TLC

With their playful blend of R&B, hip-hop and soul, headline-grabbing trio TLC overcame bankruptcy, serious illness and chaotic personal lives to become one of the biggest and most distinctive girl groups of all time. Vocalists Tionne Watkins (T-Boz) and Rozanda Thomas (Chilli) and rapper Lisa Lopes (Left Eye) first came together in 1991, and after signing deals with manager Perri 'Pebbles' Reid and label LaFace Records, released their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, a year later. Peaking at No.6 on the Billboard 200 and spawning three Top 10 singles, the record showcased a quirkier take on the predominantly male New Jack Swing sound, and was matched perfectly by a colorful fashion sense which saw Lopes wear a condom over her left eye as a form of promoting safe sex. Its accompanying tour was cut short when T-Boz revealed she suffered from sickle cell anaemia, and the band's soap opera-esque drama continued when an alcoholic Left Eye was convicted of arson after burning down the house of her footballer boyfriend, Andre Rison. Despite all the behind-the-scenes instability, TLC returned stronger than ever in 1994 with CrazySexyCool, an instant classic which toned down the cartoonish nature of their debut in favor of a sophisticated soulful sound which brilliantly utilized T-Boz and Chilli's contrasting vocal styles. The album produced two number one singles in the shape of "Creep" and "Waterfalls," with the socially-conscious promo for the latter also seeing TLC become the first ever black act to win the MTV VMAs Video of the Year. But despite selling a whopping 23 million copies worldwide, the trio were then forced to file for bankruptcy, largely due to the rather unfavorable management contract they had signed early on in their career. The group eventually broke free from the deal, and after similarly fraught negotiations with producer Dallas Thomas, headed into the studio to record their third LP. Reaching number one in 1999, FanMail once again saw TLC change the face of R&B with a slick futuristic sound which resulted in another two chart-topping hits ("No Scrubs," "Unpretty"), two Grammys and the highest-grossing tour by a girlband in US history. However, the TLC story took a tragic turn in 2002 when just a year after releasing her solo debut, Lopes died in a car crash while filming a documentary in Honduras. T-Boz and Chilli vowed to complete the fourth LP they were in the midst of recording, and although 3D failed to match the success of its predecessors, it still proved to be a respectable swansong. The duo intermittently revived TLC throughout the decade, including on a talent show designed to find a temporary replacement for Lopes, "R U The Girl" (UPN, 2005), the 2008 BET Awards and a joint tour with New Kids on the Block and Nelly dubbed The Main Event, while a 2013 VH1 biopic saw several of their albums return to the charts. In 2015, T-Boz and Chilli launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund their fifth LP.