TLC (band)
Encyclopedia
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 with the law, each other, and the group's record label.
Initially, TLC achieved commercial success following the release of its debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, which sold four million copies worldwide. The group's second studio album, CrazySexyCool
, went on to be certified diamond by the RIAA, and eventually sold 22 million copies worldwide. TLC released four multiplatinum studio albums before going on hiatus due to the death of Lopes in Honduras
in 2002.
Billboard
magazine ranked the group as one of the greatest musical trio
s. Between 1992 and 2003 the band accumulated ten top ten singles, four number one singles, four multiplatinum albums, and four Grammy Awards. At the end of 1999, the band was ranked as the seventh most successful act of the 1990s by Billboard. In 2008, the group was inducted into the All Time Hot 100 Artist Hall of Fame by the same magazine, at 56th place. That year it was also listed as the #25 R&B/hip-hop artist of the preceding 25 years.
, teenager Crystal Jones put out a call for two more girls to join her in a trio to be called 2nd Nature. Her request was eventually answered by Tionne Watkins
, a native of Des Moines, Iowa
, who moved to Atlanta with her family at an early age, and Lisa Lopes
, a rapper who had just moved to the city from her native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, with only a keyboard
and US$750 ($ today).
The group eventually managed to arrange an audition with R&B singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, who had started her own management and production company, Pebbitone. Impressed by the girls, Reid renamed the group "TLC" (an amalgation of the first letters of each of their names) and arranged an audition for them with local record label
LaFace Records
, run by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Reid's then-husband, Antonio "L.A." Reid. The latter Reid saw potential in Watkins and Lopes but felt that Jones should be replaced; within a few days, part-time Damian Dame
backup dancer Rozonda Thomas was brought in to replace Jones. Thomas was christened with the nickname "Chilli" so as to keep the TLC name, while Watkins became "T-Boz" and Lopes was named "Left Eye". The girls were signed to LaFace through a production deal with Pebbitone (with Perri Reid taking the role of the group's manager) (see artist development deal
) and almost immediately went into the studio with producers Reid and Edmonds, Dallas Austin
, Jermaine Dupri
, and Marley Marl
to produce their first album.
" sound popularized by producer Teddy Riley
in the late 1980s (and TLC's sound was sometimes cited as an example of the "new jill swing" genre). The album was a critical and commercial success, being certified quadruple-platinum within a year and launching a number of US Hot 100 top-ten singles with "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
", "What About Your Friends
", and "Baby-Baby-Baby
" which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.
TLC's lyrics, chiefly written by Lopes and Dallas Austin, were playful, female-empowering anthems characterized by Lopes's quirky, nasal-toned raps, Watkins's low-voiced lead vocals, and Thomas's powerful vocals and harmonization. The musical formula was augmented by the girls' brightly colored videos and curious costuming: each girl wore wrapped condoms on their clothing (Lopes also wore one over her left eye in a pair of glasses).
During TLC's first national tour, as MC Hammer
's opening act, Lopes and Thomas discovered that Watkins had sickle-cell disease
, an ailment which she kept a closely guarded secret until she became ill while TLC was touring the Southwest US
. Watkins continued to battle her condition and eventually became a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in the late 1990s. At the conclusion of the tour, TLC decided to take more control of their careers and thus informed Perri Reid that they no longer wished her to be their manager. Reid released the group from its management deal, but they remained signed to Pebbitone, and Reid continued to receive a share of their earnings.
American football
player Andre Rison
shortly after the release of Oooohhh... On the TLC Tip, and by 1994 the two were living together in Rison's upscale double-story home. Their relationship was allegedly filled with violent moments, and Lopes filed an assault charge against Rison on September 2, 1993. Rison denied battering her. Lopes was also battling alcoholism
at the time. She had been a heavy drinker since the age of fifteen. After another fight between the couple in the early morning hours of June 9, 1994, Lopes tossed numerous pairs of Rison's newly purchased shoes into a bathtub, doused them with lighter fluid
, and lit them on fire. The plexiglas bathtub quickly melted and set the structural frame of the house on fire. Lopes was arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree arson
; she was sentenced to five years of probation
and a $10,000 fine. Rison eventually reconciled with Lopes, and they continued dating on and off for around three and a half years.
During early 1994, TLC re-entered the studio with Dallas Austin, Tim & Bob
, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Organized Noize
, and Sean "Puffy" Combs
to record their second album, CrazySexyCool
. Lopes was released from rehab to attend the recording sessions, but the finished album featured significantly less of her raps and vocals. The album instead focused more on the contributions from Watkins and Thomas, and had a smoother, more fluid sound, similar to the most successful single from the first album, the US #2 hit "Baby-Baby-Baby". All four singles from CrazySexyCool reached the top 5 of the US Hot 100, while "Creep
" and "Waterfalls" peaked at no. 1, while Red Light Special
reached no. 2 and "Diggin' on You
" reached no. 5. "Waterfalls", an Organized Noise-produced song that featured an old-school soul
-based musical arrangement, socially conscious lyrics criticizing drug dealing and unsafe sex, and an introspective rap from Lopes, became TLC's biggest hit, and its million-dollar music video was an MTV staple for many months.
