R&B singer Monica took her “Goonica” name to a new level by channeling one of her ’90s sisters. In the new tradition of celebrities recreating other iconic celebrity moments for Halloween, Monica decided to pay homage to her fellow ATL native Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Long before Monica got a reputation for a hot head, Left Eye was the industry bad girl who famously burned her boyfriend’s house down. Monica’s choice to recreate Left Eye’s mug shot was not received well by everyone.
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Monica Brown benefitted from the same music boom from Atlanta in the early ’90s that also introduced the world to the likes of Usher, Babyface, Outkast, and more. While Monica was just a teen star getting her career off the ground, Left Eye was already a platinum-selling artist as 1/3 of TLC. Alongside Chilli and T-Boz, Left Eye became a household name and is known for her crazy energy and a wild personality.
Left Eye briefly dated Atlanta Falcon’s wide-receiver Andre Rinson around the release of her group’s second album CRAZYSEXYCOOL. Unfortunately, she and Andre had a very intense love affair, and Left Eye was not always the best at controlling her emotions. Rumors of abuse and fighting followed the couple for their first year together, with Rinson opening fire outside of a Kroger after men tried to break up a fight between him and Lisa.
Things would reach an all-time high in June of 1994. After a night of partying, the duo would get into a fight that resulted in Andre leaving. Upset, Lisa decided to put sneakers in the bathtub and set them on fire. She then went outside and smashed the windows of his car. The blaze upstairs got out of control and consumed the entire house. Lisa turned herself in on June 10th, 1994, and was released on $75,000 bond and ordered to go to rehab for drinking.
The mug shot from that arrest has since gone viral several times over the years. Left Eye would, unfortunately perish in a 2002 car accident while filming a documentary in Honduras. She and Andre had separated the year prior. Rinson’s son would eventually get busted for domestic abuse in 2018, repeating his father’s patterns.
Monica has a dark history as well when it comes to relationships. The “For You I Will” singer reportedly dated C Murder while she was underage. She also had a lover take his life in front of her. Monica has gained a reputation over the years as “Goonica,” a name fans coined after realizing that the very polish pop star is, in fact, very hood and always down to fight.
Maybe she related to Left Eye’s antics, as they do mirror similar things Monica did in her video for “So Gone.” As a result, she decided to cosplay as Left Eye in her mugshot. Not everyone thought it was tasteful, considering the story behind the image, and took to Twitter to tell Monica how they felt. “Monica ‘Should’ve Known Better’ than to dress as her mugshot after being abused by her then-boyfriend Andre Rison. Domestic Abuse isn’t a costume. This was in VERY poor taste!”
Do you think Monica’s costume choice was a bad idea?
