Monica Arnold

Background

Monica Denise Arnold, simply and professionally known as Monica, was born in College Park, Georgia. Her mother, Marilyn Best, was a Delta Airline customer service and a former church singer, and her father, M.C. ‘Billy’ Arnold, was a mechanic. She had a younger brother named Montez and a half-brother named Jermond Grant. At an early age, Arnold had already started following in her mother’s footsteps by performing regularly at her church in Marilyn’s hometown of Newnan, Georgia. Her parents would later part ways, but that did not stop Arnold from continuing her singing career. The young Arnold won over 20 local singing competitions when she was just a teenager. At the age of 10, Arnold was involved in the Charles Thompson and the Majestics traveling 12-person gospel choir. It was apparent that Arnold had a bright future with her singing career.

Sure enough, when she was 11 years old, Arnold caught the attention of music producer Dallas Austin after she performed a cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘Greatest Love of All’ (1991). After listening to Arnold’s astounding vocal performance, Dallas offered her a deal with Rowdy Records, which she accepted. Not wasting any time, Arnold was brought into the studio to start the production process of her debut album, “Miss Thang.” Once the album was finally released, Arnold was bound to get famous (1995). “Miss Thang” sat at number 36 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and went to number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It sold many copies, earning her a triple-platinum certification by the R.I.A.A. With all these accolades, it was not a surprise that her debut album won her a Billboard Music Award. Arnold later switched her label to Arista Records, and her name gained more recognition in the mainstream audience. Her song ‘For You I Will’ was featured as a part of the movie “Space Jam” soundtrack (1996). Later on, she collaborated with Brandy on the hit R&B classic ‘The Boy Is Mine’ (1998). The song won them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Her album of the same name became her highest-selling one, earning her another triple-platinum certification by the R.I.A.A. Over the years, Arnold also appeared in several television shows, such as “Living Single” (1996) and “Beverly Hills: 90210” (1997, 1999). Arnold also starred in a film named “Love Song.” The film features her song ‘What My Heart Says,’ which was a part of the promotion of her next album, “All Eyez On Me” (2002). After her successful run, Arnold continued releasing well-performing albums, including “After the Storm” (2003), “The Makings of Me” (2006), “Still Standing” (2010), “New Life” (2012), and “Code Red” (2015).

Arnold’s relationships were once subjects of public interest. Her first known relationship was with her boyfriend, Jarvis Weems, which took a tragic turn. In 2000, as they were at the gravesite of Weems’s brother, Weems pulled out a gun and committed suicide. It was something that shook Arnold. She briefly dated rapper C-Murder, but later separated after he went to jail. Arnold then met rapper Rodney ‘Rocko’ Hill, with whom she had her first two children. The couple, however, separated in 2010. Arnold also got married to an N.B.A. player, Shannon Brown, with whom she had her third child. The couple filed for divorce in 2019.