CrazySexyCool eventually sold over 11 million copies in the US, and became one of the first albums to ever receive a diamond certification from the RIAA
, and won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
and a 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group
for "Creep". However, in the midst of their apparent success, the members of TLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
on July 3, 1995.
Also in 1994, TLC recorded the theme song to Nickelodeon
's popular sketch comedy
All That
which ran for ten seasons.
, was delayed when friction arose between the group and their main producer Dallas Austin
, who was by this time dating Thomas and helping to raise their young son Tron. Austin wanted $4.2 million and creative control to work on the project, resulting in a stand-off between the producer and the artists. During this period, Thomas appeared in the independent film HavPlenty, and Watkins co-starred in Hype Williams
(who later directed the "No Scrubs
" video)' 1998 film Belly
with rappers Nas
and DMX
. Watkins made a solo song in late 1996 called "Touch Myself". Lopes started her own Lopes Productions artist development company and signed Blaque
, a TLC-like female R&B trio. She also appeared on the "Not Tonight" remix with fellow female rappers Lil' Kim
, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Da Brat
and Angie Martinez
, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo, Band, or Group in 1998.
TLC eventually began working with other producers for the FanMail album, until finally negotiating with Austin, who produced the bulk of FanMail and gave the album a futuristic, more pop-based feel. FanMail was another success for TLC, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart and selling over 5 million copies in the U.S. The album featured the number-one hit "No Scrubs
", produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and the single "Unpretty
", an alternative rock
-styled song about self-love written by Watkins and Dallas Austin (another version of it sampled Dennis Edwards
' 1984 hit "Don't Look Any Further"), that also reached #1 on the Billboard chart. At the Lady of Soul Awards
the group was honored with the Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award.
The videos for both songs were heavily featured on MTV and BET
, and three more singles received decent radio play: "Silly Ho", "I'm Good at Being Bad", and Edmonds-written ballad, "Dear Lie". Like CrazySexyCool, FanMail won the Grammy for Best R&B Album
of 2000 and Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
for "No Scrubs". The group went on a worldwide tour simply named FanMail Tour
. While the first leg of the tour sold poorly and made the group lose $500,000 dollars, most of the second leg of the tour was sold out. The group had a PayPerView special of their tour which at the time became PayPerView's highest grossing televised special. The tour went on to gross more than $72.8 million dollars according to Billboard which became the highest grossing tour by a female group.
During and after the release of FanMail, Lopes made it known to the press on multiple occasions that she felt that she was unable to fully express herself working with TLC and Austin. Her contributions to the songs had been reduced to periodic eight-bar
raps, and studio session singers such as Debra Killings
often took her place on the background vocals for the group's songs. In its November 28, 1999 issue, Entertainment Weekly
ran a letter from Lopes that challenged her group mates to record solo albums and let the fans judge which of the three was the most talented:
The ladies eventually settled the feud, and The Challenge was never followed through. After the conclusion of the successful FanMail tour, the ladies, however, took some time off and pursued personal interests. Lopes was the first to begin recording her solo album, Supernova
. In 2000, Spice Girl
Melanie C
released a single co-written with Lopes in the UK and Europe, called "Never Be the Same Again"; it became a hit reaching #1 in many countries.
, however it underperformed overseas and was never officially released in the United States. Before her second solo album was completed, Lopes died in a car crash while filming a documentary in Honduras, which would later be released as The Last Days of Left Eye
in 2007 on VH1.
Returning from yet another hiatus after Lopes' death, Watkins, Thomas and Austin decided that they would complete the remainder of their fourth album, to be called 3D, which also featured production from Rodney Jerkins
, The Neptunes
, Raphael Saadiq
, Missy Elliott
and Timbaland
. The decision was also made that TLC would retire after the release and promotion of 3D, rather than replace Lopes and continue. Lopes had already completed her vocals for four songs; the remainder were performed by the remaining group members alone, who eulogized
Lopes on a number of the tracks.
The first single for 3D was "Girl Talk
", the video for which featured Watkins and Thomas alone in live-action segments and Lopes in animated segments. Its follow-up, "Hands Up", featured only Watkins and Thomas in its video, but took place in a nightclub named Club Lopes (Lopes' production company's "eye" logo was a prominent feature on the club's walls). The album sold two million copies in its first year of release, and "Girl Talk" was the only single to reach the U.S. top forty with a peak position of number 28; "Hands Up" never charted, and a third single, "Damaged
", reached number 53. However, the singles enjoyed a bit more success in Europe and Asia. 3D went on to sell nearly 1 million copies in the US alone.
