Brandy and Monica to go head-to-head in 'Verzuz' battle

We never really did find out if “The Boy” belonged to Brandy or Monica, but maybe now that the Grammy winners are reuniting for another kind of battle, fans will have their answer once and for all. Or at the very least they’ll get to hear some good tunes from the OG queens of R&B duets.Verzuz, the popular Instagram Live performance battle series created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, is welcoming Brandy and Monica to a brand-new battle on August 31. As with previous editions of the quarantine series, each performer will go head-to-head with some of their favourite songs while fans take to the comments to argue who's better. Of course, if earlier editions of the series are any indication, no winner will actually be declared, as the real winners are those who tune in and get to hear the artists perform live in an intimate setting. Or, from the Tyler Perry Studios, to be exact.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Get ready for the queens! @Brandy and @MonicaDenise on #VERZUZ! Monday, August 31st, 8PM EST on our IG and Apple Music. Drinks by Ciroc

A post shared by Verzuz (@verzuztv) on Aug 22, 2020 at 4:21pm PDT

Since its debut in March, Verzuz has become something of an obsession for R&B and hip-hop fans. Over the past few months Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds has gone up against Teddy Riley; Erykah Badu squared off against Jill Scott; and the Ludacris versus Nelly battle played for hundreds of thousands of viewers. Each three-hour session features two 10-song rounds as the real-time audience cheers on the performers and takes to the comments.“Verzuz moved from battle into collaboration, but naturally everyone’s still competitive, just in a smooth way,” Swizz told Variety in May. “Babyface was a cool, smooth competitor. Nelly was a super-hot dog.”[video_embed id='2019998']RELATED: Jay-Z and Pharrell team up for new music that shines a spotlight on Black entrepreneurs [/video_embed]It’s been 22 years since Brandy and Monica released the 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine,” earning both women three Grammy nominations (and one win for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals). At the time, the song with all of those competitive riffs led to some rumoured real-life rifts between the two, even though the song ends with Bandy and Monica hanging out with each other instead of "The Boy" and they both always denied the malicious claims. Adding a little fuel to the fire, however, was the fact that they were supposed to sing their song at the 1999 Grammy Awards, but that performance was mysteriously cancelled. In fact, the only time fans ever saw them perform the song together was at the 1998 VMAs. And before that performance, Monica supposedly punched Brandy in the face. Years later, in 2012, the pair teamed up again for their follow-up duet “It All Belongs To Me.” For a while things between the two seemed okay on the surface, but in 2018 Brandy reignited the conversation when she performed “The Boy Is Mine” with the altered lyrics, “The Song is Mine” at Essence Fest. Long story short? The fact that these two are appearing together for a Verzuz battle is kind of a big deal for fans who have been hoping to see them together for decades now.Last month, Brandy released her first album in eight years, B7, a collection of songs in which she opens up about her mental health and ongoing battle with depression. As for Monica? Her last studio release was in December 2015 when she hit the charts with Code Red. The 14-track release featured appearances by Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, Akon, her daughter Laiyah and Timbaland.“This will be historical… it’s an honour, @brandy,” Monica shared on Instagram following the Verzuz announcement. “#History,” Brandy added in her own post. “Thank you @monicadenise @applemusic and @verzuztv for making this happen. Let’s celebrate!!!!”[video_embed id='2019595']BEFORE YOU GO: Megan Thee Stallion says Tory Lanez shot her [/video_embed]