Atlanta R&B vocalist Monica debuted in 1995 with the platinum Top Ten singles "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" and "Before You Walk Out of My Life." After appearing on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith later that year, she recorded another duet with Brandy, "The Boy Is Mine," which spent several weeks atop the singles charts during the summer of 1998.

The much-delayed After the Storm hit stores in the spring of 2003 and reached the top of the Billboard 200, while the following Makings of Me reached the Top Ten. Still Standing, released in 2010, was preceded by a BET reality series of the same name. It was Monica’s second consecutive number one R&B album, and fourth consecutive Top Ten Billboard 200 release. She followed that success in 2012 with New Life, which featured her re-pairing with Brandy on the single "It All Belongs to Me." Code Red, previewed with the Lil Wayne collaboration "Just Right for Me” will be released in 2015.