Back in the 1990s, TLC became the top-selling girl group of all time, so they had some power. So much power, in fact, that once when the group didn't get money owed them by their record label, they held storied record executive Clive Davis at gunpoint. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins recently hit up comedian Monique's late night show to spill the beans behind this moment in TLC's colorful history.
"TLC had generated, on 'Crazy Sexy Cool,' $75 million and they gave us $50,000 a piece," Watkins said. "I was like, what the hell? So, of course, Lisa ['Left Eye' Lopes] was the ringleader, like, 'We need to go get our money. I need to know where my money is at!'"
"We had the limo driver, he was the getaway car," Watkins continued. "So we went up there, and Puffy was the one that snitched us out because we kicked him out of the meeting. It was rude -- we interrupted Puffy's meeting. We were getting sick and sweating, and we were really working hard for [the] money and we wanted to know who the hell had our check. [LaFace Records head] L.A. [Reid] said [then-Arista chief] Clive had it, [so] that's where we went."
In the end, the girls prevailed and, lucky for them, weren't arrested for their stickup. "They did give us some money, but they still took it back and recouped it, but it's all good," she explained. "You live and learn in the business."
Since the 2002 death of Lopes, the group famous for hits like 'Waterfalls' and 'No Scrubs' has maintained a low profile. Last weekend, T-Boz and fellow surviving member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas performed their first concert in seven years at the Justin Timberlake and Friends charity event in Las Vegas.
T-Boz and Chilli are currently prepping an upcoming tour.









Reader Comments(1 of 8)
smexieat 10-24-2009
aww..
Princess Tat 10-24-2009
puffy is a snitch well im not surprised to here that but to hold clive davis at gun point is one of the dumbest thing ive ever heard how u gonna hold somebody up at gun point and your not wearing a disguise and this person knows who you are and where you live thats why those dumb ass girls got jerked because the made stupid ass decisions nobody told them to sign a contract that will only give you 2 cents for every dollar you make
VeXXedat 10-24-2009
can it be proven they had em held up at gun point? if not its heresay. 50k for over 75mil in sales? lol.... i would turn into biggie... someone has got to do die. lol. naw, but people are still screwing over other people and expecting the ones who get screwed to just take it..... imho, thats ALOT of hopeful thinking
musicmasterno1at 10-24-2009
Ummm...veXXed?? I don't think you quite understand the concept of "hearsay". Hearsay is when a third party claims to have heard the first party say something and tells it to the second party.
When the "defendant" admits outright to holding up Clive Davis at gunpoint, that is not "hearsay", it is CONFESSION.
With that being said, I guess you can take the girls out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the girls.
lilrdvet2at 10-25-2009
Typical thugs...you can take the girl outta the hood, but you can't take the hood outta the girl...any normal person would have gotten a lawyer and got their money PLUS some for the rip-off...as it was, they lost the money they garnered at gunpoint and never got paid what was due them...all in all, I've lost total respect for Clive...makes me wonder who else he ripped off...as for Puffy snitchin'?...I thought that snitches get stitches...why not in his case?...hummm
peteskswisdomat 10-24-2009
Latiefa,
You should write for the New York Times, girlfriend cause you make up nice stories. I have a suggestion, next time write, bitches don't care bout no contract,and shit, cause they be gettin their money.
lilrdvet2at 10-25-2009
Ahhh...but they didn't get their money...re-read the article...had they as much brains as they had talent...they'd have gotten their money PLUS some for the rip off and could have expose Clive Davis at the same time...damned if I wouldn't have!!
jimrtnhse2at 10-24-2009
Tnb at its best.
haroldlynnat 10-24-2009
In the ghetto!!!!!!!!!
rip300rogat 10-24-2009
From reading this little tidbit it would seem that violence permeates black culture from the slums to the penthouses. Way to go.......
cumo01at 10-24-2009
Weak people such as yourselves always turn it into a race issue. Serial killers and mass murderers seem to all come from white culture . From the trailer park to the corperate offices.Blacks have more balls and stand up for themselves.Indured years of abuse and discrimination. Whites talk about it and use cowardly ways to get even. Shooting up malls,work places and killing children in florida.Check yourselves.
Jakeat 10-24-2009
"Weak people such as yourself always turn it into a race issue." You say that, and then proceed to go on a racist rant about white people. Check yoself.
tyrebitreat 10-24-2009
And from reading YOUR little tidbit, it would seem that ignorance and bigotry permeates your family from your 12th cousins, twice removed from your uncle's brother's wife's half-sister to your cross-eyed, hemophiliac siblings. Way to go ------
But then, perhaps both of us are generalizing just a tad based on too little solid info ?
rip300rogat 10-24-2009
testing
jaguar6cyat 10-24-2009
Very interesting story illustrating our many cultural differences.