3D | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 10, 2002 | |||
Recorded | May 2001 – July 2002 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 49:32 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Producer | ||||
TLC chronology | ||||
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Singles from 3D | ||||
3D is the fourth studio album by American girl group TLC, released on October 10, 2002, by Arista Records. Recorded from May 2001 to July 2002, much of the album was finalized after the death of member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, with her unreleased material that she had recorded for her solo albums Supernova and N.I.N.A. being reworked into new songs. Remaining group members Rozonda Thomas and Tionne Watkins enlisted Dallas Austin, Babyface, Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, Raphael Saadiq, Missy Elliott and Timbaland to work on the album.
The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 and at number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 143,000 copies in its first week of release, and was met with positive reviews from critics. It has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 3D earned TLC two Grammy Award nominations and spawned three singles, including "Girl Talk", peaking at number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart; "Hands Up", which peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and "Damaged", which managed to peak at number 19 on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart.
During and after the release of TLC's third studio album, FanMail (1999), Lopes made it known to the press on multiple occasions that she felt that she was unable to fully express herself working with the group. Her contributions to the songs had been reduced to periodic eight-bar raps, and studio session singers such as Debra Killings often took her place on the background vocals for the group's songs. In its November 26, 1999, issue, Entertainment Weekly ran a letter from Lopes that challenged her group mates to record solo albums and let the fans judge which of the three was the most talented:
"I challenge Tionne 'Player' Watkins and Rozonda 'Hater' Thomas to an album entitled The Challenge. A 3 CD set that contains three solo albums. Each [album]... will be due to the record label by October 1, 2000... I also challenge Dallas 'The Manipulator' Austin to produce all of the material and do it at a fraction of his normal rate. As I think about it, I'm sure LaFace would not mind throwing in a 1.5 million dollar prize for the winner." [3]
Watkins and Thomas declined to take up Lopes' challenge, [4] though Lopes always maintained it was a great idea. Things were heated between the women for some time, with Thomas speaking out against Lopes, calling her antics "selfish", "evil", and "heartless". [5] TLC then addressed these fights by saying that they were very much like sisters that occasionally have their disagreements; as Lopes stated, "It's deeper than a working relationship. We have feelings for each other, which is why we get so mad at each other. I usually say that you cannot hate someone unless you love them. So, we love each other. That's the problem." The women eventually settled the feud, and The Challenge was never followed through. After the conclusion of the successful FanMail Tour, the women, however, took some time off and pursued personal interests. Lopes was the first to begin recording her solo album, Supernova , though it underperformed internationally and was never released in the United States.
During this time period, Thomas had begun working on a solo project until she realized that rumors of TLC's demise had taken over in the media. It was then that Thomas made a call to LaFace label-head L.A. Reid to discuss working on TLC's fourth studio album. After contacting Watkins, and soon after, Lopes, sessions for 3D began in May 2001. However, soon after recording had begun, sessions came to a halt, as Lopes began work on her second studio album, known as N.I.N.A. (New Identity Non Applicable). In January 2002, as Watkins was hospitalized due to complications stemming from her ongoing battle with sickle cell anemia, Lopes eventually came to visit her in the hospital and went back to the studio to record raps for 3D. In April 2002, as Watkins' condition improved greatly, Lopes went to Honduras to do missionary work and also record a documentary film about her life. [6]
On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a car crash, leaving behind material that she had recorded for both N.I.N.A. and 3D. Watkins and Thomas decided to use three of Lopes' newly recorded raps that were specifically recorded for the album ("Quickie", "Girl Talk", and "Who's It Gonna Be?"); the other songs that feature her in it were unreleased raps from her solo album sessions. The unreleased vocals were featured on the songs "Quickie", "Over Me" and "Give It to Me While It's Hot".
