Unlike myself, my moms isn’t one that loves the ’90s. If she had a blog, it’d be about the ’60s and ’70s, with shit like “Motown Week” and entries about Earth, Wind, & Fire. She likes certain stuff from the ’80s, and mostly remembers the ’90s for being the decade I spent drivin’ her wild with tapes, records, and Rap City. However, there was one of a few groups she did care for during the decade- that being TLC.
I first caught wind of T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli in early-’92 when the “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” video hit TV. With some artists, it’s easy to tell from their first single/video that they’ll be around for a while, and they were one of those cases. Right off top, they blew up, and already seemed like they were superstars off of that one hit. They had a unique look, a different sound, and of course they weren’t bad to look at (I was on Team Left Eye myself, whereas others were heavy on Chilli at first, and later T-Boz).
Through the rest of ’92, I’d continue to see them- through their other hits and videos, and their always-comical interviews. From riding around on tricycles to playin’ with condoms and such, TLC were just fun to watch in general. I ordered their Ooooohhh, On The TLC Tip album through Columbia House, although my mother borrowed and practically repossessed it, so she prob’ly liked it a lot more than I did. Still, I wasn’t mad at TLC with their big goofy hats and oversized clothes.
Of course, an image like that can also get a group pigeonholed and not able to break out of it. Hell, look at Kris Kross- them dudes were still wearin’ their pants backwards even after their voices changed and the lightskin nigga had a mustache. To avoid bein’ stuck in a role as the wacky group with the condoms on their clothes, TLC smartly reinvented themselves for the second album, CrazySexyCool. R&B music had gotten a little more laid-back in the couple years that followed …On The TLC Tip, after transitioning out of the New Jack era. In being able to adapt to the change, TLC had a smoother sound as well, which showed that they could do different things and still be dope.
TLC still had their same entertaining comedic antics, but they had a new style that wasn’t trapped in what made them hot the first time. They were also able to pull off things they hadn’t done before, like the “Red Light Special” video, which was way more “sexy” than anything they’d done up to that point. Speaking of videos, back when MTV still mattered, TLC were perfect for the time. A lot of their appeal came through their on-screen stuff just as much as the music itself. With all the hits they already had, “Waterfalls” (and of course, the video that played alllll summer long in ’95) was the one that put them over the top. CrazySexyCool outdid their first album, selling like 10 million records between ’94 and ’96.
They didn’t come back out until 1999, with the Fan Mail album. Between ’95 and then, a lot changed involving TLC. For one, they ended up damn near broke, due to classic music industry shit. It was a prime example of how a multimillion-selling album and tour can still lead to the artist comin’ away from it with a bus pass. They were also not on the same page musically, with Left Eye even saying that she didn’t fully stand behind the album and challenging the other two to drop separate solo albums to compete with hers.
But they still made hits, especially “No Scrubs”, which had every young girl with nothin’ but a pager to their names callin’ other dudes scrubs that whole year. By then, I wasn’t really following their music, even though I knew all the stuff that was on the radio and TV. Every female I knew was rockin’ with ‘em, so I heard my fair share of TLC joints in ’99. Always the standouts, during that year, they had a new “futuristic” image and sound that saw them still able to be relevant to the times. Even though 7 years isn’t THAT long, a lot of those groups they came out with were long gone, as they were still doin’ it.
The group kept it moving, despite the little discrepancies and whatnot, until Left Eye died in a car crash in April of ’02. After her death, there was a final album named 3D, which sold OK but definitely flopped by comparison to the others. T-Boz and Chilli have performed since, but have never used the TLC name since then. Today, CrazySexyCool still stands as the only album by a female group to sell over 10 million copies, and TLC is one of the most popular groups of all time. Can’t front on that.
“What About Your Friends” (1992)
“Diggin’ On You” (LA’s Live Remix) (1995)
-D!
