Cardi B returns to dominate the music industry in 2021! Fresh from her record-breaking, tongue-in-cheek “WAP” single featuring Megan Thee Stallion, six months ago in 2020, the ‘certified freak’ returns with another smash in the making, in the form of her new single, “Up“.
The accompanying music video doesn’t disappoint either, showing Cardi’s many creative looks and styles, and she once again pays some not-so-subtle homage to Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and the legendary TLC, most notably Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in particular.
In this music flick, Cardi is dressed in a black studded leather bodysuit, reminiscent to the look TLC rocked in their 1999 smash music video, “No Scrubs“, complete with a hairstyle that you could only previously imagine Left Eye to be wearing.
Cardi is not shy about her TLC admiration, either. She most recently wore a Left Eye-inspired hairstyle in her “WAP” video, and has worn similar styles to tribute Left Eye at her debut Coachella performance in 2018. TLC are big fans of the “Bodak Yellow” rapper and have both praised and entertained the idea of possibly collaborating with her in the future.
“I don’t usually like to collaborate with females, and the reason why is because of Lisa,” Chilli said. “That is just a little weird for me, personally. But I think with Cardi B, she is an exception to the rule. TLC and Cardi B all day long. We’ve gotten a lot of love from Cardi. It’s really an honor.”
“Up” is lifted from Cardi B’s as-yet untitled sophomore album, the follow-up to 2018’s multi-platinum, Grammy-award winning debut album ,’Invasion Of Privacy’. Pre-order the limited edition CD single here.
What do you think of Cardi B’s “Up” and her Left Eye tribute?
CLARKSTON, MICHIGAN – AUGUST TLC perform onstage at DTE Energy Music Theater on August 17, 2019 in Clarkston, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton)
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins gave her fans a treat with a surprise appearance on her Instagram Live today (Jan 17, 2021). The gorgeous singer-songwriter had a brief catch up with fans, whilst she sat in a dimmed room in the new home she recently moved into in Atlanta.
T-Boz gave a few fans the opportunity to speak to her directly on camera during the Instagram Live session, which warmed the hearts of every star-struck fan that was randomly selected to talk to her.
During the quick session, a fan asked her when TLC would be heading back on tour. T-Boz made it very clear that her health is paramount, so she will not be doing anything to put herself or her family at risk of contracting coronavirus — but she is still very open to working from home remotely via Zoom.
“I’m not doing a thing until every fucking cootie is gone!”, T-Boz admits. “Until then, I’m gonna be on Zoom working and behind the scenes somewhere, anything I can do from the crib”.
TLC in a remote performance of “Baby-Baby-Baby” with DJ Cassidy in 2020
“On a serious note, we all have pre-existing conditions”, T-Boz reveals. “My daughter has Lupus and Sjögren’s, I have sickle cell and my mom had cancer, Lupus — she got a whole God damn list! We can’t afford to catch one cootie”.
T-Boz also reveals that her brother, Carnoy “Kayo” Watkins, is currently recovering from COVID-19 with his family and are on lockdown, so she is unable to see him for the time being. “They are doing good, and that’s a blessing. But, I have had a lot of people lose people and stuff, and I can’t have that”, T-Boz says. “I’m not about to let that [happen to] my family — and people be getting offended and I feel like, fuck your feelings. Have a coke and a smile and get over it! (laughs)”.
Another fan, who was a school teacher, touched on the beauty of home schooling, as it can be beneficial to children, as they are receiving the undivided attention and care of their loved ones, at a pace that is suitable for them. T-Boz co-signed and said that she herself is more of a visual learner, as are her kids, daughter Chase Rolison, and baby son Chance, who was present with his mom having a fun time talking with the fans.
Tionne’s kids Chase and Chance
T-Boz states that because of her lifestyle, travelling the world, her kids don’t have a regular lifestyle because they usually join her on the road, so home schooling is perfect for them. “I think [Chance] will do better at my pace, at our pace, at our time because we’re not morning people, at all”, T-Boz says.
“I have rock and roll babies, it’s just the way it is and it’s how we work. Because their mother stays up late — that’s my job. They travel on tour buses with me — that’s my life. So, it became theirs by default”.
TLC are currently working on the A&E documentary “BIOgraphy: TLC“, set to air on the network later on in the year, which will be directed by Matt Kay, and executive-produced by Roger Ross Williams.
In the meantime, for some more T-Boz love, feel free to hit her up on Cameo! You can request a special personalized video shout out from the ‘T’ of TLC, or send her text messages to show your appreciation to the legendary lady.
We wish Kayo and his family a very speedy recovery!
Stay tuned for further details about live shows that have been postponed due to the pandemic.
With 2020 coming to a close, it has become a modern tradition for music listeners and users of the music streaming platform Spotify to share the results of the complete listening pattern for the year.
‘Spotify Wrapped‘ gives a retrospective round-up for each user on their listening habits from the last year. The annual snapshot usually very quickly trends on social media, with each person sharing their individual ‘Spotify Wrapped’ insights.
The best era, the 1990’s, produced some great titles in the list, especially the top female tracks, where TLC scored big, landing at No.2 with their super smash, “No Scrubs“, just behind the Spice Girls‘ “Wannabe”.
Destiny’s Child came 3rd with 1999’s “Say My Name”, making the top 3 a complete all girl group trump. The remaining list comprised of solo artists including Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion.
“No Scrubs” actually reached a new milestone this year, when it achieved 500 million streams on Spotify. The track was also announced to be x5 platinum by the RIAA. 2020 has been a continued blessing to TLC.
Top streamed ’90s songs by female artists in 2020:
1. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls (1996)
2. “No Scrubs” by TLC (1999)
3. “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child (1999)
4. “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears (1998)
5. “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia (1997)
6. “Believe” by Cher (1998)
7. “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain (1998)
8. “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” by Shania Twain (1999)
9. “Because You Loved Me (Theme from Up Close and Personal)” by Celine Dion (1996)
10. “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez (1999)
Find out what your listening style has been like this year on Spotify and share your results on social media!
After months of speculation we can finally reveal that the TLC Funko Pop! Rocks are styled as the girls in the iconic “Waterfalls” video! They come with limited editon Chase variants in a translucent style, replicating the scenes of the video where the ladies turn into water!
The estimated release date for the Pops are scheduled for January 2021. Chase Pops are sent at random with a 1 in 6 chance of obtaining one, so you may have to get lucky or order 6 at a time to get one!
‘Chase’ is what they refer to as linited edition. These Pops are harder to find and sent in orders at random, which usually cannot be reserved unless specified by the retailer.