By: Brooke Johnpier
This week’s topic was requested by Olivia Francis.
TLC is an American girl group that was formed in 1990 in Atlanta, GA. The band focuses on the genres of R&B, pop, soul, and hip-hop. Their name comes from the first initial of all the girls’ first names: Tionne Watkins, Lisa Lopes, and Crystal Jones.
February 25th, 1992, saw TLC’s debut album Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, be released. The title of the album comes from the last line of Lopes’ rap on the second song of the album, “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg.” The album peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album is also TLC’s third most successful album, having sold over six million copies worldwide.
TLC’s second album, CrazySexyCool, was released on November 15th, 1994, and is their most successful album. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and wouldn’t leave the chart for two years. The RIAA has certified the album 12 times platinum, making TLC the first ever girl group to achieve diamond certification. It has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, making TLC the only girl group to have an album that has had that much success. Rolling Stone put it on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with Billboard ranking the album number seven on the best diamond-certified albums of all time. The album has also been featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The band’s third album, FanMail, was released on February 23rd, 1999. The name of the album comes from their fans who sent them mail during their break from music. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 318,000 copies in its first week. It also spent five weeks at number one. The album received eight Grammy nominations, winning three of them.
The band’s fourth album, and the last one with Lopes due to her dying in a car accident, 3D, was released on October 10, 2002. The album sold 143,000 copies in its first week, and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, as well as number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Famous rapper, Missy Elliott, helped write some of the songs on this album.
15 years later, TLC would release their fifth, and final, studio album TLC. The girls released it on their own music label, 852 Musiq. The album would peak at number 38 on the Billboard 200 chart and landed number 20 on the on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
The movie CrazySexyCool:The TLC Story, was released in 2013 and followed the story of TLC and their rise to fame as they became the world’s best-selling American girl group since The Supremes.
Personally, my favorite TLC songs are “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” “Creep,” and “What About Your Friends.” All of which were hits on their respective albums.
TLC is definitely an inspiration for both women and musicians alike. Even if you don’t really like music with a beat to it, I would recommend giving TLC a listen. I promise you won’t regret it.
Want a band/artist you like to be talked about? Email Brooke at johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu!
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