CrazySexyCool
Encyclopedia
CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B group TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...

, released by LaFace Records
LaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...

 on November 15, 1994 (see 1994 in music
1994 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

) in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. CrazySexyCool peaked at three on the Billboard 200 and at two on the Billboard Top R&B Albums Chart selling 127,000 copies in that week, spawned four top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, two of which were chart toppers, and won the group two Grammy Awards. It also became the group's biggest-selling album to date selling 15 million copies worldwide.

The album was certified diamond, making TLC the first (and to date only) female group in history to ever be awarded diamond status by the RIAA. In 2003, the album was ranked number 377 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...

.

Production and title

The group entered the recording studios in 1994 to start work on their then-untitled second album with producer Babyface, Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...

 and his protoges' Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob aka Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B pop production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today...

. They both contributed most to the album and moreover served as it's executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

, The group also received production help from producers including Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...

, Organized Noize
Organized Noize
Organized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.-History:Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go ", and Ludacris' "Saturday "...

, Arnold Hennings, and The Hitmen. Other contributors to the album include Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

  and André 3000
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...

 of OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...

. For the album TLC received production help from a number of A list R&B and Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

, and also Dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...

 and New jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...

 influences and with some ballads accompanied by producers including Babyface, Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...

, Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...

, Organized Noize
Organized Noize
Organized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.-History:Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go ", and Ludacris' "Saturday "...

, and The Hitmen.

TLC decided to tone down the boisterousness of their debut album in favor of a smoother, more mature presentation on their second album. They were more involved in crafting their own material. The album's sound was more of a blend of R&B/soul and hip hop music that became the commercial and critical high point of the group's career.
The title refers to the different attributes that make up the personalities of each group member, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes having more of the crazy side in her, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas representing the sexy element of the group, and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins being the cool member. The three words together create one word, "CrazySexyCool", which describes all girl's personalities.

Release and reception

While most professional reviewers liked the album's powered new jack and hip-hop beats, the album was praised for Left Eye's rap connections, smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent. The group's second album became a global success: It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and eventually received diamond
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 certifications by the RIAA selling over 11 million copies in the US . While the album managed to enter the Top Ten in the U.S., in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 it was a top ten success also and in the majority of the charts it appeared on. The album became one of the first R&B albums to achieve multiple chart hit singles, such as "Creep
Creep (TLC song)
"Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B group TLC from their second studio album CrazySexyCool, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records...

," "Waterfalls", "Red Light Special
Red Light Special
"Red Light Special" is TLC's second single from CrazySexyCool, their second album. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their fifth top-ten single. It also reached #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart...

", and Diggin' on You
Diggin' on You
"Diggin' on You" is TLC's fourth and final single from their second album, CrazySexyCool. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the group's seventh top 10 single. It also peaked at #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The music video is for "L.A.'s Live Remix" instead of the...

" all topped the "MTV Hitlist" during the nineties.

Awards and nominations

CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award
Grammy Awards of 1996
The 38th Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the night's big winner, scoring four trophies, including Album of the Year.-Award winners:...

 for Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...

. The group also won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...

 for "Creep
Creep (TLC song)
"Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B group TLC from their second studio album CrazySexyCool, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records...

" and was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....

 for "Waterfalls". Besides the Grammys CrazySexyCool received multiple wins and nominations for several Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...

 and Soul Train Awards. In 1995, the video for their single "Waterfalls" won 4 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

, including Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...

 and the Viewer's Choice Award.

In 2003 CrazySexyCool was listed as one of Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...

 at number 377.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

said that "Things were not well with TLC during the making of CrazySexyCool: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was lighting fires, and the group was in a financial slide that would end in bankruptcy proceedings. But they emerged with the most effervescent and soulful R&B pop anyone had seen since the Supremes."

In 2010
CrazySexyCool was listed as one of Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s at number 43. The commentary along with the album said: "Left Eye, Chilli and T-Boz looked like a one-shot when they first emerged from the nascent Atlanta with 1992's Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg. But CrazySexyCool was a real shocker, packed bumper to bumper with great songs, sassy vocals and voluptuous beats for burning down the house. "Creep" celebrates the kicks of illicit lust on the down low, "Waterfalls" digs deep into Memphis soul and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" does Prince better than The Artist has all decade. The showstopper: "Red Light Special," an impossibly steamy make-out ballad that undresses and caresses everyone with ears to hear it. CrazySexyCool established TLC as pop pros who could do it all, combining the body slam of hip-hop and the giddy uplift of a jump-rope rhyme without breaking a nail."

