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Brandy Norwood and Monica Arnold Verzuz Battle: Internet says Monica and Keyshia Cole are a 'better fit'

In 2008, 'Trust' was re-recorded as a duet with R&B singer Monica, replacing parts of Cole's original vocals with hers. It was an instant hit

R&B icons Brandy Rayana Norwood and Monica Denise Arnold are all set for their Verzuz battle on August 31, 2020, at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. This might be a full stop to their decades-long feud "over a boy". The singers famously collaborated on the 1998 hit 'The Boy is Mine' and are now all set to stage their battle through the Verzuz platform.

Apart from their singing, their rivalry is not a surprise for their fans. Even though both the singers repeatedly denied that their song 'The Boy is Mine' reflected any actual rivalry, reports claimed that Monica was upset when Brandy performed the song solo on 'The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno and Brandy was reportedly miffed when Monica opted to take the name of the duet for the title of her second album.

Their rivalry became so loud that their managers released a joint statement in which they called the press out for its "disturbing behavior". In a 2012 interview with WZMX, Monica spoke about her past relationship with Brandy, "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 among each other."

Verzuz has previously featured lyrical throwdowns between rappers DMX and Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and Nelly and has expanded past the hip-hop genre. Apart from that many celebrities have joined the battle including Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, 112 and Jagged Edge, as well as a memorable, Juneteenth piano duel between Alicia Keys and John Legend.

As soon as the news of the Monica vs Brandy battle came, fans said that they'd be more interested in a battle round between Monica vs Keyshia Cole, as one user commented, "Honestly I needed Monica and Keyshia so I could get the real bird sh*t." Another one said, "Brandy and Monica aren’t really in the same music genre after their teen years. Monica and Keyshia is a better fit!"

"Let me know when Brandy and Monica bring back the classics. I’m picking up my fish plate from Keyshia Cole’s house. #Verzuz" said an Intffxxxernet user. Dfxnother one expressed, "it should have been Monica vs Keyshia cole or Monica vs Toni Braxton. NOW THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MF SHOW. I think I would have cried myself to sleep." Another user said, "Would have been the perfect battle! Keyshia and Monica would have had us all singing to the top of your lungs"

In 2008, 'Trust' was written and recorded by Cole for her third studio album, 'A different me'. Later, in 2008, the ballad was re-recorded as a duet with fellow R&B singer Monica, replacing parts of Cole's original vocals with hers. In no time, the song became a hit and marked its chart entry on the Hot 100 and her eleventh consecutive top 10 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and became Cole's highest-peaking single from the album.