Brandy Norwood may have just recently released her highly anticipated memoir “Phases,” but it’s already all people want to talk about. And specifically, it’s her past relationship with Boyz II Men member Wanya Morris that’s definitely sparking some serious discourse.
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As we previously told you, the “Angel in Disguise” singer detailed meeting Morris when she was 15 and subsequently getting into a relationship with him when she was 16. The problem with their romantic connection, however, lies within the age gap: Morris was 22 at the time they began dating. As Norwood detailed in her book, the both of them were very aware that what they were engaging in was problematic, describing how the “On Bended Knee” singer would often remark how his “girlfriend is 16.”
There’s also could be a perceived power dynamic at play when you realize that Norwood looked up to Morris as a mentor and he, himself previously said that he was intentional about taking her under his wing. He even described her as his “protegé” at one point.
So it’s no wonder why fans are having a negative reaction to a newly-resurfaced clip from an interview Boyz II Men did on “The Breakfast Club” in 2016. In the video, Morris discussed his past relationship with Brandy and attempted to clarify how they became an item. When cohost Charlamagne tha God mentioned that the “Sittin’ Up In My Room” singer was young when they got involved, Morris tried to lowkey minimize it before making a truly off-putting statement.
“I was young too…We did the thing when she was like 16, 17, around that time. I wasn’t too—I wasn’t old or 30-years-old or nothing like that. I was old enough to—she was old enough to get it,” Morris said.
However, Charlamagne didn’t stop there and asked a followup question regarding whether or not what they did was legal in the state they were in.
“I mean we was always in different states, we were on tour. You know what I’m saying? We didn’t do it in the states it was illegal in. Nah, nah, nah. It was a time, it was a relationship that grew and [then] it un-grew,” Morris concluded.
Oof. Yikes. That doesn’t exactly hit the way it should have. “She was old enough to get it?” That’s a crass comment if we ever heard one. And that would rightly explain why so many folks online are now calling him out for words and how he talked about the situation.
“‘She was old enough to get it’ ‘We did it in states where it wasn’t illegal’ THE F*CK???I’m sorry but….[what?]” said one user on X/Twitter.
“He was in his early/mid 20s. She was 15,16 years old. And they all laughing. This why a pedo is our president. And r. Kelly was doing what he was doing,” said another.
“Creepy then, creepier now. Standards shift, morals shouldn’t,” one other user wrote.
Added another: “‘I was young too. I wasn’t like 38’ but he was 22 to her 16. A 22 year old could easily be a college graduate at their first job, while a 16 year old hasn’t even had Prom yet.”
One other person said, “Victim blaming brandy a minor over waterhead wanya is nasty work.”
The Root has reached out to Morris for comment on Norwood’s book and revelation, but so far there’s been no word back.
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