Player Magazine

NO ONE HAS EVER ACCUSED TLC’S LEFT EYE OF BEING SHY. BRASH AND OUTSPOKEN, SHE GIVES UP THE GOODS ABOUT HER LIFE, CAREER, AND FONDNESS FOR THUG NIGGAS.

Is this just Hollywood or have you always had this vivacious bubbly personality? I have a dual personality. In my private life, I’m totally the opposite of my public persona. Not introverted, but quiet. Chillin’. Peepin’ everybody else out. I’m either the center of attention or I’m checking out the center of attention. So whenever the occasion calls for me to do what I gotta do, it comes natural. I don’t have to think twice about it, it just happens.

It’s hard for me to imagine you being… ..The other way, I know. Well, see all of this is in front of cameras. Maybe if you hung out with me and my friends, I would be the person I am now, but not so loud. I’m not a comedian.

Do you have friends in California? No, MTV was gonna put me up here by myself, so I invited my assistant to come out here with me.

Do you go out at all? I have never seen you at industry parties or clubs. Hollywood’s not that large, so you usually see the same faces. Every once in a blue moon.

Don’t you get lonely for some new people and experiences? I’m never alone.

Is it just you and your assistant? Usually, my boyfriend is out here with me.

How long have you two been together? Me and him, uh, think it’s going on 70 days – give or take a few.

You know, if this was a job, that would be the probation period. [Laughs.] Right, you know what I’m saying? First 90 days.

So how’s he doing so far? Would you recommend him for a full-time position? It didn’t take me long. It didn’t take me 90 days.

How long did it take? Well for him, it took me about 90 minutes.

Is that right? So, after the first date it was like, “why are we messing around”? [Smiles.] Well, he’s pretty aggressive.

So, after the first date, you had a man, basically. First, he threw a line on me. I asked him if he knew a tattoo removal spot, [Left Eye has a tattoo with Rison’s number on it] he said ”sure. Why don’t you get that off your arm and put my nameon it?” as soon as he said that I was like “hmm…”

That was a hint and a half when you asked him that. I know why you asked him that. If a woman asked me that after the first date…. No, but we weren’t dating. He was over working on my PC.

First day he met you? No, it was the third time.

Wait. He’s a computer expert, right? It does not take 3 home visits to fix a computer. No, he made three visits because I am not the expert. I would always call him and say, “my computer’s not acting right,” so he comes to the house, he’s look at it and say, “it’s not the computer but the computer user.”

Now, was there really something wrong with your computer or did you just find this guy incredibly attractive? No, it was something wrong with my computer.

So, it wasn’t just an easy way for you to keep seeing him? No, my computer kept flashing a sign that said your computer has performed illegal activities and it will shut down on you. I just thought he’d done something illegal on my system. I didn’t know what was going on.

Maybe he planted something so he’d have to keep coming back. Well, my computer seems to be fine now. Might have been the setup from the beginning.

Well, I’m not trying to cause problems, but it sounds pretty convenient that your PC stopped having problems after you two got together. Ask him about it. I don’t mind.

What type of man are you attracted to? Man, if you could see my wrap sheet. [Laughs.]

Wrap sheet? If I had a mug shot of every man that I’ve messed with, you wouldn’t be able to tell what my type is. I mean, I’ve been with guys three-hundreds and fifty pounds, one-hundred and twenty pounds, five foot, two and six foot, eight. Black and white.

I just assumed he was a black guy but the guy you’re with now is….? He’s black.

Which do you prefer? Uh, black.

Why? Experiences. I may meet a white guy who would live up to everything I would want my man to live up to, but I like thug niggas. [Laughs.]

Wait a minute. Now, I grew up in Compton, and I never knew any Crips who were into computer programming.

Oh, that’s not it though. I mean, I have a long list of qualifications that you must meet. Thug niggas being one of them. Intelligence being another one.

Oh, so he’s thuggish and intelligent. I’ll tell you one thing – I feel safe when he’s around me. Don’t mess with him.

You must be sprung on this man. Everytime you bring him up you start smiling. He’ll be out here in a couple of hours.

That’s why you’re smiling. You’re about to get ya thang on! [Smiles.]

Let me ask you this you’re involved with someone right now, so how do you tell a guy you’re not interested? Like, if I was to come at you after the interview and tell you how turned on I was… One thing I could not do is flat out tell you that I’m not interested.

So, how would you let me down easy? Assuming, of course, you wouldn’t be interested. This is probably not a good thing, but if you told me you were interested I’d probably say, ”Really? Okay. Alright.”

Is that it? It’s because I’m naturally flirtatious. So when people show an interest in me – no matter what they’re interested in – uhm, I like that. So, I could never flat out tell a guy I ain’t interested. Let him go on and dream about me and I’ll just hope he gets the message when I don’t call him. [Laughs.]

Do you get a lot of fanmail? About what? Fans dreaming about me?

Those are your words. A few of them have told me they’ve done that…

So, if I were to say I was dreaming about you… It wouldn’t matter if it were you or ten women.

Really? It wouldn’t matter.

Whoa. Ten women? If ten women said ”we’re interested in you, we want to get down,” I’d say ”okay” and I’d let them walk away and dream about me.

Well, since you brought up women, I’m gonna ask you. we’re both over 21. Sure.

Do you go that way? No.

Have you ever gone that way? [Laughs.] No!

Do you ever think about going that way? No. I mean, you’d have to really get to know me to understand the type of person I am. For most people I seem like the type that would try anything once. But then, for some people, I’m the type of person who’s very motherly. And so since I am very motherly type of person, I have certain morals that just don’t sit right with me. The only reason that I would go that way or do something like that is if you gave me a million dollars. That would justify it. You know what I’m sayin? I’ll do that if…but to do it just because? I just can’t.

You have a lot of women coming at you like that? No. I would say more women approach Tionne and she’s straight too.

Were you aware that you have a massive male following? Was I aware that I did? Probably not. I wouldn’t know unless (a reporter) like you came and told me.

So guys don’t approach you? Yeah, they do, but that’s sort of normal.

A lot of female performers say that men are intimidated by them and don’t approach them much. Well, I don’t come off as intimidating – even though I got a lot of things going for me. But, I’m down to earth. Easy to talk to.

Can you cook? I can cook very well.

Being from the south and all, right? No, I’m from Philly. I came to Atlanta on my own.

So you don’t have family in Atlanta? Now I do. But, I didn’t at that time.

Why Atlanta? Why not L.A. or New York? I knew some guys in Philly, who had a group in Atlanta and they wanted to put me in a group.

So what happened to them? I don’t know

So you just blew up and they’re still trying to get a record deal? No, the guy had a record deal, his name is Lorenzo Smith. He put two albums out.

He must have hidden pain. Everybody knows who Left Eye is but who the hell knows anything about Lorenzo Smith? Why didn’t we see Left Eye and Lorenzo like peaches and herb? Well, he had a record deal. I was just a cutie that was trying to rap.