In 1991, at the age of eleven, Monica was discovered by music producer Dallas Austin at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta performing Whitney Houston 1986's Greatest Love of All. Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his Arista Records-distributed label Rowdy Records and consulted rapper Queen Latifah to work as Monica's first manager. Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producers Tim & Bob entered the studio with Monica to start writing and producing her debut Miss Thang which was eventually released in July 1995 and scored number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies and produced three top ten singles, including debut single Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) and Before You Walk out of My Life both of which made Monica the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Miss Thang subsequently won Monica a Billboard Music Award and garnered her an American Music Award nomination in the Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist category.
After a label change to Clive Davis's Arista Records, Monica mainstream success was boosted, when Diane Warren-written For You I Will, from the Space Jam soundtrack, became her next top ten pop hit. The following year she was asked to team up with singer Brandy and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to record The Boy Is Mine, the first single from both of their second albums. Released in May 1998, surrounding highly publicized rumors about a real-life catfight between both singers, the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America, spending record-breaking thirteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It earned the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and garnered multi-platinum sales (to date, it remains as one of the top twenty most successful American singles in history based on Billboard chart success).
Jermaine Dupri, David Foster and Austin consulted on the album The Boy Is Mine, which was released later that year and eventually became Monica’s biggest-selling album, becoming certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies. It yielded another two U.S. number-one hits with The First Night and Angel of Mine, a cover of Eternal's 1997 single, as well as a remake of Richard Marx' Right Here Waiting. Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed it as "closer to soul's source... hearking back past hip-hop songbirds like Mary J. Blige and adult-contemporary sirens like Toni Braxton," while Allmusic called the album an "irresistible sounding [and] immaculately crafted musical backdrop [...] as good as mainstream urban R&B gets in 1998."
In 2000, Monica contributed chorus vocals for I've Got to Have It, a collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and rapper Nas. Released as the Big Momma's House theme song, the song saw minor success in the United States only. The following year, she released the Ric Wake production track Just Another Girl, recorded for the Down to Earth soundtrack, as a single.
A year later, Arnold channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her third studio album, All Eyez on Me, her first release on mentor Clive Davis newly-founded J Records label. "I just wanted to give the people back something that had personal passion, instead of just, 'Oh, let's dance to this record'," she said about the issues worked into the tracks. The first single All Eyez on Me a Rodney Jerkins-produced R&B-dance track, saw minor to moderate success on the international charts but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. A follow-up song, Too Hood, also got a lukewarm response and as a result, the album's tentative release was pushed back several times. "I don't think people wanted to hear a big fun record from me, after knowing all the things that I had personally experienced," Monica second-guessed her new material which saw both early and heavy bootlegging via internet at that time.
After the Japan-wide release of All Eyez on Me Monica was asked to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios to start work with songwriters Kanye West, Jazze Pha, Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, Bam & Ryan and Dupri-replacing executive producer Missy Elliott. Finally released in June 2003, After the Storm debuted at number one on Billboard`s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and on top of the official Billboard 200, with sales of 186,000 copies emerging as Monica's first and only number-one album to date. It eventually received a gold certification, and has sold over one million copies domestically. Media reception of the CD was generally enthusiastic, with the Allmusic saying the album "has all the assuredness and smart developments that should keep Monica's younger longtime followers behind her — all the while holding the ability to appeal to a wider spectrum of R&B and hip-hop fans." The album's lead single, Elliott-penned So Gone, was one of Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, becoming her first top ten single since 1999's Angel of Mine. In addition, it reached the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts. Subsequently, After the Storm spawned another three singles, with final single U Should've Known Better reaching number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2005, Monica appeared on the Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman soundtrack. The track was one of Monica's last production by Dallas Austin.
Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Arnold's fourth studio album The Makings of Me was released in October 2006. Titled after Curtis Mayfield's 1970 recording The Makings of You, the album saw her particularly reuniting with producers Elliott, Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox, all of whom had previously contributed to After the Storm (2003). The Makings of Me received a positive reception from most professional music critics, with Allmusic calling it a "concise and mostly sweet set of songs," and Entertainment Weekly declaring it "a solid addition" to Monica's discography. While it debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number eight on the official Billboard 200, it received a domestic sales total of 328,000 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors and became the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. Singles such as snap-influenced Everytime Tha Beat Drop featuring Atlanta hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me) failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.
In 2009, Arnold lent her voice to the ballad Trust a duet with Keyshia Cole, that peaked in the top five on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The recording of Arnold's sixth studio album Still Standing was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name. Featuring production by Stargate, Ne-Yo, and Polow da Don, it was released in March 2010 and garnered a generally positive response by critics, who perceived its sound as "a return to the mid-'1990s heyday" of contemporary R&B, The album debuted atop on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 184,000 copies, becoming the singer's second highest-charting debut since 2003's After the Storm. The leading single Everything to Me scored Monica her biggest chart success since 2003's So Gone, reaching the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks charts for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the RIAA with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies within a single month. With it success, the album and Everything to Me was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011. In August 2010, Arnold joined Trey Songz on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour, her first North American concert tour in ten years.