Man…I STANNED for TLC back in the gap. They were all sexy, talented, and flavorful. Personally, I started on team T-Boz, migrated to Left-Eye, and ended loving Chilli’s emotinally damaged ass. I wanted to choke Usher out when they started dating. Lol. I loved how they kept their music fresh by reinventing themselves. It’s a shame that things went skew between them. They were heading towards splitsville before Lisa’s death. I honestly wish them the best.
Yeah, they were one of those groups where, even if I wasn’t coppin’ the album, I still wasn’t mad at anything they did. I ended up hearing CrazySexyCool like a good year and change after it came out, I fukked with that one too. They had those good performances too.
I kinda liked Chilli, but my lil’ brother was on her heavy. Then, when T-Boz blew up on the smashable radar, I did jump on that team too.
-D!
TLC dropped in 12th grade, I was rocking that tape for the longest. One of the few non hip hop albums that got play in my Walkman. (Damn, “Walkman,” feel like a damn dinosaur saying that) I never could front on them, even when Waterfalls was like Chinese Water Torture. I think Left Eye passing was one of the first times I’ve ever had to stop what I was going when I heard she died; Kurt as well. Biggie and Pac, I heard about them dying after SNL and it didn’t click until the next day, but Left Eye hit like a ton of bricks. I remember them saying something about a reality TV show about looking for a new member for TLC, glad that never happened. They still rock.
Yeah, they did that show, but it was just for a one-time song and performance. Even with that, they didn’t use the name, they went under the name of the show- R U The Girl. I guess everybody will always consider them TLC no matter what, but it is dope that they never tried to replace her.
-D!
This is my favourite girl group of all time… OF ALL TIME!!
They just encapsulated the fun of the nineties to me. I was Team Left-Eye all day.
The videos were cool, the image and the sound. All three worked together.
I still bump crazysexycool til this day. It doesn’t sound that dated to me.
This year, me and my girls are goin as TLC from the red light special video for Halloween. Lol
And why did Left Eye sign with Death Row? I thought that’s why you tied this post with the other Death Row affiliated stuff.
Oh, nah… I was just doing it separately.
I agree though, looking back especially, TLC def. represents that fun time of the ’90s. They were like the crazy girls from school who had all their own jokes and shit… it’s wild that they started fallin’ out so much, cause they seemed like best friends for sure.
PS- so you know you gonna have to Twitpic that on Halloween, right? HA!
-D!
[...] …On The TLC Tip by DANJ! [...]
yep i prefer crazysexycool over the ooooh album, but i dug the new jack sound…
t boz said on the monique show that they held some folks hostage? and that clive had the rest of their money, hmmm
i loved the waterfalls video with shyheim’s cute ass, he gets shot(?) out on the block, that was sad
That ‘Waterfalls’ video… I saw that joint so much I can like, envision it in my head, lol. But yeah, Roc’s wife tried to get Shy off the block, but ya man Bokeem shot him down. Damn Damn Damn.
I’ve only heard the first two albums in full, but I’d have to c/s you on CSC.
-D!
I am a die hard TLC fan forever and always. No one could touch them. Bankrupt and all. I remember when I bought the TLC tape. I was at my cousin’s house and I had found $20 on the ground. About 15 minutes later I was at the store buying the album and played it until it popped. I had the pleasure of seeing them right before Lisa died in DC. I swear it was like a piece of me died with her.
I do have to say that I was highly upset when TBoz and Chilli was doing that show talking about they was looking for a third member. I know all the die hard fans like me was not having it and that shit got killed quickly.
All have tried and all have failed. No one could ever be like them or even attempt to top them. They were creative and original which is something ALL artist and group lack now and days.
I’ve always been #teamLeftEye. I kinda got into their music late. Just before FanMail was released, I was looking into their old stuff. (In fact, the only reason I was paying attention to them at all was because my friend was excited his name would be on the FanMail poster that came in the CD.) Besides the “Creep” video with the colorful pj’s, I really didn’t know much about them.
But they still have fun records I like to bop around to when I’m in a good mood. “Hat 2 Da Back” has probably got to be my fave upbeat joint. And I’m torn between “Diggin’ On You” and “Damaged.”