In June 2003, at Zootopia
, an annual concert hosted by New York radio station Z100
held at Giants Stadium
, TLC appeared in what was announced to be their last performance. The group, introduced by Carson Daly
, showed a video montage dedicated to Lopes, and went on to perform songs against video footage of Lopes performing the same songs, and wearing the same outfits, that were appearing onstage. TLC performed to 60,000 fans.
album with a new song, "Come Get Some
", featuring Lil Jon
and Sean P of the YoungBloodZ
. However, the compilation was not released domestically until June 2005, although versions of the compilation were released internationally in 2004 and the album was also available as a legal download from the iTunes Store
in November 2004. On June 21, 2005, Now and Forever: The Hits was quietly released in the United States; the album debuted at number 53 with 20,000 copies sold.
On May 15, 2007, Now and Forever: The Video Hits
was released in the United States, after over four years of delayed release dates.
On August 20, 2007, a new greatest hits album was released in the UK called Crazy Sexy Hits: The Very Best of TLC
, a play on the group's best selling album title Crazy Sexy Cool. Now and Forever: The Video Hits was also released in the UK for the first time on the same date. The album fared better than previous compilation Now and Forever: The Hits, peaking at #57 on the UK album chart (Now and Forever: The Hits made #86).
On June 25, 2004, Watkins and Thomas announced that they were pitching a reality television
show where contestants would compete for a chance to record a single and perform in concert with the two of them. The show was eventually picked up for development by UPN
. R U the Girl
with Watkins and Thomas debuted on UPN on July 27, 2005. The winner of the show would record with them on a new single and perform the track with them in a live concert finale in Atlanta. Roughly 4.1 million viewers tuned in for the season finale of R U The Girl on September 20, 2005, with 20-year-old Tiffany "O'so Krispie" Baker
as the winner. Despite media speculation that the winner of the series was to become a new, permanent member of TLC, Watkins and Thomas have vowed to never replace Lopes with a new member.
On October 4, 2005, "I Bet", the first new Watkins and Thomas single in over two years, was released to radio and iTunes, credited to "R U The Girl with Watkins & Thomas" with no mention of the TLC name on the package. The song was also appended to pressings of Now and Forever: The Hits released after October 11, 2005. "I Bet" failed to chart in America and Europe, ending reports that Watkins and Thomas were putting the finishing touches on a repackaged Greatest Hits album.
. They, along with the original members of En Vogue
and SWV
, performed in Alicia Keys
' tribute to girl groups. Watkins, Thomas, and Keys performed "Waterfalls". Watkins and Thomas were also presenters at the BETJ Virtual Awards on November 25, 2008.
In March 2009, Watkins and Thomas announced plans to perform together in a concert series in Japan featuring seventeen of TLC's songs. On August 25, 2009, it was announced that the group would perform at the Justin Timberlake and Friends benefit concert at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center on October 17, 2009. At the concert, Watkins announced that she and Thomas plan to record new material. In July 2010, T-Boz and Chilli set out to Japan for several days to perform shows.
In May 2011, TLC performed on American Idol
and received a standing ovation from the audience.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, 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...
. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
Tionne Watkins
Tionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,...
, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
Lisa Lopes
Lisa Nicole Lopes better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, actress, television host, and songwriter...
and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas
Rozonda Thomas
Rozonda Ocelean Thomas , best known by her stage name Chilli, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American R&B singer and actress who rose to fame as one third of the successful R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop girl group TLC.-Early life:...
it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats with the law, each other, and the group's record label.
Initially, TLC achieved commercial success following the release of its debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, which sold four million copies worldwide. The group's second studio album, CrazySexyCool
CrazySexyCool
CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American R&B group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America...
, went on to be certified diamond by the RIAA, and eventually sold 22 million copies worldwide. TLC released four multiplatinum studio albums before going on hiatus due to the death of Lopes in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in 2002.
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...
magazine ranked the group as one of the greatest musical trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
s. Between 1992 and 2003 the band accumulated ten top ten singles, four number one singles, four multiplatinum albums, and four Grammy Awards. At the end of 1999, the band was ranked as the seventh most successful act of the 1990s by Billboard. In 2008, the group was inducted into the All Time Hot 100 Artist Hall of Fame by the same magazine, at 56th place. That year it was also listed as the #25 R&B/hip-hop artist of the preceding 25 years.
History
In 1991, Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, teenager Crystal Jones put out a call for two more girls to join her in a trio to be called 2nd Nature. Her request was eventually answered by Tionne Watkins
Tionne Watkins
Tionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,...
, a native of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, who moved to Atlanta with her family at an early age, and Lisa Lopes
Lisa Lopes
Lisa Nicole Lopes better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, actress, television host, and songwriter...
