Monica (entertainer)

Monica

Monica performing in Houston, April 2010.
Background information
Birth name Monica Denise Arnold
Born October 24, 1980 (1980-10-24) (age 30)[1]
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres R&B, hip hop soul
Occupations Singer-songwriter, actress, producer, fashion designer
Years active 1991–present
Labels J
Associated acts Dallas Austin, Tim & Bob, Brandy, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Ludacris, Mia X, Trina, Mary J. Blige, Rocko
Website www.monica.com

Monica Denise Arnold (born October 24, 1980), professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B recording artist and entertainer. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child, enrolling in several local singing competitions prior to becoming part of Charles Thompson and the Majestics, a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten.

At the age of 13, she signed a recording contract with Arista Records. Guided by Rowdy label head Dallas Austin and his protégés Tim & Bob,Monica came to prominence following the release of her debut album Miss Thang in 1995, whose first two singles "Don't Take It Personal" and "Before You Walk out of My Life" made her the youngest recording act to ever have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Singles chart.[2] Monica's second album The Boy Is Mine was released in 1998 and earned her major international chart success. Pushed by its same-titled number-one hit, a Grammy Award-winning duet with singer Brandy, it spawned two further chart-toppers, "The First Night" and "Angel of Mine", and established her position as one of the most successful of the urban R&B female vocalists to emerge in the mid to late-1990s.[3]

In the early 2000s,Monica's career went under hiatus as she was experiencing increasing personal struggles, including the suicide of her boyfriend, a tumultuous relationship with rapper C-Murder and the delay of her heavily-bootlegged third album, All Eyez on Me (2002).[4] In 2003, she eventually released her fourth album After the Storm, and after an unsuccessful period, she scored her fifth number one single, "So Gone". Her latest album Still Standing, whose recording was tracked by her co-produced BET reality series of the same name, was released in 2010 and produced the hit single "Everything to Me".[5]

Monica has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, including over five million units in the United States alone.[3][6] With a career lasting over 15 years, in 2010 she became the first artist to top the U.S Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.[7]

Contents

Early life

Monica was born in College Park, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. She is the oldest child and only daughter of Marilyn Best, a former church singer and Delta Air Lines customer service representative, and M.C. "Billy" Arnold Jr., a mechanic working for an Atlanta freight company.[8] She has a younger brother named Montez, who was born in 1983,[9] and two maternal half-brothers, Tron and Cypress.[10] Monica also is a cousin of record producer Polow da Don,[11] and relative-in-law to rapper Ludacris through her mother's second marriage to Reverend Edward Best, a Methodist minister.[12]

At the age of two, Monica followed in her mother's footsteps with regular performances at the Jones Hill Chapel United Methodist Church in Marilyn's hometown Newnan, Georgia.[12] While growing up in the modest circumstances of a single-parent home, after her parents' separation in 1984 and their divorce in 1987, Monica continued training herself in singing and became a frequent talent show contestant, winning over twenty local singing competitions throughout her early teenage years.[10] By the time she was ten, she became the youngest member of Charles Thompson and the Majestics, a traveling 12-piece gospel choir.[9]

Recording career

1995–1999

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.[13] 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.[13] It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies[14] 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.[15] 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 caregory.[15]

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.[15] 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,[16] the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America,[17] 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).[17]

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.[14] 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,"[18] while Allmusic called the album an "irresistible sounding [and] immaculately crafted musical backdrop [...] as good as mainstream urban R&B gets in 1998."[19]

2000–2004

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.[4] The first single "All Eyez on Me", a Rodney Jerkins-produced R&B-dance track, which saw minor to moderate success on the charts. It reached the top forty in Australia and New Zealand but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] 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.[4] "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.[4]

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.[20] 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.[21] 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."[22] 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.[23] 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.[24]

2005–present

Monica at the DC Black Pride 2007 in Washington, D.C..

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 Elliott, Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox, all of whom had previously contributed to After the Storm (2003). Arnold who described it her most mature and versatile effort to date, considered the album a breakaway from its predecessors: "Now, at 26, the way I look at things, even relationships, I was really able to involve more of my life experiences in the album," she told MTV News.[25] 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,"[26] and Entertainment Weekly declaring it "a solid addition" to Monica's discography.[27] 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, sales never boosted and eventually stagnated at 300,000 copies, making The Makings of Me Monica's lowest-selling effort yet.[28] Singles such as snap-influenced "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" featuring Dem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.[29]

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.[30] Monica's fifth studio album Still Standing was released in March 2010 in North America, involving production by Stargate, Bryan-Michael Cox, Missy Elliott, and Polow da Don, among others. Generally well-received by critics, Still Standing debuted at 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 her album "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 . Follow-up single 'Love All Over Me' is already a success on the same chart hitting #8 after only 11 weeks.

