TLC’s “No Scrubs” Was Released 16 Years Ago Today

TLC’s “No Scrubs” Was Released 16 Years Ago Today

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In honour of Flashback Friday, we’re taking you all the way back to the 20th century. You might want to sit down for this one: TLC’s “No Scrubs” was released exactly sixteen years ago today.

Yes, you read that right—if this feminist anthem was a person, she would be old enough to drive a car.

Released on January 23rd, 1999, “No Scrubs” was one of four career TLC chart toppers, and remains an enduring part of their legacy. The song has inspired countless covers over the years, and of course, an ill-advised rebuttal from a male perspective.

This realization comes just days after TLC launched a Kickstarter to fund their final album, where they’ve already raised over $200,000 at the time of publication. For a $5000 donation, TLC promised the incentive of a slumber party with T-Boz, which was probably your ultimate fantasy 16 years ago.

You know a song is reaching the autumn of its life when even the companion hyper-futuristic, flashy music video looks incredibly dated. Why does T-Boz look like a cyber-goth robot hybrid from a William Gibson novel?

While we’re on that nostalgia tip, the biggest movie at the box office 16 years ago today was Varsity Blues, the number one video on the MuchMusic Countdown was “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and everyone was wearing chain wallets and mood rings. The ‘90s were weird.

 

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