The New Life (Intro) Songfacts reports that New Life was Monica's debut release with RCA, following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. The album was dropped on April 10, 2012 in the US. She explained the meaning of its title on Twitter: "A good word goes a long way. Life is hard enough. Me and my followers believe in God, love, strength, family, unity and growth [...] Don't be afraid of new things, new people, new opportunities or new love. It just may give you a New Life."
It All Belongs To Me
Monica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel like I'm boutta hurt myself
And I don't wanna do it baby
And lovin' you is so hard
And the way you act ain't been no help
Nah nah nah sugar
You must be blind
You must be dumb
You must be crazy
(you must be out cho damn mind)
To think that I’mma let you off that easy
I know you mad can't take no more
But put that back that ain't yours
Have a fit slam the door
But leave them bags on the floor
That shit belongs to me
Those clothes those cars those rings that mac book
That shit belongs to me
So log of your facebook, it all belongs to me
All you do is talk never knew you to do nothing else
You ain’t good for nothin' baby
It's like you got no heart cold as ice
And nothing can make you melt
No no no baby
(but hold on one minute baby)
(you must be) blind
You must be dumb
You must be trippin'
You must be crazy
To think that I’mma let you off that easy
I know you mad can’t take no more
But put that back that ain't yours
Have a fit slam the door
But leave them bags on the floor
That shit belongs to me
Those clothes those cars those rings that mac book
That shit belongs to me
So log of your facebook, it all belongs to me
Ain’t nothin' leaving this house
Unless it’s over my dead body baby
So pack up all the things you came with
'Cause lovin' you is just too dangerous
The song "It All Belongs To Me" by Monica and Brandy is a powerful anthem about taking control of one's life and belongings after a relationship ends. In the opening lines, Monica sings about how difficult it is to continue loving someone who is causing them pain. She expresses her frustration at the way her partner has been acting and how it's not been helpful.
The chorus repeats the song's title phrase over and over, emphasizing the message that everything that the partner possesses belongs to Monica. The lyrics go on to detail the things that Monica rightfully claims, including clothes, cars, rings, and even a MacBook. Monica commands her partner to leave everything behind and slam the door if they want, but the belongings stay with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Lovin' you is hard
It's difficult for me to continue loving you
I feel like I'm boutta hurt myself
I am hurting myself emotionally by staying with you
And I don't wanna do it baby
I don't want to continue with this relationship
And lovin' you is so hard
It's very challenging for me to love you
And the way you act ain't been no help
Your behavior is not helping our relationship in any way
Nah nah nah sugar
No, I can't continue with this anymore
You must be blind
You must not see what's really happening
You must be dumb
You must not understand the situation
You must be trippin'
You must be mistaken or delusional
You must be crazy
You must be insane to think that I will let you off the hook easily
(you must be out cho damn mind)
You are completely out of your mind
To think that I’mma let you off that easy
You are mistaken if you think that I will forgive you easily
I know you mad can't take no more
I understand that you're angry and can't tolerate this anymore
But put that back that ain't yours
You need to put back the things that don't belong to you
Have a fit slam the door
You can have a tantrum and leave if you want to
But leave them bags on the floor
But you need to leave all the bags on the floor
That shit belongs to me
All the things you're packing up belong to me
Those clothes those cars those rings that mac book
This includes your clothes, cars, rings, and even your mac book
So log of your facebook, it all belongs to me
You need to log out of your Facebook account, because everything belongs to me
All you do is talk never knew you to do nothing else
All you ever do is talk, you don't take any action
You ain’t good for nothin' baby
You're not good for anything in this relationship
It's like you got no heart cold as ice
You have no compassion, you're cold and indifferent
And nothing can make you melt
Nothing can soften your heart or change your behavior
No no no baby
I can't continue with this anymore
(but hold on one minute baby)
Wait a minute, let me make something clear
Ain’t nothin' leaving this house
Nothing is leaving this house
Unless it’s over my dead body baby
Unless I'm dead and gone, nothing will leave this house
So pack up all the things you came with
Pack up all your belongings and leave
'Cause lovin' you is just too dangerous
Because being in a relationship with you is too harmful for me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EARL HOOD, ERIC GOUDY, RICHARD BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrPesante2008
Brandy and Monica should do a whole album together! Shit would be fire!
@jaiappletray1322
2023 and this song is still phenomenal ❤️
@greenlantern765
💯💯💯
@larissalaureneovaghatomo9238
Am actually listening to it in repeat
@justdc3517
Their voices compliment each other. Anybody saying that either of these 2 can’t sing need to get their ears checked. 2 different styles that blend so well together.
@dsmitty882010
You would thought they would’ve known that from Boy Is Mine 🤦🏽♂️ 😂
@jordandavis2110
Jordan Davis 19 Well Together So These
@ikiesepierrilus4343
The Hair, The makeup, The Fashion, The vocals, ..... and that mac book, Luv it!
@ThatGirlAyAy
I have ALWAYS loved this song. BOTH ladies paying tribute to Whitney Houston. I love Brandy's run at 3:52 and Monica's "Whitney Run" at 3:58. And both ladies looked amazing. I don't know if they truly get along in real life but I appreciate them coming together to sing this song.
@aneshamonroe
Almost 10 years since this song came out ❤❤