TLC
Channel Name: TLC
Launched:
1990
Owned by:
no data
Country:
India
Broadcast area: Worldwide
Network:
no data
Headquarters:
no data
Sister channels:
no data
Language: English
TLC is an American girl group whose
repertoire spanned R&B, hip hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally
composed of singers Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Rozonda
"Chilli" Thomas and rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the group
found unprecedented 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 their debut album
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, which sold 6 million copies worldwide. However,
it was their second album, CrazySexyCool, that catapulted the group to
superstar status. CrazySexyCool went on to be certified diamond by the RIAA— a
first for a female group, and eventually sold 23 million copies worldwide.[4]
Five years later, the group released their third album FanMail, which became
the group's first album to debut at number one and sold more than 11 million
copies worldwide. The subsequent tour following FanMail's release became the
highest grossing tour of all time by a female band. In 2002, Lisa "Left
Eye" Lopes died in a car accident in Honduras. Seven months later, T-Boz
and Chilli released the group's fourth album 3D, which sold 2 million copies
worldwide, scored the Top 40 hit Girl Talk and earned two Grammy Awards
nominations, it featured unreleased vocals from Left Eye.
Billboard
magazine ranked TLC as one of the greatest musical trios.[5] Between 1992 and
2003, the band accumulated ten top ten singles, four number one singles, four
multi-platinum albums, and four Grammy Awards. At the end of 1999, TLC 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.[6] According to the RIAA, TLC
has sold more than 23 million albums and 6.5 million singles in the United
States alone.[7] Worldwide they have sold more than 65 million records[8] and
they are ranked as the second best selling female group of all time, behind the
Spice Girls.[9] In 2012, TLC ranked 12th on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music,
being ranked the number one all girl group on that list.[10]
History:
In 1990–1991, Atlanta, Georgia,
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 ($1,318 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 initialism 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 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 immediately went into the studio with producers Reid and
Edmonds, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Marley Marl to produce their first
album.
1991–94: 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 swing" 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).[11] 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.[12] 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. Also in 1994, TLC played the musical group "Sex as a Weapon"
in the New Line Cinema feature film House Party 3, starring Kid 'n Play.
1993–96: CrazySexyCool
Lopes
began dating Atlanta Falcons 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.[13]
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".[14] 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",[14] 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. Also in 1994, TLC recorded the
theme song to Nickelodeon's popular sketch comedy All That which ran for ten
seasons.
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,[11] 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".[15] However, in
the midst of their apparent success, the members of TLC filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy on July 3, 1995.[16]
They
declared debts totaling $3.5 million, much of it because of Lopes' insurance
payments arising from the arson incident and Watkins' medical bills, but the
primary reason being that each member of the group was taking home less than
$35,000 a year after paying managers, producers, expenses, and taxes. They
sought to renegotiate their 1991 contract with LaFace, under which they only
received seven percent of the revenues from their album sales, and to dissolve
their association with Pebbitone. Both Pebbitone and LaFace countered that TLC
simply wanted more money and were in no real financial danger, resulting in two
years of legal debates before the cases were finally settled in late 1996.
TLC's contract was renegotiated, their production deal with Pebbitone and Perri
Reid (who had separated from her husband by this time) was rescinded, and the
group appeared on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack with "This Is How It
Works" (a song written by Babyface and Lopes) and was set to re-enter the
recording studio in 1997 after signing a new contract with LaFace/Arista.
1997–2000: FanMail
Preliminary
work on TLC's third album, FanMail, 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 6
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.[14] At the Lady of Soul Awards the group was honored with the
Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award.[17]
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:
"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."[18]
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.
2001–04: 3D and the death of Left Eye
Before
the recording of their fourth album, 3D, 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 Supernova, 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 and the
remainder were performed by the remaining group members alone, who eulogized
Lopes on a number of the tracks. "3D" was released on November 12,
2002.
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.[14] However, the singles enjoyed a bit
more success in Europe and Asia. 3D went on to sell nearly 2 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. This would later go on to be called their final goodbye before an audience
of 60,000.[19]
2005–07: Now & Forever: The Hits
In
2005, LaFace had scheduled the release of Now and Forever: The Hits, a TLC
greatest hits 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.
"I
Bet", the first new TLC single released after the finale of their
competition show 'R U the Girl, was also appended to pressings of Now and
Forever: The Hits released after October 11, 2005.
