Brandy’s road to the top didn’t have its fair share of bumps along the way. In Part Two, we learn about her sticking together with brother Ray J when the media gets brutal, her planning for her ’30s and her rap career that never was, and a “Boy Is Mine” Part Two? AllHipHop.com Alternatives: So what would you say you’re looking forward to the most in your ‘30s coming up?Brandy: They say ‘30s are the new ‘20s, huh.AHHA: Yeah, amen.Brandy: I’m so glad Jay-Z said that ‘cause where would we be in our ‘30s?  AHHA: What are you looking forward to in your ‘30s that you might not have been looking forward to in your ‘20s?Brandy: I’m still trying to get to the place where I am looking forward to my ‘30s. As much as I’ve heard about how great the ‘30s are and how it’s this great life and you’re just gonna have fun, you’re a lot wiser and you’re just gonna do your thing, I am still trying to get to the place, okay, lady in about five-six months you are about to be 30. You are never gonna be in your ‘20s again. I am holding on to this 29 as much as possible. I am still trying to get to this place for sure. I’m happy to be alive for sure. AHHA: Your brother Ray J went through a period of time where he was “Brandy’s brother” and now he really came into his own. How does that make you feel?Brandy: I am so thankful for that because honestly just to see him go through that, I wasn’t able to enjoy everything that I had accomplished because I didn’t feel like I could share that with him because that’s what everybody said – that he was in my shadow and he’s just Brandy’s brother. You know, I‘ve always seen him not just my brother, he’s a talent, he’s an artist; he’s an incredible artist at that. He’s an individual, and I’m just so thankful that he was able to pull through that and now is doing his thing and people have come up to me and said, “Yo that’s Ray J’s sister” and I’ll be like I love that, I love that. I love that we can both do our thing without people just saying that he’s Brandy’s brother or that’s Ray J’s sister or whatever it is. It’s just we’re able to do our own thing, and that’s dope because I can enjoy what I’m doing and he can enjoy what he does in peace and that’s a beautiful thing.AHHA: When the media gets stupid, do you guys pull together? Brandy: Absolutely. Me and Ray have stuck together through it all – through all the media negativity we have been there for each other and that’s what family’s all about, and I know I have a friend in him. He’s my best friend and he’s one of my favorite favorite people in the whole world. And I’m just so thankful he’s my brother. I couldn’t have asked God for a better brother; he’s dope. When I have a weak moment I’m calling Ray J for sure, mom’s first, then Ray.  AHHA: How did it make you feel to see Shar Jackson as a rapper now.Brandy: She is?AHHA: Shar J.Brandy: Shar’s a rapper. Are you serious?AHHA: Yeah, did you see her, she won Celebrity Rap Superstar. She’s got a single out called “Let It Blow.”Brandy: Are you serious? Oh my God, I didn’t know that. I did not know that.AHHA: She went toe to toe with Countess Vaughn rhyming on the show.Brandy: Countess is rapping too?AHHA: Yeah Countess rapped too, it was on the show. Brandy: Okay, well now I feel comfortable with letting AllHipHop.com know my secret.AHHA: You rap on your album?    Brandy: I didn’t rap on the album, but I’m never gonna say it anywhere else. I’m saying it to you guys and you guys can tell everybody you know. I can rap too. I feel so comfortable saying that if my girl is rhyming, if Shar is rapping, Countess is rapping, Brandy’s rapping. I’m like this is it.Let me tell you how I discovered it; it’s such a cute story. I was in the car and I was just outside had the music blasting, my cousin got me all of these beats from a kid in Mississippi where I’m from. They didn’t have any music on them, like no lyrics or nothing. It was just a beat; it was a track. And you know I’ve been rapping with Eminem and 50 and Jay and Kanye for a long time. I can spit all of their lyrics, Lil Wayne too. And I’ve always wanted to rap, and all of a sudden in the car I’m starting to flow off the top of my head, I’m like no wait a minute am I flowing with no paper, no pen, no nothing? I’m on some Jay-Z ish, I’m like this is crazy, right.So I go in the house and I’m like, “Oh my god, Ryan!” Ryan’s my cousin, and I’m like, “Ryan I think I can rap, G. I think I can go.” So I spit it for him, he was like, “Oh my God B you might be onto something, you might be onto something. This is actually good this is actually good.” I called Ray, he was like, “B, I’ma take you to the studio.” So Ray took me to the studio and I did a song and everything. I did, but what happened was is that I think it was so dope and I’m only saying this because I don’t think I’m gonna have a rap career, but I think it was so dope none of my people believed