Other ventures

Acting

In the mid 90s on Monica made her acting debut on an episode of Living Single. In 2000, Monica made her film debut in the third drama from MTV Films, Love Song, as Camille Livingston, a young woman torn between the life her parents have planned for her and the world she experiences after meeting a musician from the wrong side of the tracks. The film debut the song "What My Heart Says" with promotion of her third album All Eyez on Me (2002). The film was released on April 30, 2002.

Arnold's acting was shared as guest appearances on several television shows such as Living Single (1996), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1997, 1999), Felicity (2001), and American Dreams (2003) playing Mary Wells, singing "My Guy". Also in her big-screen movie career, in 2006, she made a cameo appearance in the American comedy-drama film ATL, playing the Waffle House waitress. In 2009, Monica joined with completion of Rockmond Dunbar-produced upcoming film 2010 Pastor Brown. Some photos have been released in 2009, with Monica playing the role of Lisa Cross.

Reality television

In August 2008, The debut episode of the reality television show Monica: The Single on Peachtree TV was filmed to promote the release of the album, "Still Standing".[31][32] The show was a single episode, tracked by the single recording for her sixth studio album. While "Still Standing, which featured cousin Ludacris, was originally intended to be released as the album's lead single, the label and the singer were not in agreement with the album's title track becoming the first single no track has been for more than a year.[33][34]

With the success of the one-hour reality special, Monica joined the production of the BET network for her own series Monica: Still Standing.[35] She was a spin-off to the Peachtree TV Monica: The Single, containing the same concept. It focused on searching for a hit single for her fifth studio album release and balancing her personal life of being a full-time mother and troubled past. The premiere and encore episode garnered 3.2 million total viewers. The show was made the second highest series debut in BET history behind the debut of Tiny & Toya.[36] The show was given a "B" by Entertainment Weekly.[37]

Fashion

Monica is also taking on the fashion industry by designing a line of boys clothing called Regions of Rock. She describes the gear as an "urban rock" line of clothing for infants to kids up to size 20.[38]

Personal life

Monica graduated from high school at age sixteen with a 4.0 GPA in 1997.[15]

Monica's career saw troubles in 1999, during which time she dealt with more personal tribulations including an up-and-down relationship with former fiancé Corey "C-Murder" Miller and the suicide of her boyfriend Jarvis "Knot" Weems, a local drug dealer[4] and her childhood friend. On July 18, 2000, the couple was together at the graveside of Weems's brother Troy, who had died in an automobile accident at age 25 in 1998, when Weems, without warning, put a gun to his head and shot himself to death.[4] Devastated, Monica spent the first few months after his death in denial and depression, later lessened by spiritual guidance from her parents. "Afterward, I felt, 'What else could I have done?' You replay that situation over and over and you switch it around: Maybe if I had said this, or if I would have done that,'" she said in an interview with the Enquirer the following year. "It's just something that it's never possible for me to go back and change."[4]

Arnold and rapper Rodney "Rocko" Hill, a former SWA officer and real estate manager, met shortly after Knot's suicide in 2000, a time which the singer described as her "weakest."[39] Although the couple soon got engaged in fall of the same year, they ended their relationship in 2004 and Monica started dating G-Unit rapper Young Buck.[39] A few months later, Arnold and Hill revived their relationship and Arnold became pregnant. On May 21, 2005, the pair welcomed their first son, Rodney Ramone Hill III, into the world.[39] After becoming engaged once again on Christmas Eve 2007, the singer gave birth to their second child on January 8, 2008. The son was named Romelo Montez Hill, named after Monica's younger brother.[40] In March 2010, it was announced that Arnold and Hill had in October 2009[41] split surrounding rumors that he cheated with groupies.[42] Arnold says she is still very close with Hill & still keeps a good relashionship with his son Ramone Malik Hill (her son's older paternal brother).