Watkins and Thomas decided that they would complete the remainder of their fourth album, to be called 3D, which featured production from Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, Raphael Saadiq, Missy Elliott and Timbaland. The decision was also made that TLC would continue on as a duo rather than replace Lopes. The group went on a hiatus, but announced in 2009 that they would possibly begin recording a fifth studio album. [7]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 71/100 [8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [9] |
Entertainment.ie | [10] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [1] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Slant Magazine | [12] |
Vibe | [13] |
3D received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 14 reviews. [8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic praised the album as "one of the best modern soul albums of 2002" and called it "a bittersweet triumph". He found that while 3D "perhaps doesn't blaze trails like their other albums, it never plays it safe and it always satisfies." [2] Andy Battaglia of The A.V. Club wrote that "in spite of a slim body of songs and an occasionally half-finished feel, the group stakes a solid claim to the riches of future-soul with 3D, leaving a distinct stamp on even its weakest material with gorgeous singing built around the understated grace of '60s girl groups." [14]
Billboard magazine found that "with 3D, TLC has crafted a fitting tribute to a departed sister", calling it "a nearly perfect collection." [15] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly remarked that "thanks to such hired guns as the Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins, TLC have made a better post-tragedy album than expected. 3D is a smorgasbord of modern R&B that ranges from silky to retro." He noted however that the album "still, feels a little incomplete, like much of their work." [1] Rolling Stone writer Barry Walters concluded that "the album isn't the romp it might have been had Lopes survived, but 3D solidly embodies black pop in a year in which it has lacked a center." [11] Dorian Lynskey from Blender felt that "3D's sheer creative vibrancy is itself a testament to Lopes's live-wire charisma", while Dimitri Ehrlich from Vibe noted that "while the CD is consistently well-produced and performed, the material recorded before Lopes's death [...] is simply darker, sexier, and angrier." [13]
In the United States, 3D debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and at number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [16] Selling 143,000 copies, it sold less than half of the first-week total scored by previous album FanMail (1999), which had opened at number one on the chart with 318,000 units. [16] It also marked TLC's lowest-charting album since Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992). [16] On December 10, 2002, 3D was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of one million copies. [17] By November 2004, the album had sold 680,000 units in the United States, [18] As of July 2017 it has sold 693,000 copies, according to Billboard . [19]
Internationally, 3D failed to reach the top 40 on the majority of the charts it appeared on, except Canada, where it managed to debut and peak at number 31 on the Canadian Albums Chart. [20] Nevertheless, the album was particularly successful in Japan, reaching number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in November 2002. [21] [22]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "3D" (intro) | Dallas Austin | Austin | 2:25 |
2. | "Quickie" | Austin | 4:19 | |
3. | "Girl Talk" |
| Eddie Hustle | 3:34 |
4. | "Turntable" |
| R. Jerkins | 3:25 |
5. | "In Your Arms Tonight" | Pharrell Williams | The Neptunes | 4:24 |
6. | "Over Me" |
| R. Jerkins | 4:17 |
7. | "Hands Up" |
| 3:48 | |
8. | "Damaged" |
| Austin | 3:51 |
9. | "Dirty Dirty" |
| 3:40 | |
10. | "So So Dumb" |
| 4:05 | |
11. | "Good Love" |
| Hustle | 4:12 |
12. | "Hey Hey Hey Hey" |
| R. Jerkins | 4:05 |
13. | "Give It to Me While It's Hot" |
| Organized Noize | 3:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Get Away" |
| Organized Noize | 4:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Girl Talk" (music video) |
| Hustle | 3:34 |
2. | "Hands Up" (music video) |
|
| 3:48 |
3. | "Damaged" (music video) |
| Austin | 3:51 |
4. | "Who's It Gonna Be?" |
| R. Jerkins | 4:00 |
5. | "Interview Footage" |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of 3D. [24]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [22] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [17] | Platinum | 693,000 [19] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label |
---|---|---|
Europe and Japan | October 10, 2002 | Arista |
United States | November 12, 2002 |
Lisa Nicole Lopes, better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping and singing on TLC recordings, Lopes was the creative force behind the group, receiving more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed some of their outfits and the stage for their FanMail Tour and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.
TLC is an American girl group formed in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The group's best-known line-up was composed of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The group enjoyed success during the 1990s, with nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty". The group also recorded four multi-platinum albums, including CrazySexyCool (1994), which received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). TLC became the first R&B group in history to receive the million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for FanMail (1999).
CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip in 1992 to positive reviews and commercial success. The group began working on a follow-up in 1993 but experienced an unproductive recording process due to personal issues, notably those of member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who was struggling with alcoholism and her volatile relationship with football player Andre Rison. The album's recording lasted until September 1994, with Lopes' role diminished while she was in rehab.
FanMail is the third studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 23, 1999, by LaFace and Arista Records. The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans who sent them fan mail during their hiatus. FanMail debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 318,000 copies in its first week of release, and spent five weeks at number one.
The Heat is the third studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on April 25, 2000, by LaFace Records. The album marked Braxton's departure from her ballads in favor of a more urban sound. Most of the songs were written and produced by Braxton and her husband Keri Lewis ; two ballads were penned by Diane Warren, and collaborations featured rappers Dr. Dre and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.
