Chilli has recently been the subject of the tabloids for some quotes taken out of context while doing an interview in London.

TLC is currently promoting their upcoming TLC album, set to be released June 30, and performed their first ever UK show on May 9.  The tickets for the show at the KOKO in London, sold out within 2 minutes of going on sale.

UK fans came out to support TLC in full force, and the show had very positive reviews from critics-see The Guardian’s TLC Review – A forcefield of midlife R&B wisdom and physical energy

TLC did several interviews with media outlets in London this week to promote the show, the album, and their new single Way Back which hit #10 on the UK R&B Charts this week.  Before interviewing, the girls made it clear to the interviewers that they were there to discuss music only, and not politics.

Regardless, Channel 4 News decided to ask the girls their thoughts on Black Lives Matter and Donald Trump during the middle of the interview.  They then cut some of the comments and posted just the portion where Chilli was responding about not going to any marches, and that “all lives matter” because different groups are affected at different times.

Chilli was trying to be inclusive of everyone during this interview specifically being that she was in a different country trying to address concerns in her own.

The pieced together clip, intended to stir controversy, was released in standalone form on Channel 4’s social media networks, causing backlash against Chilli on social media.

The following is Chilli’s official statement on the subject:

Of course black lives matter and the killing of young black boys is heartbreaking to all of us.  Everyone knows I am a black mother of a black son so there is no way I could watch what’s happening and not be affected.  That video was from an interview in London asking me about issues happening in the U.S. My response was inclusive of everyone, but not meant to under value the Black Lives Matter movement or to suggest police brutality against blacks is acceptable.

Now then, go check out the new song, Haters, from the self-titled TLC album below!

TLC Army caught up with producer/songwriter/engineer known as Tipz to ask him some questions about his recent work with on the upcoming TLC album, and find out what other projects he is working on.

Hello, Tipz, thanks for agreeing to chat with us today.  I want to ask about one of the songs that you produced for the upcoming TLC album, Joy Ride.  It was released in Japan last year and hit #1 on iTunes there; and I know that US fans are eager for its release here. What inspired that song and what was it like working on it?

Thanks TLC Army for taking the time and reaching out; it’s greatly appreciated.  I was sitting at my keyboard in my home studio one night and was playing some chords.  As always, I went to my “How would Prince make this more unique” line of thinking and started making the chords move and bounce to tell a musical story.  My wife was putting our son to sleep so I had headphones on, but didn’t realize how loud they were.  She heard what I was doing and said, “that sounds dope, what’s that?”  From there I knew I had something special because she’s my most harsh critic and it’s hard to sell her on my music.

Fast forward, Rose Gold requested that I strip the original beat to just chords, so I played them for her and she wrote the whole song to just the piano.  She loves writing to simple elements, it’s really amazing to watch.  Two days later, I walked in the studio and Knotch was adding drums to the song and I immediately pulled my bass out. Ray Keys randomly walked in, we had him hop on the keyboard and we all just started vibing.  The songwriting and production for Joy Ride was truly organic.

Are there other songs that you worked for on the TLC album, and can you tell us anything about those?

Yes, I co-produced on American Gold with Kayo, and Aye Muthaf**ka with DrePhantom and Richie (The Collective). Those were really fun as well.  We spent a lot of time getting those records just right and did a lot of different versions for both until it felt amazing.  Hearing American Gold finished with TLC vocals on it was a great experience. 

How did it come about for you to start work on this TLC album?  Were you part of the writing camp, and if so- can you tell us about that experience?

I was in the studio and Knotch told me, “I’m gonna get you in the TLC writing camp, so make some moves” and I was like okay cool.  I actually thought he meant I was coming in as a writer. The coordinator for the camp hit me and said I could submit tracks if I had some.  I went into Mamba mode and shot a bunch of tracks over.  I found out around 4 am the day of the camp that I was coming in as an engineer, so I was a little confused but I went with it.  I got in and opened the folder of tracks for the writers and almost half of them were from the batch I submitted.  I knew God was in control at that point.  From there, I was pulled in on different songs for the album.

That was hands down the best writing camp I’ve been to.  The vibe was amazing in every studio.  We danced, joked, laughed, and worked extremely hard, but it didn’t feel like work. 

T-Boz and Chilli are huge Prince fans, and I know that you  have worked with Prince at Paisley Park.  Do you feel that any of the new TLC material was Prince inspired?

Oh yeah definitely.  I hear a little bit of him on Way Back (love that song).  This album definitely has a bit of Prince in it.

What’s next for you?  Do you have any upcoming projects that we should be looking out for?

I’m currently working on T-Boz’s solo album for her book, “A Sick Life.”  I’m blessed to have a lot of great music coming out in 2017, God is good!

Thanks for taking time out to answer some of our questions, and welcome to the TLC Army family! 

Again thanks for having me!  Appreciate you all, much love!

Joshua “Tipz” Richardson is a producer/songwriter/engineer from Los Angeles, CA.  He has worked with artists such as TLC, Prince, Luke James, Tyrese, Liv Warfield, Ray J, Judith Hill, B. Howard, and many more.  His work can be heard on television and film such as on “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” “Bad Girls Club,” “Rob Dyredek’s Fantasy Factory,” and “Drumline:  A New Beat” to name a few.

Check out this Jazzi Collins song, “Feather,” produced and co-written by Tipz along with Jazzi C. (Guitar-Tyrone Nibblett) on the SoundCloud link below:

-HeatherH@TLCArmy, 5/10/17

The Behind the Music Tales book series will be introducing a new book titled, The Evolution of Funk, Rhythm, & Soul 1.0 that features a 1995 interview with T-Boz.

A portion of the interview was previously released by Harris Rosen in the Canadian pop culture and lifestyle magazine Peace!

According to Rosen, who spoke with us at TLC Army, the full interview including some previously unreleased sections will be included in the upcoming book.  The book also features interviews with George Clinton, Bobby Brown, and Erykah Badu.

The e-book will be available for free online with the option to purchase a printed version.

Harris was kind enough to provide the TLC Army with an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming book.

T-Boz spoke on the trials and tribulations of her early life growing up as a light skin girl in the South and her first hand experiences with racism and prejudice.

She also touched on her deep connection with Chilli and Left-Eye.

“It’s almost funny because some people for some reason just click and it seems as if they’ve known each other forever.  I swear, it seems these four years seem like ten. We’re probably closer to each other than people we’ve known longer than we knew each other.”

Striving to succeed as a person in business and life, at the time she was assisting her record label, La Face, by working to develop groups and even choreographed a young Usher.

T-Boz discussed single life and what she was looking for in a man; the changes in her life since success hit; the group’s cover of Prince’s “If I was your Girlfriend”, the effect of L.A. Reid and Babyface on the Atlanta music scene, recent controversial issues experienced by Left-Eye, and what made TLC stand out.

“I really wouldn’t say there is a group out like us.  For one thing, we’ve been trendsetters with the way we dress, and the things we talk about.  The success we’ve had coming across with safe sex and the things we’ve chosen to talk about.

 We’ve made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.  I’m serious about what I talk about.  But it does make me feel good to make people smile. I put out music for whoever wants to accept it.  

I didn’t know dressing as I dress people were gonna want to follow, and I didn’t know I was gonna become a role model, but now that I have I’m cool with it.”

The book does not have an official release date, but once that information is known, we will post an update!

In the mean time, check out Harris Rosen’s other Behind the Music Tales e-books here: Behind the Music Tales