TLC—comprised of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas—rocketed to fame in the 1990s, and is one of the best-selling American girl groups of all time, with over 85 million records sold worldwide. They've created several multiplatinum albums and received multiple Grammy Awards.
With hits like "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs," and "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," the group is also praised for promoting female empowerment, self-determination, and sexual agency while meshing R&B, hip-hop, and pop to deliver their messages in a easily digestible, radio-friendly way.
From creating chart-topping hits to inspiring long-lasting fashion trends, the best-selling group's legacy—as well as their obstacles, controversy and tragedy, including the death of Left Eye—will be uncovered in TLC Forever. The special is available to stream now in the Lifetime app.
Here are eight lesser-known facts about the iconic girl group:
Their first appearance as a trio was on the TV show Yo! MTV Raps in 1992.
Known as the first national showcase of hip-hop culture, the two-hour music video show Yo! MTV Raps, then hosted by VJs Ed Lover and Doctor Dré, gave TLC their first on-screen interview. As told by Chilli in the VH1 rock doc Yo!: The Story of Yo! MTV Raps, "…that was like a huge accomplishment for us to be on a show like that…and more people started to recognize us…."
They starred in several TV shows and movies as a group and individually.
Ahead of, and after, the release of their hit album CrazySexyCool the trio was offered a number of guest roles in culturally significant movies like House Party 3 and Belly as well as spots on episodes of Living Single and That's 70s Show.
In 2004, Chilli starred in a groundbreaking episode of The Parkers, playing a character who was living with HIV. Given the group's support of HIV/ AIDs awareness and safe sex, this role was close to Chilli's heart.
T-Boz and Chilli also dipped their toes into reality television both as a duo and individually during the genre's global popularity with celebrities in the 2000s.
In 2005, three years after the death of Left Eye, the pair was featured on the short-lived series R U the Girl, where they auditioned singers to include as guest vocalists on a new single with the duo.
From 2010 to 2011, Chilli starred in two seasons of her own reality show called What Chilli Wants, that focused on her finding love. T-Boz also launched a four-episode reality show in 2013, Totally T-Boz, that followed her personal life and music career.
As a jack of all trades, Left Eye was a trained pianist and often showcased her skills when performing with TLC.
In The Last Days of Left Eye, a documentary that captured her final days before dying in a car crash in Honduras in 2002, Left Eye described coming from a multi-talented and hyper creative family. Her late father's side had a rich history in jazz, while her mother's side was artistically inclined.
A self-sufficient toddler, Left Eye started playing piano by ear at age four and then progressed to classical compositions. In 1990 when she moved to Atlanta from Philadelphia to pursue her music career, she only brought a few hundred dollars and her keyboard.
Aside from being the creative mind and rapper of TLC, Left Eye played the piano in a few of the group's performances, most notably in a solo during the song "Crazy" while on TLC's FanMail tour.
T-Boz is a poet and published author.
T-Boz has written two books about her life, including Thoughts (1999), a collection of poems and essays, and A Sick Life: TLC 'n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage (2017), a memoir chronicling her life and career, including her battle with sickle cell anemia.
Included in Thoughts is "Unpretty," a poem authored by T-Boz that was inspired by a talk show episode about body shaming. The poem was adapted into the group's hit single of the same name.
T-Boz later appeared on a talk show (not the one that inspired the poem) to offer advice on body dysmorphia.
Before she became the "C" in TLC, Chili was a background dancer for the R&B duo Damian Dame.
According to the 2013 biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, Chilli started her entertainment career as a backup dancer for the group Damian Dame, which was the first act signed under Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds' LaFace Records in 1991.
As L.A. and Babyface were also looking to sign TLC to their label, they said they wanted to replace original member Crystal Jones.
In a 2017 interview with Billboard, Chilli says she knew L.A. and Babyface were looking for a replacement for the group so she performed an on-the-spot audition after telling them she could sing.
Chili hasn't left her dancing past behind her—she continues to post videos of herself busting a move on social media platforms.
Prince once called TLC his "favorite group" and granted them permission to cover his songs.
Not only was Prince one of TLC's great influences, but the adoration was publicly reciprocated when the legendary artist introduced the trio at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, calling them his "favorite" group.
In addition to his praise, Prince allowed TLC to cover two of his songs in the 1990s: "Get It Up" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend." He also joined the group on stage during a New York City show.
In an interview with People Magazine, T-Boz said that Prince was always supportive of their career and "had their backs" during the groups legal woes with LaFace Records in the mid-1990s.
TLC’s final album was released independently and funded through a Kickstarter campaign.
In January 2015, a newly independent TLC—comprised at the time of just T-Boz and Chilli—launched a Kickstarter campaign and reached out to fans with an initial goal of raising $150,000. The campaign aimed to fund a "writing session in the studio with a producer and engineer," with any additional money to go toward hiring producers, mixing sessions, etc.
Ultimately, the pair reached their initial goal in 72 hours and raised a total of $430,000 in donations, making their campaign the most successful and most rapidly funded pop music project on Kickstarter's platform. Notable celebrities who contributed to their campaign included Katy Perry, Bette Midler, Soulja Boy, Justin Timberlake and the New Kids on the Block. Two years later, on June 30, 2017, TLC released their final studio project TLC with leading single "Way Back," featuring Snoop Dogg.
TLC has won piles of awards from the music industry.
Throughout the band's history, they've won a total of four Grammy Awards and received over a dozen nominations. In 1996, they won Best R&B Album for CrazySexyCool and Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Creep." In 2000 they won Best R&B Album for Fanmail and Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for "No Scrubs."
Throughout the '90s they received a number of MTV Video Music Awards, including in 1995 for Best R&B Video, Best Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice for "Waterfalls" as well as Best Group. They've also been recognized with wins from the Billboard Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, American Music Awards and others.