, a rapper who had just moved to the city from her native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, with only a keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
and US$750 ($ today).
The group eventually managed to arrange an audition with R&B singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, who had started her own management and production company, Pebbitone. Impressed by the girls, Reid renamed the group "TLC" (an amalgation of the first letters of each of their names) and arranged an audition for them with local record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
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...
, run by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Reid's then-husband, Antonio "L.A." Reid. The latter Reid saw potential in Watkins and Lopes but felt that Jones should be replaced; within a few days, part-time Damian Dame
Damian Dame
Damian Dame was an R&B duo consisting of Debra Jean "Deah Dame" Hurd and Bruce Edward "Damian" Broadus .In 1991, Damian Dame became the first act signed to LaFace Records...
backup dancer Rozonda Thomas was brought in to replace Jones. Thomas was christened with the nickname "Chilli" so as to keep the TLC name, while Watkins became "T-Boz" and Lopes was named "Left Eye". The girls were signed to LaFace through a production deal with Pebbitone (with Perri Reid taking the role of the group's manager) (see artist development deal
Artist development deal
An artist development deal is often the first of a recording artist's contracts with a major record label. In lieu of high royalties or other desirable rights, the label will promise to develop the skills and public profile of the artist...
) and almost immediately went into the studio with producers Reid and Edmonds, 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 :...
, and Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
to produce their first album.
1991–1993: Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip
The first TLC album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, was released on February 25, 1992 by LaFace. The songs on the album are a blend of funk (Watkins), hip-hop (Lopes), and R&B (Thomas), similar to the "new jack swingNew 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...
" sound popularized by producer Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley (new jack swing)
Edward Theodore Riley , professionally known as Teddy Riley, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, keyboardist, and record producer credited with the creation of New Jack Swing. Through his production work with Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Doug E. Fresh, Today, Keith Sweat, Heavy D., Jane...
in the late 1980s (and TLC's sound was sometimes cited as an example of the "new jill swing" genre). The album was a critical and commercial success, being certified quadruple-platinum within a year and launching a number of US Hot 100 top-ten singles with "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" is a song by American R&B/Hip hop group TLC from their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip. It was released by LaFace Records in February 1992, and is the groups first single...
", "What About Your Friends
What About Your Friends
"What About Your Friends" is TLC's third single from their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip. The single was released in the fall of 1992. "What About Your Friends" reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the group's third top-ten single....
", and "Baby-Baby-Baby
Baby-Baby-Baby
"Baby-Baby-Baby" is a song by the group TLC. It was the second single released from their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and was the band's second consecutive Top 10 hit...
" which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.
TLC's lyrics, chiefly written by Lopes and Dallas Austin, were playful, female-empowering anthems characterized by Lopes's quirky, nasal-toned raps, Watkins's low-voiced lead vocals, and Thomas's powerful vocals and harmonization. The musical formula was augmented by the girls' brightly colored videos and curious costuming: each girl wore wrapped condoms on their clothing (Lopes also wore one over her left eye in a pair of glasses).
During TLC's first national tour, as MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
's opening act, Lopes and Thomas discovered that Watkins had sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease
Sickle-cell disease , or sickle-cell anaemia or drepanocytosis, is an autosomal recessive genetic blood disorder with overdominance, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various...
, an ailment which she kept a closely guarded secret until she became ill while TLC was touring the Southwest US
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. Watkins continued to battle her condition and eventually became a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America in the late 1990s. At the conclusion of the tour, TLC decided to take more control of their careers and thus informed Perri Reid that they no longer wished her to be their manager. Reid released the group from its management deal, but they remained signed to Pebbitone, and Reid continued to receive a share of their earnings.
1994–1996: CrazySexyCool
Lopes began dating Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player Andre Rison
Andre Rison
Andre Previn Rison is a retired American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's...
shortly after the release of Oooohhh... On the TLC Tip, and by 1994 the two were living together in Rison's upscale double-story home. Their relationship was allegedly filled with violent moments, and Lopes filed an assault charge against Rison on September 2, 1993. Rison denied battering her. Lopes was also battling alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
at the time. She had been a heavy drinker since the age of fifteen. After another fight between the couple in the early morning hours of June 9, 1994, Lopes tossed numerous pairs of Rison's newly purchased shoes into a bathtub, doused them with lighter fluid
Lighter fluid
Lighter fluid may refer to:* Butane, a highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas used in cigarette lighters* Naphtha, a volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture used in wick type lighters...
, and lit them on fire. The plexiglas bathtub quickly melted and set the structural frame of the house on fire. Lopes was arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
; she was sentenced to five years of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
and a $10,000 fine. Rison eventually reconciled with Lopes, and they continued dating on and off for around three and a half years.
During early 1994, TLC re-entered the studio with Dallas Austin, 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...
, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, 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 Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
to record their second album, CrazySexyCool
CrazySexyCool
CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American R&B group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America...
. Lopes was released from rehab to attend the recording sessions, but the finished album featured significantly less of her raps and vocals. The album instead focused more on the contributions from Watkins and Thomas, and had a smoother, more fluid sound, similar to the most successful single from the first album, the US #2 hit "Baby-Baby-Baby". All four singles from CrazySexyCool reached the top 5 of the US Hot 100, while "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 "Waterfalls" peaked at no. 1, while 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...
reached no. 2 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...
" reached no. 5. "Waterfalls", an Organized Noise-produced song that featured an old-school soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-based musical arrangement, socially conscious lyrics criticizing drug dealing and unsafe sex, and an introspective rap from Lopes, became TLC's biggest hit, and its million-dollar music video was an MTV staple for many months.
CrazySexyCool eventually sold over 11 million copies in the US, and became one of the first albums to ever receive a diamond certification from the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, and won a 1996 Grammy Award 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...
and a 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group
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". However, in the midst of their apparent success, the members of TLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on July 3, 1995.
Also in 1994, TLC recorded the theme song to Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's popular sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
All That
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
which ran for ten seasons.
1997–2000: FanMail
Preliminary work on TLC's third album, FanMailFanMail
FanMail is the third studio album by American girl group trio TLC, released on February 23, 1999. As with previous album CrazySexyCool , the group re-teamed with Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Jermaine Dupri on the album's production and the album features the computer voice female named Vic-E .The...
, was delayed when friction arose between the group and their main producer 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...
, who was by this time dating Thomas and helping to raise their young son Tron. Austin wanted $4.2 million and creative control to work on the project, resulting in a stand-off between the producer and the artists. During this period, Thomas appeared in the independent film HavPlenty, and Watkins co-starred in Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
(who later directed the "No Scrubs
No Scrubs
"No Scrubs" is a 1999 song recorded by R&B girl groupTLC for their album FanMail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year...
" video)' 1998 film Belly
Belly (film)
Belly is a 1998 film, the film directorial debut of music video director Hype Williams. Filmed in New York City as an urban drama, the film stars rappers DMX and Nas, alongside with Taral Hicks, Method Man dancehall artist Louie Rankin, R&B singer T-Boz...
with rappers Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
. Watkins made a solo song in late 1996 called "Touch Myself". Lopes started her own Lopes Productions artist development company and signed Blaque
Blaque
Blaque is an American Urban-R&B group that had a string of hits in the late 90’s. The group's name stands for Believing, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity, Everything. Their debut album sold more than 1.5 million copies and was certified Platinum...
, a TLC-like female R&B trio. She also appeared on the "Not Tonight" remix with fellow female rappers Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Da Brat
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...
and Angie Martinez
Angie Martinez
Angela "Angie" Martinez is an American radio personality and occasional rapper.-Radio career:Angie Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station WQHT . There she met popular DJ Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé...
, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo, Band, or Group in 1998.
TLC eventually began working with other producers for the FanMail album, until finally negotiating with Austin, who produced the bulk of FanMail and gave the album a futuristic, more pop-based feel. FanMail was another success for TLC, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart and selling over 5 million copies in the U.S. The album featured the number-one hit "No Scrubs
No Scrubs
"No Scrubs" is a 1999 song recorded by R&B girl groupTLC for their album FanMail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year...
", produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and the single "Unpretty
Unpretty
"Unpretty" is a 1999 single recorded by TLC. Produced by Dallas Austin and co-written by Austin and TLC group member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. "Unpretty" was the second single released from FanMail. It became the group's fourth U.S...
", an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
-styled song about self-love written by Watkins and Dallas Austin (another version of it sampled Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards is a soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.-Career:...
' 1984 hit "Don't Look Any Further"), that also reached #1 on the Billboard chart. At the Lady of Soul Awards
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
the group was honored with the Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award.
The videos for both songs were heavily featured on MTV and BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
, and three more singles received decent radio play: "Silly Ho", "I'm Good at Being Bad", and Edmonds-written ballad, "Dear Lie". Like CrazySexyCool, FanMail won the Grammy 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...
of 2000 and Grammy Award 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 "No Scrubs". The group went on a worldwide tour simply named FanMail Tour
FanMail Tour
The FanMail Tour was the first concert tour performed by the American pop/R&B group TLC. In support of their album FanMail, the arena tour ran from late 1999 into early 2000. It covered the United States and Canada. There were six dates scheduled for Japan, but all dates were canceled.The Tour...
. While the first leg of the tour sold poorly and made the group lose $500,000 dollars, most of the second leg of the tour was sold out. The group had a PayPerView special of their tour which at the time became PayPerView's highest grossing televised special. The tour went on to gross more than $72.8 million dollars according to Billboard which became the highest grossing tour by a female group.
