TLC’s Chilli says group lost out on Rolling Stone cover because of race

Chilli, a member of the ’90s girl group TLC, recently stated that the group did not make the cover of Rolling Stone magazine after releasing “No Scrubs” in 1999 because of their race. “When you are a woman of color, it’s real hard — it’s a huge struggle,” she said at Variety‘s Power of Women luncheon.

Despite “No Scrubs” being their first number one song, she claimed that Rolling Stone did not give them the cover. “I’ll always remember when ‘No Scrubs’ came out and it was actually our first No. 1. … I always wanted to be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. … We didn’t get the cover,” she explained. Chilli also stated that they lost the cover to someone who “deserved it too,” but the message was, “The last time we had someone black on the cover, it didn’t really sell well.”

The magazine did not provide any comment or response to the Washington Examiner’s request on this issue.

It is essential to note that in the same year “No Scrubs” was released, Rolling Stone featured black artists like Lauryn Hill and Jimi Hendrix on the cover. Moreover, black musicians such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, among many others, were regularly featured on the magazine’s cover.