it was me. They thought that I took it from someone else; they never believed I wrote it. They said, “B no one would ever believe you wrote it, no one would ever believe that that was you. Forget about it, get back to singing.” That’s what they told me, so now when I go back to try to flow at the top of my head, it doesn’t come to me anymore because I let them get into my head. AHHA: How’d you let them shut you down?Brandy: They shut me down, and it’s just I think if I really tried again it would happen, but I’ve tried a couple of times and it just didn’t happen.AHHA: So the one that you did do in the studio was good?Brandy: I have like ten songs.AHHA: You should release one of them.Brandy: Nah, I’m too scared that people won’t believe it’s me. It was so dope to me, like it was so good to me. I really felt confident in my rap career. I really thought that I was gonna come back as Young B, as Young Bran. I thought I was gonna come back, but you know my family they said that the fans would be very disappointed. My mom and everybody was like the fans would be very disappointed if you started rapping and no one would believe you. Let’s have a moment of silence for my rap career. [pauses] I have it if you want to hear it, we can set up a leak situation.AHHA: You should. Brandy: I actually did a song called “Vibrant Thing.” Obviously it was a remake of Q-Tip’ “Vivrant Thing” and I played it for Lil’ Kim and she wanted to get on the song with me.AHHA: What? Brandy: I was like you should just do the song. So Lil’ Kim wanted to get on the song with me, I was like no Lil’ Kim you should do it by yourself you can just cut me 50 percent, it’s all good. You get on it, you do it, she’s like, “No I wanna do it with you and that right there made me feel so confident in my rap career.”AHHA: And then what happened?Brandy: I don’t know happened, but I got the whole vibrant thing down.AHHA: Well in the video for the “I Wanna Be Down” remix, you were doing the Hip-Hop bob and weave through the whole song, so it was probably always in you.Brandy: It probably was, but now I don’t know where it is because I got discouraged because everybody said no one will believe you. I was like no that’s because y’all think it’s too good, it’s too good. That’s my way of feeling better.AHHA: Do you have any plans to work with other artists? Your collaboration with Esthero is so perfect that you wouldn’t of thought about it you know?Brandy: Absolutely, I would love to work with a lot of different artists. A dream come true would be to do a duet with Sade and also back to the rapping, I would love to do a rap with Lil Wayne. It’ll probably never happen, but I would love to do that on a mixtape or something I just wanna see if I can just flow with them guys man.AHHA: Lil Wayne jumps on things, that could happen.Brandy: I wanted Ray to send him some of mine, because Ray is a good friend of Lil Wayne. I wanted him to send him some of my rap music. Never did.AHHA: Carter IV, Brandy. So the wrap up question: ten years ago you and Monica went toe to toe for “The Boy is Mine.” Ten years later who won?Brandy: Ten years later who won the boy? I think we both stopped liking the boy. I think we just don’t like the boy no more. I actually reached out to Monica awhile back and I said, “Monica we should get back together and do another song, we should do like ‘The Boy is Mine 2.’ she said, “Girl I ain’t about to be fighting over no boy, I’m too grown for that.” So I got a kick out of that. I really wanna work with her again, I’m so glad she’s coming back out so maybe we can tour or something together.AHHA: Was there a real life rivalry between you two?Brandy: A real life rivalry…I think that our camps tried to make us dislike each other and I never had anything against Monica, and I was so happy that she was a part of “The Boy is Mine.” It wouldn’t of been as big as it was without her. I think you know how camps are, they try to make us compete, and the industry tried to make me, Monica and Aaliyah compete and we were all doing our thing, and we were all successful at what we were doing.Honestly, that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do the duet with her – to cut down the rivalry, but at the same time we were fighting over a boy [in the song], so I just fed into [it] even more but no that’s my girl. I’m just mad that when I call her she don’t call me back. I pick up the phone, but she’s a momma with two beautiful babies, so I understand. But call me back Mo. Call me back.AHHA: It’s hard to believe that there are some young people who might’ve never heard the music of Brandy. How do you plan to reach them?Brandy: I think for the new fans the music will sell itself, you know what I’m saying? You know seeing me on the television and really connecting with me, that’s what’s gonna get them to connect with me. It’s interesting – I went to Fashion