Singles

"Creep
Creep (TLC song)
"Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B group TLC from their second studio album CrazySexyCool, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records...

" topped the U.S. Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 for four weeks, which made it one of the biggest singles of the 1990s and third most successful Hot 100 Single of 1995, according to Billboard's Year End Charts. It sold over a million copies in the U.S., reaching number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The second single, "Red Light Special
Red Light Special
"Red Light Special" is TLC's second single from CrazySexyCool, their second album. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their fifth top-ten single. It also reached #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart...

" became another top ten hit on the U.S. Bilboard Hot 100, that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Outside the States, "Red Light Special" reached the top 10 in Canada and the United Kingdom and among others. "Waterfalls" was the third single that peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It became the second most successful Hot 100 Single of 1995, according to Billboard's Year End Charts. Follow-up single "Diggin' on You
Diggin' on You
"Diggin' on You" is TLC's fourth and final single from their second album, CrazySexyCool. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the group's seventh top 10 single. It also peaked at #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The music video is for "L.A.'s Live Remix" instead of the...

" was released as the album's fourth and final single the same year with reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

  1. "Intro-Lude" (featuring Phife Dawg
    Phife Dawg
    Malik Isaac Taylor , better known by his stage name Phife Dawg, is an American rapper of Trinidadian descent, and a member of the acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest with high school classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad...

    ) – 1:01 (Jermaine Dupri)
  2. "Creep
    Creep (TLC song)
    "Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B group TLC from their second studio album CrazySexyCool, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records...

    " – 4:28 (Dallas Austin)
  3. "Kick Your Game" – 4:14 (Dupri, Lopes, Seal)
  4. "Diggin' on You
    Diggin' on You
    "Diggin' on You" is TLC's fourth and final single from their second album, CrazySexyCool. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the group's seventh top 10 single. It also peaked at #7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The music video is for "L.A.'s Live Remix" instead of the...

    " – 4:14 (Babyface)
  5. "Case of the Fake People" – 4:04 (Dallas Austin)
  6. "Crazy Sexy Cool - Interlude" – 1:42 (Combs, Thompson, Watkins)
  7. "Red Light Special
    Red Light Special
    "Red Light Special" is TLC's second single from CrazySexyCool, their second album. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their fifth top-ten single. It also reached #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart...

    " – 5:04 (Babyface)
  8. "Waterfalls" – 4:39 (Lopes, Ethridge, Organized Noize)
  9. "Intermission-Lude" – 0:43 (Dupri)
  10. "Let's Do It Again" – 4:16 (Babyface, Jon John)
  11. "If I Was Your Girlfriend
    If I Was Your Girlfriend
    "If I Was Your Girlfriend" was the second single off Prince's widely-acclaimed 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times. While it is today considered one of his most notable songs, at the time of its release the song did not chart well in the U.S....

    " (Prince
    Prince (musician)
    Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

    )
    – 4:36
  12. "Sexy - Interlude" (featuring Puff Daddy) – 1:34 (Combs, Thomas)
  13. "Take Our Time" – 4:33 (Hennings, Killings)
  14. "Can I Get a Witness - Interlude" (featuring Busta Rhymes
    Busta Rhymes
    Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

    ) – 2:57 (Combs, Rhymes, Thomas)
  15. "Switch" – 3:30 (Dupri, Lopes, Seal)
  16. "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" (featuring André 3000
    André 3000
    André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...

    ) – 4:23 (Benjamin, Lopes, Ethridge, Organized Noize)

Charts and certifications

  • These are the peak positions and certifications from chart providers.

Chart (1994) Provider Peak
position
Certification
Canadian Albums Chart CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...

/Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

8× Platinum
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

4 Platinum
U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

3 11× Platinum
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

2

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999) Position
U.S. Billboard 200 25

Personnel

  • L.A. Reid – producer
  • Rico Lumpkins – engineer
  • Leslie Brathwaite – engineer
  • Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins – vocals
  • Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas – vocals
  • Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – vocals
  • Debra Killings
    Debra Killings
    Debra Killings is an American singer and bass guitarist; notable for an extensive session and background vocal work for LaFace Records & Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC, Monica and OutKast....

     – background vocals
  • Dave Way – mixing

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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