Kandi Talks TLC’s “No Scrubs”: Pop School

Sam Lansky | May 9, 2013 6:15 am

Class is in session, and now it’s time to sit up straight and get an education! And in the case of Pop School, it’s artists who are teaching you a lesson on their classic hits. Start taking notes!

Singer-songwriter Kandi has had an unparalleled career: From starting out in the classic ’90s R&B girl group Xscape to writing hits for TLC, Pink and Destiny’s Child to forging a successful career as a solo artist to starring on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and her own talent competition The Kandi Factory, the singer-songwriter-superstar-mogul has a Grammy, a string of Hot 100 smashes and an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award.

One of her crowning achievements, though, was writing “No Scrubs” for TLC — the now-iconic track stayed at #1 for four weeks and was the Top Airplay Song of 1999. (It also introduced a new word into the vernacular.) When Kandi stopped by Idolator headquarters in New York City to talk about her new show The Kandi Factory, I couldn’t resist quizzing her about the origins of “No Scrubs” — and her trip down memory lane proved very revealing. 

As Kandi explains, she never anticipated the song’s meteoric success when she casually freestyled the opening lines while driving in the car with her friend — and she was stoked to learn that TLC was interested in the song. But it was the cultural impact of “No Scrubs” that most took her by surprise.

Watch up top and get nostalgic with Kandi.

What do you think of Kandi’s history of the song? Let us know in the comments below, or hit us up on Facebook and Twitter!

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