Week here in New York, and it was these young kids they just gathered around me as if they’d been following my music forever. They were blowing me kisses and kissing me on the cheek and all sorts of things, so I feel like my presence is definitely a sweet presence. I think that people will embrace me just because I’m gonna embrace them and I‘m somebody you can reach out and touch. I’m a big sister, a friend, a godmom, whatever and I think that’s what’s gonna connect the new fans to me, and I look forward to meeting them. I look forward to seeing them at my concerts. But at the end of the day, I’m destined to be here. I’m here on purpose, and I have to take care of my responsibility and that’s giving music to the world and showing people that I’m a living example to be whatever you want to be through it all no matter what. You’re only a failure if you stay down.Check out Part One if you missed it.

We’ve watched Brandy Norwood grow up right before our eyes. From her early days of wanting to be down to claiming the boy was hers over a full moon, Brandy has been that friend you saw on the regular. Even as Moesha, Brandy was always a relatable individual who never seemed to compromise her values for the sake of the camera. After a rather tumultuous brush with the media over an accident that wasn’t even her fault, Brandy slid away to focus on her life outside of the spotlight. She’s now come full circle – a mom in her late ‘20s ready to return with a brand new album titled Human. In speaking with Brandy, that’s exactly who she is – a human being, mother, daughter, and forever the girl next door. Her new album delivers an evolved sound and a reunion with Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. In this two-part vibe session with Brandy, we learn about her family life, her potential rap career, and keeping her head above water, always with a smile. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: So, in coming back out after a brief hiatus…Brandy: Not a brief hiatus; this is long. I appreciate you trying to show me some love. [laughs]AHHA: [laughs] What was it about the industry that you missed more: the singing or the acting?Brandy: I think it was both for me. Singing is of course my first love, and that’s how I release a lot of different things that I go through in my own personal life – singing about them and sharing them with people. So of course I wanted to sing again. Back in the day when I first released my first CD, Moesha came after that, so I kind of wanted to stick to that pattern of coming back out and you know giving the fans the music. Definitely something they deserve and get back into acting later, so I’m definitely back for the long haul for sure.AHHA: Your new single is really an uplifting song, as it’s still the R&B format that people can listen to and get a message out of. What made you decide to come out with that as your first single?Brandy: Well, “Right Here (Departed)” was a song that I could relate to because I’ve been blessed to have so many great people in my life and some new people are in my life that I can depend on and be there for and they’re there for me. When I first heard the song I was like, “Oh my God this is a beautiful song.” It was the first song that Rodney [Jerkins] played me, and it was the first song that reunited us back together. So also I felt like it was a song that everybody could relate to because everybody needs somebody and everybody likes to feel like that they have somebody that’s by their side and that’s gonna stick by them no matter what. It’s so interesting because “I Wanna Be Down” was my first single ever, so that’s kinda like I wanna be down with the person I love too. It’s kinda like a comparison to that, but I love the song and I’m so glad they chose me to do it.AHHA: So, you’re saying you wanna be down with the person you love, so there’s someone?Brandy: No, it’s kinda interesting how “Right Here (Departed)” is a song that means I’m down with the people that I love be it, mom, dad, friend, sister, brother, whatever it is, daughter – of course my daughter. That’s pretty much it but I don’t have a significant other. I was gonna ask you if you had some friends if you knew someone who was single. [laughs] But no, I don’t have a significant other, no.AHHA: You titled the album, Human. Do you feel that being “Brandy” sometimes the media and the whole industry almost dehumanizes you?Brandy: Absolutely. I think that being in the public eye people forget that at the end of the day, the same emotions that regular people go through don’t feel any different to us. Actually it’s a little bit harder because we go through a lot of the things in the public eye and it leaves room for people to judge and be very opinionated on what your life is supposed to be and what they think you should have done and what you should do. So yes, the media does