In summer 2010 Arnold began dating Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
2000 Boys and Girls Katie Supporting role
Love Song Camille Livingston Lead role, TV film
2006 ATL Waffle House Waitress Cameo role
2010 Pastor Brown Lisa Cross Post-production

Television

Awards

References

  1. ↑ John Bush (2008). "Monica on MSN". MSN. http://music.msn.com/music/artist-biography/monica.2/. Retrieved 2008-07-18. 
  2. ↑ Bland, Bridget (2009-10-25). "Monica: Still Standing with New BET Reality Show and Forthcoming Music". Entertainment Newsire. http://www.bvnewswire.com/2009/10/27/monica-still-standing-new-bet-reality-show-and-music/. Retrieved 2010-04-03. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caulfield, Keith (2008-12-12). "Ask Billboard: Numbers Ín The Mid-90's?". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/thisday/ask-billboard-titanic-mid-90s-singers-tori-1003921966.story. Retrieved 2009-01-03. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Nekesa Mumbi Moody (2003-06-27). ""Monica triumphs over tragedy After the Storm"". Enquirer. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/06/27/tem_0627monica.html. Retrieved 2007-06-01. 
  5. ↑ "Monica @ Billboard". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs#/artist/monica/88033. Retrieved 2010-02-06. 
  6. ↑ http://www.bet.com/NR/exeres/174829AC-CD08-4D22-B620-A75F804501B8.htm?}
  7. ↑ Trust, Gary (2010-02-19). "Ask Billboard: Olympics, Monica, Smokey Robinson". Billboard. http://www.billboard.cm/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-olympics-monica-smokey-robinson-1004069353.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-olympics-monica-smokey-robinson-1004069353.story?page=2. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  8. ↑ Seymour, Craig (2002-10-01). Monica – Pain Is Love. Google Books. http://books.google.de/books?id=tyUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=monica+%22PAIN+IS+LOVE%22+vibe.com&source=bl&ots=lZOVDaVWdH&sig=9QNsXAV1rkfQWkDRbWLnvmE81Iw&hl=de&ei=kqQcTNuIE6WjOPDH7ZUM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dougherty, Steve (2003-07-14). "Life After Death". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140535,00.html. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Starling, Kelly (2000-08-01). "Monica on Growing Up & The Pregnancy Rumors". Ebony. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_10_55/ai_63735674/. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  11. ↑ "Polow Da Don’s Surprise Gift for Monica". Rap-Up. 2010-04-09. http://www.rap-up.com/2010/04/09/polow-da-dons-surprise-gift-for-monica/. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Exclusive Interview With Monica". Concrete Loop. 2006-09-05. http://concreteloop.com/interviews-monica. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ewey, Melissa (1998-09-01). "Monica: Miss Thang Grows Up". Ebony. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n11_v53/ai_21080618/. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Basham, David (2002-03-14). "Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452903/20020314/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-03-24. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Monica Proves She Has Staying Power With Hit Album, `The Boy Is Mine'". Jet. FindArticles.com. 1999-17-19. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_7_96/ai_55333717/. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 
  16. ↑ ""Monica Bio"". About.com. http://randb.about.com/od/gthroughm/p/MonicaProfile.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-02. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "RIAA". http://www.riaa.org. Retrieved 2007-06-02. 
  18. ↑ "The Boy Is Mine album review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/monica/albums/album/103222/review/5940769/the_boy_is_mine. Retrieved 2007-06-02. 
  19. ↑ "The Boy Is Mine album review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:29841vd1zzua. Retrieved 2007-06-02. 
  20. ↑ Jon Wiederhorn (2003-03-31). ""Missy, DMX, Tyrese To Give Monica's New LP Extra Oomph"". MTV News. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1470858/20030331/monica.jhtml. Retrieved 2006-02-10. 
  21. ↑ "Ask Billboard". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/index.jsp. Retrieved 2006-02-10. 
  22. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "After the Storm review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jzdsyl24xpsb. Retrieved 2007-05-31. 
  23. ↑ ""Gone Good to Go"". Billboard. 2003-06-20. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1919413. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  24. ↑ "U Should've Known Better". A-Charts. http://acharts.us/song/491. Retrieved 2008-08-10. 
  25. ↑ ""Monica Overcomes Pregnancy Rumors, Ex-Boyfriend's Suicide To Form Makings Of Me"". MTV News. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1540372/20060907/monica.jhtml. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
  26. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "The Makings of Me review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:nuom96boaep6. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
  27. ↑ Dombal, =Ryan (2008-09-29). "The Makings of Me review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1540569,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
  28. ↑ "Ask Billboard". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/ask_bb/index.jsp. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  29. ↑ St. Fleur, Patrick (2010-03-16). "Monica Interview: Still Living, Still Strong, Still Standing". Word of South. http://www.wordofsouth.com/2010/03/16/monica-interview-still-living-still-strong-still-standing/. Retrieved 2010-04-03. 
  30. ↑ "Artist Chart History - Keyshia Cole". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=603892&model.vnuAlbumId=1201227. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
  31. ↑ Crosley, Hillary (2008-12-15). "Monica Gets Busy On Sixth Album". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/monica-gets-busy-on-sixth-album-1003922819.story. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 
  32. ↑ "Monica Shouts Out Fans & AT&T Appearance". MySpace. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=56037611. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  33. ↑ ""To my Fans"". SayNow. http://www.saynow.com/monicamusic. Retrieved 2008-08-04. 
  34. ↑ "JD signs Monica's fiancé Rocko to Island Urban". SandraRose. http://sandrarosenews.blogspot.com/2007/11/jd-signs-monicas-fianc-rocko-to-island.html. Retrieved 2007-11-23. 
  35. ↑ Official BET show page BET Coming Soon
  36. ↑ http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/10/28/2009-bet-hip-hop-awards-and-the-series-premier-of-monica-still-standing-bring-in-big-numbers/31891
  37. ↑ http://www.ew.com/ew/tv/tonights_best_tv/0,,2,00.html
  38. ↑ ""Exclusive: Monice 'Still Standing' (Part II)"". Straight From The A. http://straightfromthea.com/2008/08/05/exclusive-monica-still-standing-part-ii/. Retrieved 2008-08-06. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 Checkoway, Laura (2006-10-01). Thought The Fire. Google Books. http://books.google.de/books?id=8iYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=MONICA+%22edward+best%22&source=bl&ots=ajIB_C1OZt&sig=MrzQP7x66d1M1qWIGabywQTQkcM&hl=de&ei=H7McTMyfCpOPOJvZ7MAM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=MONICA%20%22edward%20best%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
  40. ↑ "Monica Welcomes Second son". EURweb.com. http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/01/monica-welcomes.html. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 
  41. ↑ http://www.twitlonger.com/show/3aicgkM Rocko Addresses Rumours
  42. ↑ Hope, Clover. "Monica Addresses Rocko Breakup, Cheating Rumors: ‘I Never Felt So Confused’". Vibe. http://www.vibe.com/posts/monica-addresses-rocko-breakup-cheating-rumors-%E2%80%98i-never-felt-so-confused%E2%80%99. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 

