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TLC kicked off their CrazySexyCool Celebration tour over the Labor Day weekend, showcasing many songs from their landmark 1994 album, CrazySexyCool.
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas says that she and T-Boz did most of the work on the iconic album, with limited input from Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, who was in rehab after burning down the house of her boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons football star Andre Rison.
“It’s so crazy because Lisa could come to the studio to record, but had to go back to the facility and she was on probation for five years,” Chili tells USA Today. “Looking back, when you’re in your 20s, you don’t even think about how serious something like that really was.”
Despite Left Eye’s limited participation, CrazySexyCool became a massive hit, going on to sell over 12 million copies — making it the best-selling album ever by a girl group. It also earned the trio two Grammys: Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Creep.”
Chilli recalls that before the album was released, she knew it would make history.
“We had a listening party in New York and I remember one of the guys at Arista Records was being so sweet and saying, ‘This is really good — it might sell five million copies,’ and I was like, ‘Nuh-uh, we’re going to surpass that!'” she says. “When I heard [the album], I knew it was special, that the entire album was going to show people that we’re here to stay.”
In addition to “Creep,” CrazySexyCool included the hits “Red Light Special,” “Diggin’ On You,” and their signature song, “Waterfalls.” Sadly, Left Eye died in a 2002 car crash.
TLC’s CrazySexyCool Celebration tour, which features 18 shows, winds down October 10 in Concord, California.
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