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).
2005–08: Later projects
On
June 25, 2004, Watkins and Thomas announced that they were pitching a reality
television show that was eventually picked up for development by UPN. R U the
Girl with Watkins and Thomas debuted on UPN on July 27, 2005. 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.
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.[20]
On
October 4, 2005, "I Bet" 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.
On
June 24, 2008, Watkins and Thomas made a special appearance on the BET Awards.
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".[21] Watkins and Thomas were also presenters at the BETJ
Virtual Awards on November 25, 2008.
2009-present: Return
In
March 2009, Watkins and Thomas announced plans to perform together in a concert
series in Japan featuring seventeen of TLC's songs.[22] On April 4, 2009, the
group performed a thirteen song set, in Japan during the 2009 Springroove music
festival. 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. TLC performed their set to the 10,000 in attendance on October
17, 2009.[23] At the concert, Watkins announced that she and Thomas plan to
record new material but was never put into motion.[24]
After
another brief hiatus, TLC took the stage on May 25, 2011 on the season finale
of American Idol. They performed a three song set starting with Lil Jon's intro
from "Come Get Some" onto "No Scrubs" and, finally,
"Waterfalls". The performance received a standing ovation from the
audience.
TLC
recorded a cover of the song "Rainbow" for a tribute album to the
popular Japanese rock band L'Arc~En~Ciel. The tribute album, which features
covers by Boyz II Men, Daniel Powter and Maxi Priest, was released June 13,
2012.
Music
TV channel VH1 have announced plans to produce a biopic based on the group
called Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story written by Kate Lanier,[25] with Charles
Stone III directing and Watkins and Thomas signed up as consultants and
executive producers. Actresses Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora as well as rapper
Lil Mama have been cast as Thomas, Watkins and Lopes, respectively.[26]
In
addition to the biopic, TLC announced that a possible new album was in
production as well as a tour with Lisa's moving image projected on a screen
behind the performers, as was done at the 2003 Zootopia show. Via Twitter,
Watkins stated that she and Rozonda were once in talks with L.A. Reid's Epic
Records for a new TLC album, that they would have liked to release after the
biopic.[27][28]
On
September 7, 2012, Chilli made an appearance on Good Afternoon America, confirming
that TLC will be releasing a new album in 2013. Watkins revealed on a popular
Atlanta radio station, that she and Chilli will start to record for the VH1
biopic soundtrack soon. The soundtrack will feature new recordings of some of
their hits, and will feature new songs. Watkins and Thomas both revealed via
their official Twitter accounts, that they turned down the recording contract
they were negotiating with Epic Records.[29]
On
October 7, 2012, British pop group Stooshe released a music video for their
cover of "Waterfalls". T Boz and Chilli also made a special
appearance in the music video which would later be included in Totally T-Boz, a
docu-series chronicling Watkins' move to California, health issues and solo
endeavors.[30] Stooshe would later go on to perform "Waterfalls" at
the 17th annual Mobo Awards on November 3, 2012, where TLC was honored for
their outstanding contribution to music.[31]
In
June 2013, TLC was featured on "Crooked Smile", the second official
single from American rapper J. Cole's Born Sinner album. On June 23, 2013, TLC
received the Legend Award at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. They also
performed a medley of their hit singles. On June 19, 2013, to celebrate their
20th anniversary in the music industry, the group released exclusively for
Japan a compilation album entitled TLC 20: 20th Anniversary Hits, and as a gift
for their fans they recorded a new version of their major hit
"Waterfalls", replacing Lisa Lopes' vocals for Japanese pop star
Namie Amuro.[32] However, this decision caused a lot of controversy mainly from
Lopes' family, who felt "betrayed" that nobody informed them about
this vocal replacement.
On
July 25, 2013, it was announced that the group had signed a recording contract
with Sony Music Epic Records, and intend to release a new album on October 15,
2013 which will include the group's biggest hits and four newly recorded songs.
To
coincide with the release of the new album, VH1 released the teaser for the
long rumored upcoming biopic, depicting the true story about the group's climb
to fame. The movie, CrazySexyCool: The TLC story is scheduled to be released on
October 21, 2013.[36] Cast in the film are Keke Palmer who will portray Rozonda
"Chilli" Thomas; Lil Mama will take on the role of Lisa "Left Eye"
Lopes; and Drew Sidora has been cast as Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins......
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