Monica on groupies: I don't handle anything, my husband shuts them down on sight

In an interview with theGrio, Monica talks about her new album 'Code Red,' and opens up about her marriage to NBA baller Shannon Brown..

Chris Witherspoon

Dec 22, 2015

If you haven’t heard Monica latest album, “Code Red,” do yourself a favor and check it out.

The Grammy-winning singer’s eighth studio album dropped last week and has a received a majority of positive reviews from critics.

Monica just wrapped up a sold-out 22-city tour promoting Code Red, which she says embodies her love for true R&B music, an art form that she’s basically been slaying for two decades.

The songstress made headlines during a tour stop in North Carolina last month, when the singer paused in the middle of the audience singing “As We Lay” to open up about her take on groupies.

“If you steal some moments with what belongs to me?” she said. “It’s going to be a Code Red situation. Let me explain why,” she continued. “I am still the very one that will kick down the door,” she said, at which point the audience burst into cheering.

In an interview with theGrio, Monica set the record straight regarding her comments on stage in North Carolina that later went viral.

“People totally took that portion of the show out of context. They politely chopped off how we got to that, and it’s a part that is meant to be comical,” she said. “Never would I reference anything from my marriage for entertainment purposes. Nothing like that has ever happened in my marriage.”

“Once upon a time, that’s how I responded to things. That’s how ‘So Gone’ was created,” she continued. “‘So Gone’ is old; I didn’t even have children when I created that record.”

Monica wed NBA baller Shannon Brown in a secret ceremony in 2010. The couple have one child together, Laiyah Brown (2). Monica is also mom to sons Rocko (10) and Romelo (7) with her ex-fiance, rapper Rodney “Rocko” Hill.

“As far as groupies go… what I love about my husband is I never have to handle anything; he does it. He shuts whatever down on sight,” Monica said. “It makes it easy for me to remain who I am and to just be focused on being his wife. I don’t really think about groupies much, because I grew up in an industry that was full of that.”

Monica later shared her most memorable moment with Whitney Houston, who the singer has often cited as one of her greatest musical influences.

“When I was eighteen, I went through a lot. I lost three people back to back that were very close to me. In the most tragic of situations,” Monica recalled. “I was over at my cousin’s house, and I start noticing everyone was going outside…. I was sitting by the window, sad, getting ready for a funeral. Next thing I see, it’s like four black trucks. It was like the president had come to the hood. And I see [Whitney] swing out, ‘Show me where Monica is. I know you know, I know you know!’ It was Nippy and Bobby Brown.”

“She was like, ‘I had to come find you.’ [Whitney] stayed with me several days. They cooked with me, spent time with me every day, and that’s how we became as close as we are. I don’t really talk about it a lot, but that’s how we became as close as we are… or we were.”