During and after the release of FanMail, Lopes made it known to the press on multiple occasions that she felt that she was unable to fully express herself working with TLC and Austin. Her contributions to the songs had been reduced to periodic eight-bar
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
raps, and studio session singers such as 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....
often took her place on the background vocals for the group's songs. In its November 28, 1999 issue, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
ran a letter from Lopes that challenged her group mates to record solo albums and let the fans judge which of the three was the most talented:
"I challenge Tionne 'Player' Watkins (T-boz) and Rozonda 'Hater' Thomas (Chilli) to an album entitled The Challenge... a 3-CD set that contains three solo albums. Each (album)... will be due to the record label by October 1, 2000... I also challenge producer Dallas 'The Manipulator' Austin to produce all of the material and do it at a fraction of his normal rate. As I think about it, I'm sure LaFace would not mind throwing in a $1.5 million dollar prize for the winner."
The ladies eventually settled the feud, and The Challenge was never followed through. After the conclusion of the successful FanMail tour, the ladies, however, took some time off and pursued personal interests. Lopes was the first to begin recording her solo album, Supernova
Supernova (Lisa Lopes album)
Supernova is the debut and final studio album by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes .-Album information:The album was not released in the United States, although it was released in other countries. The first single, "The Block Party", was sent to radio in the summer of 2001, becoming a top 20 hit in the U.K.,...
. In 2000, Spice Girl
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
Melanie C
Melanie Chisholm
Melanie Jayne Chisholm is an English singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman professionally known simply as Melanie C . She is best known as one of the five members of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed "Sporty Spice"...
released a single co-written with Lopes in the UK and Europe, called "Never Be the Same Again"; it became a hit reaching #1 in many countries.
2001–2003: 3D and The Death of Left Eye
Before the recording of their fourth album, 3D, there was a dispute between Lopes on one side and Watkins and Thomas on the other. Lopes originally wanted to withdraw from the group in order to see if they could duplicate their prior success without her contributions. Lopes eventually pursued solo stardom and recorded her first album SupernovaSupernova (Lisa Lopes album)
Supernova is the debut and final studio album by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes .-Album information:The album was not released in the United States, although it was released in other countries. The first single, "The Block Party", was sent to radio in the summer of 2001, becoming a top 20 hit in the U.K.,...
, however it underperformed overseas and was never officially released in the United States. Before her second solo album was completed, Lopes died in a car crash while filming a documentary in Honduras, which would later be released as The Last Days of Left Eye
The Last Days of Left Eye
The Last Days of Left Eye is a documentary directed by Lauren Lazin which premiered on VH1 and VH1 Soul on May 19, 2007. It is centered around the life, last days spent in spiritual retreat in Honduras, and April 25, 2002 accidental death of rapper/singer/actress Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes , featuring...
in 2007 on VH1.
Returning from yet another hiatus after Lopes' death, Watkins, Thomas and Austin decided that they would complete the remainder of their fourth album, to be called 3D, which also featured production from Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
. The decision was also made that TLC would retire after the release and promotion of 3D, rather than replace Lopes and continue. Lopes had already completed her vocals for four songs; the remainder were performed by the remaining group members alone, who eulogized
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
Lopes on a number of the tracks.
The first single for 3D was "Girl Talk
Girl Talk (song)
"Girl Talk" is a 2002 song written by Lisa Lopes, Anita McLoud, Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, Kandi Burruss, and Tionne Watkins, and was the first single released from TLC's fourth album, 3D . It was produced by Hustle and released as the album's lead single in North America in October 2002 and...
", the video for which featured Watkins and Thomas alone in live-action segments and Lopes in animated segments. Its follow-up, "Hands Up", featured only Watkins and Thomas in its video, but took place in a nightclub named Club Lopes (Lopes' production company's "eye" logo was a prominent feature on the club's walls). The album sold two million copies in its first year of release, and "Girl Talk" was the only single to reach the U.S. top forty with a peak position of number 28; "Hands Up" never charted, and a third single, "Damaged
Damaged (TLC song)
"Damaged" is a 2003 R&B song written by Dallas Austin and Tionne Watkins, and was the third single released from TLC's fourth studio album 3D . The song peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", reached number 53. However, the singles enjoyed a bit more success in Europe and Asia. 3D went on to sell nearly 1 million copies in the US alone.
In June 2003, at Zootopia
Zootopia
Zootopia is an annual summer concert put on by New York top-40 radio station Z100. The show is usually performed in either New York or New Jersey and includes the artists who garner great airplay on the station in the year.- 2009 Zootopia performers :...
