Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story

In 1990 in Atlanta, Tionne Watkins Drew Sidora’s friend Marie Davis persuades her to audition for a LaFace Records girl group Ian Burke is forming. Although initially hesitant, she brings Crystal Jones Brooke Montalvo, the group’s founder, to meet her rapper friend Lisa Lopes Lil Mama. The three audition in January 1991 for Perri “Pebbles” Reid Rochelle Aytes and her husband Antonio “L.A.” Reid Carl Anthony Payne II, co-founders of LaFace, who approve Tionne and Lisa. Lisa calls her family in Philadelphia but learns her father Ronald has died. Later that year, Rozonda Thomas Keke Palmer, a backup dancer for Damian Dame, notices Pebbles speaking with her dance teacher; she rushes over and astonishes everyone by her vocal power. She meets Lisa, Tionne, and Tionne’s longtime friend, music producer Dallas Austin Evan Ross; the four quickly bond and successfully audition with “What About Your Friends.” To preserve the TLC brand, Rozonda is rechristened as “Chilli.”

Pebbles informs the trio that they will be compensated beyond their weekly $25 stipend once records start selling and tickets to shows begin to accumulate. Before heading out for a meeting one day, she instructs Dallas to keep the girls rehearsing, but instead he stirs up a food fight with them and begins a romance with Chilli in a sound booth. Pebbles reprimands the quartet for their unruly conduct upon her return, suspends Chilli, and announces auditions to replace her. Dallas consoles an upset Chilli, and their attraction intensifies into a sexual moment. After she is reinstated, she discovers she is pregnant and ultimately undergoes an abortion. Once she recovers, the group shoots the music video for their debut single “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” from their first album Oooooooh… On the TLC Tip. Midway through their successful first nationwide tour in 1992, Tionne is hospitalized after a post-concert collapse backstage. She publicly reveals her sickle cell anemia, facing a grim prognosis with quiet resilience. Upon returning, the trio decides to buy Pebbles out to gain more artistic freedom for future projects.

In 1993, the girls begin recording their second album CrazySexyCool. At a nightclub one night, Lisa meets Andre Rison, a wide receiver for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. In 1994, Chilli discovers another woman’s pregnancy with Dallas’s child, pouring her heartbreak into “Creep.” On June 8, Dallas reconciles with Chilli, while Lisa’s friend notices newly purchased tennis shoes on Andre’s bed; she retaliates by burning them in the bathtub, unintentionally torching the house. Lisa is sentenced to five years of probation and fined $10,000, but she is released during her rehabilitation for two recording sessions with Tionne and Chilli, contributing an introspective rap verse to their biggest hit “Waterfalls.”

After the trio announce their bankruptcy at the 1996 Grammys, Lisa details owing $200,000 under an unfair contract. Their new manager, Bill Diggins Donny Boaz, offers them a worldwide headlining tour and a better profit margin for their next record. During the recording of their third album FanMail, Chilli gives birth to her and Dallas’s son, Tron, in 1997. In 1998, during a sickle-cell scare, Tionne pens a poem that explores a woman’s self-image issues and the unreal ideals of beauty, which becomes “Unpretty.” During the recording, Chilli breaks up with Dallas, signaling a tougher path ahead.

In October 1999, Lisa challenges Tionne and Chilli over who is the group’s most successful solo member. After a confrontation before a scheduled TRL appearance, Bill urges her to settle in-group issues or risk bankruptcy again. In February 2000, Lisa travels to Honduras for spiritual healing and begins work on her debut solo album Supernova. Later, Tionne gives birth to her daughter Chase, while Lisa’s struggles with international reception push the group to rally around each other and prepare for their next studio efforts.

By early 2002, the group is recording their fourth album 3D, with Tionne and Chilli adapting to motherhood while Lisa contributes rap verses to several tracks before heading back to Honduras for further spiritual healing. On April 25, the trio faces a devastating blow when they learn that Lisa has died in a car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras, while filming her documentary. The remaining duo vow to stay together, and a decade later they reunite in the studio to craft what would become their next chapter, proving that friendship and music can endure even the deepest losses.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:05