Tionne Tenese Watkins, known professionally as T-Boz, is an American singer. Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC.
"Waterfalls" is a song by American hip-hop group TLC, released by LaFace and Arista as the third single from their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), in May 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on July 24, 1995.
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. The title of the album comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".
Now & Forever: The Hits is the first greatest hits album by American girl group TLC. It was released by Arista Records on September 30, 2003, in Japan, on November 24, 2003, in the United Kingdom and on June 21, 2005, in North America. It was initially meant to be titled Still Crazy...Always Sexy...Forever Cool and was planned for a November 25, 2003 release in the United States.
"Girl Talk" is a song by American group TLC. It was written by band members Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins along with Anita McLoud, Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement, and Kandi Burruss for the group's fourth studio album, 3D (2002). Recorded a few days before Lopes' death in April 2002, production on the song was helmed by Clement. Lyrically, "Girl Talk" has the protagonist warning men that if they lack in the bedroom, it will spread on the street amongst the women.
"Creep" is a song recorded by American singing group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). Dallas Austin, who tried to write the track from a "female perspective", wrote and produced it. It is based on member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins's experience with infidelity. The lyrics portray the singers as women who cheat on their unfaithful lovers for "some affection". This context was controversial within the group, and strongly opposed by member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who threatened to wear black tape over her mouth on its accompanying music video.
R U the Girl is an American reality television music competition series that aired on UPN in 2005. The series featured Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, the remaining members of the all-girl R&B group TLC whose former member, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, died in a car crash in Honduras in 2002. Initially promoted by the network as a contest to replace Lopes 3 years after her death, both Watkins and Thomas clarified that the winner of the contest would not be joining TLC full-time and would not be a full-time replacement member; the winner would only provide guest vocals on a new single by the duo.
"Dear Lie" is a song by American group TLC. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and band member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins for the trio's third studio album FanMail (1999), featuring production by Edmonds. The song was released as the album's third and final single on December 6, 1999, peaking at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top 40 in several other countries. "Dear Lie" is included on the group's 2009 compilation album, We Love TLC.
"Baby-Baby-Baby" is a song by American girl group TLC. It was the second single released from their debut studio album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992), and their second consecutive top-10 hit. It was the most successful single from the album, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, giving them their first number-one single on that chart.
"I'm Good at Being Bad" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC for their third album FanMail. It was released as a promotional single when "No Scrubs" was distributed to radio. Despite not being commercially released, the track peaked within the top 40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is characterized by its contrasting alternation of soft romantic melody and hard rap with explicit lyrics, as performed by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and others of the group.
"Hands Up" a song by American girl group TLC. It was written and produced by both Babyface and Daryl Simmons for the band's fourth studio album, 3D (2002). A sensual mid-tempo song that deals with romantic betrayal, it was selected and released as the album's second single in the United States on February 3, 2003, following lead single "Girl Talk" (2002). Arista Records consulted several producers to remix the song for its single release, including Richard X, LaMarquis Jefferson, and Jermaine Dupri.
"Let's Just Do It" is a posthumous single by American singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and is the lead single from her posthumous album, Eye Legacy. Originally recorded by Lopes and her TLC groupmate Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins in 1998 for the group's third studio album FanMail, the track was shelved until 2009, when it was remixed to feature new vocals from fellow member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and rapper Missy Elliott.
"Kick Your Game" is a song recorded by the American group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). The "funky" R&B-dance track was written by frequent group collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal and member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. On August 26, 1995 it was picked by LaFace and Arista Records for release as a promotional airplay single from the album. In the song's lyrics, TLC teaches boys who flirt in a club "the proper way to approach a lady"; Lopes' rap verses reportedly referred to then-boyfriend Andre Rison, whose house she burned down during the making of CrazySexyCool.
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story is a 2013 American biographical television film about the R&B and hip hop musical trio TLC. Directed by Charles Stone III, written by Kate Lanier, and named after the group's 1994 album CrazySexyCool, the film stars Keke Palmer as Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Niatia "Lil Mama" Kirkland as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Drew Sidora as Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. The real-life Thomas and Watkins also served as executive producers of the film.
TLC is the fifth and final studio album by American girl group TLC, released on June 30, 2017, by their label 852 Musiq. TLC partnered with various distribution companies: Sony Music RED, Liberation Music (Australia), Warner Music Group (Japan), and Cooking Vinyl. TLC is mainly a pop and R&B album with 1990s music influences. It is their first studio album in 15 years following the 2002 release of 3D.
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