, an annual concert hosted by New York radio station Z100
Z100
-Internet TV:* Z100.TV, a website serving as an international directory of online TV-channels and associated video media-Radio:* WHTZ, 100.3 in New York City* KKRZ, 100.3 in Portland, Oregon* KZRO, 100.1 in Mount Shasta, California, a.k.a...
held at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, TLC appeared in what was announced to be their last performance. The group, introduced by Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
, showed a video montage dedicated to Lopes, and went on to perform songs against video footage of Lopes performing the same songs, and wearing the same outfits, that were appearing onstage. TLC performed to 60,000 fans.
2004-2006: Now & Forever: The Hits
In 2005, LaFace had scheduled the release of Now and Forever: The Hits, a TLC greatest hitsGreatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album with a new song, "Come Get Some
Come Get Some (TLC song)
"Come Get Some" is a song by American R&B girl group, TLC from their greatest hits album, Now and Forever: The Hits. It was released as the album's first single in 2003, 12 months after the death of TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The song features American rappers, Lil Jon and Sean P...
", featuring Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
and Sean P of the YoungBloodZ
YoungBloodZ
YoungBloodZ are an American Southern rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, comprising members J-Bo and Sean P YoungBloodZ are an American Southern rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, comprising members J-Bo (born Jeffrey Ray Grigsby on October 4, 1977) and Sean P YoungBloodZ are an American Southern rap duo...
. However, the compilation was not released domestically until June 2005, although versions of the compilation were released internationally in 2004 and the album was also available as a legal download from the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
in November 2004. On June 21, 2005, Now and Forever: The Hits was quietly released in the United States; the album debuted at number 53 with 20,000 copies sold.
On May 15, 2007, Now and Forever: The Video Hits
Now and Forever: The Video Hits
Now and Forever: The Video Hits is a DVD release of 10 of multi-platinum selling group TLC's videos. The DVD has been expected to be released numerous times over the past 5 years, just as the album Now and Forever: The Hits. It was released in Japan in 2003, and in Australia in 2004 by Arista...
was released in the United States, after over four years of delayed release dates.
On August 20, 2007, a new greatest hits album was released in the UK called Crazy Sexy Hits: The Very Best of TLC
Crazy Sexy Hits: The Very Best of TLC
Crazy Sexy Hits: The Very Best of TLC is a Greatest Hits album by TLC, released in 2007, exclusively in the UK. Due to the underperformance of previous Best Of album Now and Forever: The Hits it was decided that a re-packaged collection would be released, with a new cover and altered track listing...
, a play on the group's best selling album title Crazy Sexy Cool. Now and Forever: The Video Hits was also released in the UK for the first time on the same date. The album fared better than previous compilation Now and Forever: The Hits, peaking at #57 on the UK album chart (Now and Forever: The Hits made #86).
On June 25, 2004, Watkins and Thomas announced that they were pitching a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show where contestants would compete for a chance to record a single and perform in concert with the two of them. The show was eventually picked up for development by UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. R U the Girl
R U the Girl
R U the Girl is an American reality series that aired on UPN in 2005. The series featured the remaining members of the all-girl R&B group TLC whose former member, Lisa Lopes, died in a car crash in Honduras in April 2002...
with Watkins and Thomas debuted on UPN on July 27, 2005. The winner of the show would record with them on a new single and perform the track with them in a live concert finale in Atlanta. Roughly 4.1 million viewers tuned in for the season finale of R U The Girl on September 20, 2005, with 20-year-old Tiffany "O'so Krispie" Baker
O'so Krispie
O'so Krispie , is an American singer, rapper, and choreographer. She won the UPN reality show R U the Girl and was featured on the TLC's single "I Bet" released by LaFace Records. She also appeared on TLC's album Now and Forever: The Hits...
as the winner. Despite media speculation that the winner of the series was to become a new, permanent member of TLC, Watkins and Thomas have vowed to never replace Lopes with a new member.
On October 4, 2005, "I Bet", the first new Watkins and Thomas single in over two years, was released to radio and iTunes, credited to "R U The Girl with Watkins & Thomas" with no mention of the TLC name on the package. The song was also appended to pressings of Now and Forever: The Hits released after October 11, 2005. "I Bet" failed to chart in America and Europe, ending reports that Watkins and Thomas were putting the finishing touches on a repackaged Greatest Hits album.
2007-2010: Recent activities
On June 24, 2008, Watkins and Thomas made a special appearance on the BET AwardsBET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
. They, along with the original members of En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
and SWV
SWV
Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One"....
, performed in Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
' tribute to girl groups. Watkins, Thomas, and Keys performed "Waterfalls". Watkins and Thomas were also presenters at the BETJ Virtual Awards on November 25, 2008.
In March 2009, Watkins and Thomas announced plans to perform together in a concert series in Japan featuring seventeen of TLC's songs. On August 25, 2009, it was announced that the group would perform at the Justin Timberlake and Friends benefit concert at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center on October 17, 2009. At the concert, Watkins announced that she and Thomas plan to record new material. In July 2010, T-Boz and Chilli set out to Japan for several days to perform shows.