tend to make celebrities superhuman, like we don’t go through those things that everyone else goes through and that’s not true. That’s one of the reasons I named my album Human, because at the end of the day, that’s what I am. I just sing and you may see me on TV, but at the end of the day I’m just like you, I’m just like the next person. AHHA: Do you feel that’s a bit different though because you’ve been in the industry for so long, how old were you when you came in?Brandy: I was about 15.AHHA: Fifteen, so you almost grew up with everybody watching you and whatnot. How was it growing up like that and having certain expectations? I know around the time where you had your daughter and everything, the spotlight was on you and people were looking at you like they expected a certain thing from you. How was it going through that and kind of having step to the back a little bit to be human and do the human aspects of your life?Brandy: Well to address the first question, I was trying to cope with growing up in the industry and taking on responsibilities that adults took on. Like I was working all the time – you know hours and hours and hours of work. I was making money and trying to make decisions for myself, but all at the same time there was this image being created for me where you know the whole good girl. So it’s sorta like it didn’t give me room to make mistakes or people to understand because this entire image was created for me. That got tough you know ‘cause when you make mistakes, you’re judged so tough on that and I just had to just develop that tough skin and understand that I am living my dreams; I am doing what I love to do. I’ve always wanted to be a star and this is what I chose, so I have to accept the responsibilities.But being young, it’s hard and I went through my own personal quiet time when I wouldn’t talk to anybody about it. I just went through it on my own, but I do have family and friends to support me. My mom has always been there for me, I could go to her when I needed to and she would help me out and help me through certain things, but you know at the end of the day I was doing what I loved to do.And my daughter of course you know, having her and doing a TV show around my life and birthing and giving life to a baby…you’re out there and people see you and they may have things to say positive or negative, but at the end of the day it’s in the public eye and sometimes that can be hard of course. It’s still a beautiful thing you know what I mean? AHHA: When you were growing up in the industry and you had an upbringing that was kind of strict. Do you feel that you were spared from a lot of the things that some of these teenage stars are going through now because of that upbringing?Brandy: Well I definitely can say that I have great parents who kept me aware of how great God is and how blessed I am to be where I wanna be and to do what I love to do. I do think just having honest parents and parents who also give you an open mind and give you a say in what you wanna do – it wasn’t so strict where I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, but I had to do it in the means of rules and I do think it helped me stay on track. There are things that I’ve done that I’m not proud of and my parents aren’t proud of, but we all have those things. I think when you set a solid foundation, you’ll come back to that and you’ll realize that’s who you are and you’ll move through whatever you’re going through. AHHA: So with this album, are you considering it a comeback album?Brandy: Everybody is saying that it’s a comeback album because I’ve been gone for so long and I don’t mind that statement at all. I definitely feel like this is an album where I’m reintroducing myself to the world, to my fans that have been with me for such a long time and fans that don’t even know that they’re fans yet, and I’m proud of this album. I’m proud to be back to what I love to do, and I just hope everybody embraces this album and really get a chance to know who I am and who they are through this music.AHHA: Are you doing experimenting with different sounds?Brandy: Well my sound has definitely evolved. I can’t recreate Never Say Never, I can’t recreate Full Moon; those are albums that are set in stone. The first album Brandy and Aphrodisiac, those albums were the albums that they were and now this one has evolved to another sound. Of course it’s a little bit of those elements, but this sound is pop, it’s urban, it’s country, it’s so many different things. I feel like everybody is gonna feel it because it touches on every type of music and I’m so proud of it because Rodney and I were able to get back together and have that chemistry that we’ve always had and really just give our all. What I love about the songs are that they’re message-driven, every song is about something that everybody has gone through and at the end