Monica - Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)

What this video is

Released in early 1995 as Monica's debut single at age 14, this video represents a pivotal moment in mid-decade teen R&B, positioning a young Black female artist with precocious vocal confidence within an urban realist visual framework. Produced by Dallas Austin for Rowdy/Arista Records and shot in New York City, the video's color-and-black-and-white duality visualizes the song's emotional thesis — the legitimacy…

Why it matters

A defining document of mid-90s New Jack Swing transitioning into smooth urban R&B. The Dallas Austin production, sampling LL Cool J's 'Back Seat (Of My Jeep)', exemplifies the genre's layered hip-hop/R&B hybridity. Monica's debut established a template for subsequent teen R&B acts and prefigured…

The director

Philadelphia-born director; graduated Temple University 1983 with a B.A. in Communications. Member of the Directors Guild of America since 1987. Directed 100+ music videos over a 20-year career for artists including Kris Kross, Spin Doctors, Fugees, Arrested…