In May 2011, TLC performed on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
and received a standing ovation from the audience.
Discography
- Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992)
- CrazySexyCoolCrazySexyCoolCrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American R&B group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America...
(1994) - FanMailFanMailFanMail is the third studio album by American girl group trio TLC, released on February 23, 1999. As with previous album CrazySexyCool , the group re-teamed with Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Jermaine Dupri on the album's production and the album features the computer voice female named Vic-E .The...
(1999) - 3D (2002)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Song or Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Nominated | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... |
Best R&B Song Grammy Award for Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance... |
"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" |
| 1996 | Won | 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... |
CrazySexyCool | |
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | "Creep" | |||
| "Red Light Special" | Nominated | 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.... |
"Waterfalls" | |
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| 2000 | Won | 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... |
Fanmail | |
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | "No Scrubs" | |||
| Nominated | Album of the Year Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer... |
Fanmail | ||
| 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.... |
"No Scrubs" | |||
| Song of the Year Grammy Award for Song of the Year The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year... |
"Unpretty" | |||
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011... |
"Unpretty" | |||
| Best Music Video, Short Form | "Unpretty" | |||
| 2003 | Nominated | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | "Girl Talk" | |
| 2004 | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | "Hands Up" | ||
| 1995 | Won | 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... |
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... |
"Waterfalls" |
| Best Group Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video was first given out at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards; and in 2007, going along with how the VMAs were revamped that year, the award was renamed Best Group, as it awarded the artist's body of work for the full year rather than a specific video... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Best R&B Video MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video was first awarded in 1993, and was given every year until 2006, as the following year MTV revammped the VMAs and eliminated all of the genre categories. The following year, though, when MTV returned the VIdeo Music Awards to their previous format, Best... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Viewer's Choice | "Waterfalls" | |||
| Nominated | Best Special Effects MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Special Effects in a Video.... |
"Waterfalls" | ||
| Best Editing MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video. Five artists are tied for the record of biggest winner in this category, each having won the award twice: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Madonna, The White Stripes, and Gnarls Barkley. The latter two, in fact, won... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Best Direction MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards.... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Best Cinematography MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Cinematography in a Video. Madonna is the biggest Winner in this category with 3 wins.... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Best Art Direction MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Art Direction in a Video. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the biggest winners in this category with three wins in 1992, 2000, and 2006.... |
"Waterfalls" | |||
| Breakthrough Video | "Waterfalls" | |||
| 1999 | Won | Best Group Video 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... |
"No Scrubs | |
| Nominated | Viewer's Choice | "No Scrubs" | ||
| Best Hip Hop Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video was first given out at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The award, according to MTV, was originally intended for hip-hop-inspired songs, not necessarily actual hip-hop music videos . This explains the recognition of non-hip-hop songs such as "Thong... |
"No Scrubs" | |||
| Best Editing MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video. Five artists are tied for the record of biggest winner in this category, each having won the award twice: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Madonna, The White Stripes, and Gnarls Barkley. The latter two, in fact, won... |
"No Scrubs" | |||
| Best Direction MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards.... |
"No Scrubs" | |||
| Best Art Direction MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Art Direction in a Video. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the biggest winners in this category with three wins in 1992, 2000, and 2006.... |
"No Scrubs" | |||
| 1996 | Won | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... |
Artist of the Year | |
| R&B Artist of the Year | |
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| R&B Single of the Year | "Creep" | |||
| 1997 | Nominated | American Music Award | Favorite Soul/R&B Album | CrazySexyCool |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group | |
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| Favorite Artist of the Year | |
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| 2000 | Won | Favorite Band, Duo or Group – Soul/Rhythm & Blues | |
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| 1996 | Won | Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "Creep" |
| Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year – Group, Band or Duo | CrazySexyCool | |||
| 1997 | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "Waterfalls" | ||
| 1999 | Aretha Franklin Award (Entertainer of the Year) | |
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| Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "No Scrubs" | |||
| Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year – Group, Band or Duo | Fanmail | |||
| 2003 | Nominated | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "Girl Talk" | |
| Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year – Group, Band or Duo | 3D | |||
| 1997 | Won | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo (sometimes awarded as Best Single - Group, Band or Duo,... |
"Waterfalls" |
| Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Group Band or Duo The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Album, Male See also Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female... |
CrazySexyCool | |||
| Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video | "Waterfalls" | |||
| 1999 | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "No Scrubs" | ||
| Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo | Fanmail | |||
| 2003 | Nominated | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | "Girl Talk" | |
| 2003 | Nominated | NAACP Image Award NAACP Image Award An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.... |
Outstanding Duo or Group NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Duo or Group:... |
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See also
- List of best-selling music artists in the United States
- List of best-selling girl groups
External links
- TLC at MTV.comMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- TLC discography at iMusic.am
- Cyber TLC World