai (Brandy's daughter) and Krista (Erica and Warryn Campbell's daugther) covered the song in Wicked Edition. In the music video, Krista is Glinda and Sy’rai is Elphaba.

I mean Sy’rai doesn’t need permission after all she is Brandy’s daughter.

The music video was directed by Michael Korte and premiered around the time Wicked Part One premiered in theaters. Now, Brandy and Monica are still close and better than ever. The Boy is Mine duo announced that they are going on tour for The Boy is Mine tour along with Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, and American idol winner Jamal Roberts.

Source

Genius.com

YouTube

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People.com

Hey Everyone!

In case you didn't know, I work on my own production company, GWM ENTERTAINMENT. This production company was created by me, where I present Documentaries, Short Documentaries, Docu-series, Animation Films, Short Animation Films, Short Films, Feature Films, and Live Theatrical Play Productions developed by myself, whether it is plays or musicals that I have produced, written, or directed. Some plays are originals, some are based on real-life events, and some are adaptations. I am currently working on three projects this year:

Tales and Confessions of a High School Nobody

White Mama

Jean of the Joneses

Boys Like Us