Tlc

TLC, three-woman vocal group that encapsulated the gestalt of turn of the millennium R&B. Membership: Tionne Teñese “T-Boz” Watkins, voc. (b. Des Moines, Iowa, April 26, 1970); Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, rapper (b. Philadelphia, Pa., May 27, 1971); Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas, voc. (b. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 27, 1971).

With a unique fusion of funk, rap, and new jack swing, along with a liberated sexiness, TLC became one of the most successful and acclaimed groups of the 1990s and into the new millennium. With four Grammy Awards over the course of two albums, they have the respect of their fans, pop radio, and their peers. They have surpassed The Supremes in terms of sales, and are the most successful female group of all time.

Initially recording artist Peri “Pebbles” Reid managed and mentored the group, signing them to her husband’s (LA Reid’s) label, LaFace. Their first single, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” with its combination of rap, chant, and harmonies over an interesting blend of hip-hop beats and samples rose to #5 and went platinum in 1992. With a more Minneapolis funk, balladic sound “Baby, Baby, Baby” topped the R&B charts, spent six weeks at #2 on the pop charts, and went platinum. The funkier “What About Your Friends” rose to #7 and gold, while “Hat 2 Da Back” topped out at #30. The debut album, Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip got to #14 and eventually sold quadruple platinum. The group didn’t hurt sales with some of their more outrageous behavior, like dressing in condoms to advocate safe sex.

Many of their songs deal with lovers gone bad. The group’s rapper, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, practiced what she preached when she was arrested for destroying the cars and setting fire to the home of her boyfriend, professional football player Andre Rison. That stunt landed her in rehab, although she got a suspended sentence from the courts.

While their debut was huge, it was nothing compared to their 1994 release Crazy Sexy Cool. A more cohesive, more mature effort, it was launched with the single “Creep,” a mid-tempo tune with a signature trumpet sample, lots of scratching and ensemble singing, but not much in the way of actual rapping. The single topped the R&B charts for nine weeks, the pop charts for four, and went platinum. The bluesy, overtly sexy “Red Light Special” spent three weeks at #2 and went gold. Another slow jam full of lots of jazzy samples and a steaming rap, “Waterfalls” topped the pop charts for seven weeks, going platinum. Yet another slow jam, “Diggin’ on You,” rose to #5 and went gold. They also did the theme songs for the Nickelodeon show All That and contributed a song to the Poetic Justice soundtrack.

However, in the midst of all this success, the group declared bankruptcy. Lopes little stunt made her liable for the damages on Rison’s house, and she owed the insurance company well over a million dollars. They were also squeezed by the estrangement between the head of their record company, LA Reid, and his wife, their manager. As the separation between the Reids became more nasty, TLC found themselves caught in the middle of a dispute, with Peri Reid claiming the band owed her half a million dollars. The group was able to settle all these claims when they won the Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy for “Creep” and the Best R&B album award for the CrazySexyCool album in 1995. With this added impetus, the album achieved diamond (10 million sales) status, and suddenly TLC found it much easier to live up to their financial obligations.

They got back together and cut the even slicker, more honest, and maturer Fanmail, released in 1998. Led off by a single guaranteed to grab their fans, “No Scrubs” topped the charts, going gold. A masterpiece of pop, and a breakaway from the group’s sassy confidence, the startlingly honest “Unpretty” followed into the top slot and gold. At the 1999 Grammys, “No Scrubs” won Best R&B duo or group with Vocal and Best R&B Song, and the album took Best R&B Album honors. Fanmail topped the album charts for four weeks, and by the beginning of 2000, had gone quintuple platinum.

Like most great groups, however, there was a certain amount of tension within the group. Lopes gave interviews when the album was released stating her unhappiness with the group and its music. Nonetheless, she participated in the tour to support the album. At the beginning of 2000, Lopes challenged the other members of the band to a solo album competition, with the winner—the record that charted highest—taking $1.5 million! Rumors of the group’s break-up continue to circulate.

Discography

Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip (1992); CrazySexyCool (1994); Fanmail (1999).

—Hank Bordowitz