of the day you ‘gon be okay, whatever it is. That’s why I picked the first single because it was just so inspirational and every song on this album is an inspiration. AHHA: The sound has evolved period in R&B. You don’t get the sound that you used to back in the day or a lot of ballads; everything is more pop now. You said your new album is a little bit more pop than what we might be used to. Do you think that’s what they wanna hear, what do you think the market is looking for?Brandy: I think they just want the same type of music that they’ve been hearing. It’s up to the artist to change the music and to give them something different. That’s why I’m here as well, because my album is pop, it is urban, it is all the things that I named. At the same time, it’s not the same type of pop that is on the radio today; it’s not that at all. And like I said, it’s inspirational, I’m here for a message. I can’t fool around with this surface music, I have to really have something to say and have something to give because that’s what people deserve. AHHA: Do you see yourself in some of the newer artists? When asking you who you grew up on, the artists are completely different from someone like Rihanna. Like who’d Rihanna grow up on, she grew up on Brandy. Brandy: Absolutely, I definitely see my influence in a lot of the artists that are out today and it’s so flattering and it’s so beautiful to hear a lot of my background vocals, and a lot of my lines. But it’s just I’m just very proud to be a part of this game again, this industry full of great artists. Like a lot of the people you named I like a lot. I love Rihanna I think her voice is so special and unique. I appreciate every artist that’s out there right now, I do.AHHA: Do you think there was a time when you had a hard time reaching people?Brandy: No, I don’t think that; I think that I wasn’t inspired. I didn’t feel like I had anything to give. I was very very caught up into my personal life and I’ve been doing this for so long. I never really had time to just concentrate on me, and one of things that I’ve come across was a quote. I can’t quote it verbatim, but the end of the day if you don’t have your character in place, if your character isn’t solid you’re not gonna remain successful, your foundation is not gonna be solid. So I had to build that back up; I had to build my character. I had to figure out who I really am as a person and what my purpose is on this planet and how can I be an example for my child. That’s what I was trying to figure out in the four years that I’ve been gone and I’ve gone through hell and back to figure that out, but I think I got it now.AHHA: Has being a mommy changed your approach to music?Brandy: Being a mommy has just changed my life period. Just like being an example for a little person that’s really looking to you to guide her every step of the way. That has completely changed my life. My responsibilities are a lot different, but I can say that everything that I’m doing now is for her to be proud of me and for her to see that she can do anything that she wants to do especially if somebody as close to me is doing it. That’s what I’m here to show her, is that you can do anything you wanna do and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t. No matter what you do, no matter what people say you can do everything that you wanna do and that’s what I’m showing her.AHHA: That’s really nice. Your mom and your family were instrumental in the business side of your career.Brandy: Still is, yes. AHHA: What are the pros and cons of having your family manage your career?Brandy: Well, the pros and cons are sometimes you don’t know how to separate the two. You know it’s very hard for me to tell my mom that I thought she made a mistake or “mom that wasn’t a good decision.” That’s very hard for me to do, but you know that’s all it is just switching the hats – just being a daughter and being an artist and then her being a mom and a manager that’s very tough. You know I don’t know, but somehow we have managed to make it work and it is great to have her by my side. I trust her and I know that she’s always gonna keep it real with me and tell me the truth at all times and that’s the pro right there. Like I can deal with the rest, you can make as many mistakes as you want to; I can make as many mistakes. As long as we have an honest relationship, and that’s what we’ve always had. I’m so appreciative to have her and I’m glad to work with her now that I’m an adult. When I younger it was different; I wasn’t able to make decisions, and she just made them all based on the guidance that she was given from a higher power just making the right decisions for me. And now I’m able to help her help me, so it’s a good thing; it’s a beautiful thing.Check back tomorrow for Part Two with Brandy where she talks about her name in the media, Ray J, and Brandy rapping!