Nearly three decades after the release of their smash hit song, The Boy is Mine was released, Brandy and Monica are still in demand. Last fall, The Boy Is Mine Tour which they headlined was a major commercial success, featuring multiple sold-out shows across the United States. Concert tour stops included high-profile, capacity crowds at venues like the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Originally announced as a 24-city tour, it expanded to 32 dates, including additional shows in Atlanta and Chicago due to high demand.
Even celebrities ventured out to enjoy the popular show. From Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Rihanna, Lena Waithe and our Forever First Lady Michelle Obama, attendees of all ages and walks of life were thirsty for the nostalgia that the Vocal Bible and Ms. Monica (and occasionally Goonica) were giving to their fans. The Boy Is Mine, the now iconic duet by Brandy and Monica, peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks during its 1998 release year and earned the singers a coveted Grammy award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group in 1999.
ESSENCE sought out the expertise of two of music’s leading experts on soul and R&B music to get their take on the duo’s cultural legacy ahead of their return to the stage at our ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans this summer. Naima Cochrane, #MusicSermon creator, journalist and professor at the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at New York University, and Ian Von, founder, owner and host of the Can We Talk R&B? podcast, know a thing or two about R&B music and they shared their poignant thoughts on the matter with us.
Here’s what they had to say about the cultural legacy that Brandy and Monica represent, the power of timeless songwriting and why TikTok enthusiasts have embraced these two living legends with such authentic love and gratitude.
On The Boy is Mine still resonating with people today although the song was released in 1998.
NAIMA COCHRANE: It’s simply a hit. It was at the top of the charts for 3 months, the best-selling song of the year in 1998, and still sounds great today, so shout out to Darkchild (Rodney Jerkins) and Dallas Austin for that. The second and maybe deeper reason is that it’s such a part of the zeitgeist of the late ’90s. We’re in a nostalgia renaissance with ’90s R&B and culture in the center, and The Boy is Mine along with the entire Brandy versus Monica narrative is such a marker of that period.IAN VON: The themes of love, competition, heartbreak, and self-expression never go out ofdecoding=”async” src=”https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-111186320.jpg” alt=”Brandy And Monica: Why The Reigns Of These R&B Queens Still Resonate Decades Later” width=”400″ height=”553″ />Brandy and Monica during 1998 MTV Video Music Awards at Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
On younger R&B singers like Kehlani and Ariana Grande giving Brandy and Monica their flowers.VON: Every generation builds on the work of the one before it. Brandy and Monica themselves paid homage to Whitney Houston and other icons who paved the way for them.Artists like Kehlani, Ariana Grande, Coco Jones, Muni Long, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan and even Beyoncé have all been inspired in some way by what Brandy and Monica contributed to R&B. Whether it’s vocaldecoding=”async” src=”https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2247963817-scaled.jpg” alt=”Brandy And Monica: Why The Reigns Of These R&B Queens Still Resonate Decades Later” width=”400″ height=”500″ />Monica and Brandy at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on November 20, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BPC)
On Brandy and Monica performing together at the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
COCHRANE: It’s tragic there was not a Boy is Mine Tour in 1998. Some fans have been waiting on this moment almost 30 years! Essence Festival of Culture is historically one of my favorite events, and I’m going to try my best to be in the number this summer.
VON: The run that they’ve been on lately has been amazing to watch. Seeing them headline festivals like ESSENCE in New Orleans is a reminder of their staying power.They are true torchbearers for the culture of R&B — representing talent, beauty, authenticity, and longevity. A lot of us admire them because they’ve remained true to themselves musically and artistically for decades. Moments like this feel like a celebration not only of their careers but of the era of R&B they helped define.
Brandy and Monica are part of the 2026 Essence Festival of Culture lineup. Don’t miss out—get tickets here: Get Tickets.
TOPICS: Brandy and Monica essence festival of culture
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Author: Bridgette Bartlett
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