External links

Monica
Discography · Videography · Songs · Awards
Studio albums
Miss Thang (1995)  · The Boy Is Mine (1998)  · All Eyez on Me (2002)  · After the Storm (2003)  · The Makings of Me (2006) · Still Standing (2010)
EPs
Dance Vault Remixes: Get It Off/Knock Knock (2004)
Compilation albums
Super Hits (2008)
Filmography
Boys and Girls (2000)  · Love Song (2000)  · ATL (2006)  · Pastor Brown (2010)
Related articles
J Records  · Rocko  · Monica: Still Standing
Monica singles
Miss Thang
"Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) (1995)" · "Before You Walk Out of My Life (1995)" · "Like This and Like That" (1995) · "Why I Love You So Much" (1996)
The Boy Is Mine
"The Boy Is Mine" (1998) · "The First Night" (1998) · "Angel of Mine" (1999) · "Inside" (1999) · "Street Symphony" (1999) · "Right Here Waiting" (2000)
All Eyez on Me
"All Eyez on Me" (2002) · "Too Hood" (2002)
After the Storm
"So Gone" (2003) · "Knock Knock" (2003) · "Get It Off" (2003) · "U Should've Known Better" (2004)
The Makings of Me
"Everytime tha Beat Drop" (2006) · "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)" (2006) · "Sideline Ho" (2007) · "Hell No (Leave Home)" (2007)
Still Standing
"Everything to Me" (2010) · "Love All Over Me" (2010) · "Here I Am" (2010)
Soundtrack
"Ain't Nobody" (1996) · "For You I Will" (1997) · "I've Got to Have It" (2000) · "Just Another Girl" (2001)
Featured artist
"Wake Up Everybody" (200$) · "I Aint Trying to Hear It" (2007) · "Trust" (2009) · "Always" (2010)
Other songs
"Gone Be Fine" (1999) · "Still Standing"