MY TOP 10: Left Eye Videos — 1. Panther Soundtrack “Freedom”

1. Various Artists including Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
“Freedom (Theme from Panther)”
From Panther:  The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released:  1995

If you listened to my podcast interview with Ron Lopes, brother of the late, great Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, you know I asked him what his favorite all-time Left Eye rap was.  Well, he didn’t just give me one; he gave me a few.  This was one of them.  And his mention of “Freedom” tickled me in a way the others didn’t. 

Originally written and performed by Joi for her debut album, The Pendulum Vibe, someone had the genius idea to include it on this soundtrack and make it an ensemble piece.  It’s a great song and I think it still stands the test of time.  Really an anthemic song.  I know I called “No Scrubs” anthemic, but this is a truly anthemic song.  “No Scrubs” is fun, but “Freedom” is anthemic in a whole ‘nother way.  I think it speaks for itself.

I think this is a nice song to end the countdown with (though I’ll post my OUTRODUCTION tomorrow) especially in the wake of our new president’s inauguration last week and our continued celebration of MLK’s legacy. 

I wish everyone freedom.  Freedom of expression.  Freedom to love whom you want to love.  Freedom to love them how you want to love them.   Freedom to learn, explore, and grow.  And, mostly, freedom to be yourself  fearlessly, fiercely, and unabashedly without fear of judgement, rejection, or regret, which is how I think Lisa lived.

I remember I posted a poem I wrote on a TLC fansite message board once.  Lisa opined on it right away.  She had nice things to say.  I’ll never forget that.

By th way – you get the rap version and the original R&B version as a BONUS! (T-Boz and Chilli representin’, too!)

And, yes, she kilt it.

 

MY TOP 10: Left Eye Videos — 6. TLC “What About Your Friends”

6. TLC “What About Your Friends”
From Ooooooohhh…On The TLC Tip
Released:  August 28, 1992

On the third single from the debut album, Left Eye continued to show herself to be the Mad Hatter (no pun intended) of  the bunch.  Like on Number 1 the rap is the song or at least a major part of it.  Lisa’s nasally clever in-and-out-up-and-around-again raps were really a big part of the show and how TLC presented themselves to the world in the beginning.  She’s all over that first record. 

Sure they had sexy songs, but they had relationship songs, rumor songs, abuse songs, and friend songs just like this one.   It wasn’t so much that they were sexually provocative, though that helped.  It was that they weren’t like anyone else before or since and that they were being themselves and having ball doing it.  Not just being an R&B trio set them apart, too.  They had an in-house rapper and had no need for all those featured appearances everyone else was doing.

I remember I used to go over to a friend’s house in high school and we’d play-act the songs to the first album.  You know — sing along and dance as we played the tape.  In the living room and in the kitchen.  On the couches and on the floor.  Interesting tidbit, we had the same birthday 2 years apart.  Anyway, I think I would be T-Boz and she would be Chilli.  I think we shared Left Eye’s parts. 

 

MY TOP 10: Left Eye Videos — 7. Keith Sweat “How Do You Like It?”

7. Keith Sweat Featuring Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes “How Do You Like It?”
From Get Up on It
Released:  March 10, 1994

The first single from Keith Sweat’s 1994 release, this was Lisa’s first official foray into featured rapperdom.  With a successful solo effort she didn’t forget where she came from shouting out her TLC sisters with her first few words.  I like how she puts her voice all over a track with her little Left Eye-isms like honey finding its way all over the nooks and crannies of a biscuit.  You hear it here and you hear it on Number 9, Mel C’s song, too.  Let’s be real, she put it down like that on all her collabos putting her stamp all over them.

This feels like a transition point between the Ooooooohhh… and CrazySexyCool eras.  Definitely, a hot jam, Keith and Left Eye were doing their thing.  I remember reading that Left Eye was supposed to be on MC Lyte’s “Ruffneck,” which I remember coming out around the same time give or take a year or two.  Interestingly, I hear hints of “Ruffneck” on this joint.  (And I don’t mean the beginning of the video, which is, obviously, the “Ruffneck” video ending before this one begins.) 

I remember when she passed.  A co-worker called me and woke me up.  I hadn’t even gotten up yet to start getting ready for work.  My co-worker caught it on the morning news and knew I was a huge TLC fan, so she called me to see if I had heard yet.  That was a sad day and getting through work that day was hard for me.  But, let us not dwell on that.  Let’s remember the joy her talent brought us with Number 7.

 

MY TOP 10: Left Eye Videos — 8. TLC “Get It Up”

8.  TLC “Get It Up”
From Poetic Justice Music From The Motion Picture Released:  June 29, 1993

I feel weird posting this on MLK Day, but, hey, this is Number 8, and sexual freedom is important, too!  This is a cover of The Time’s debut single, from their self-titled debut album, originally written and produced by Prince; produced by Dallas Austin and Tim & Bob for this effort. 

Part of the Poetic Justice original motion picture soundtrack, it kicked things off as the first single.  Cementing their reputations as around-the-way-b-girls with sexually charged music, this is another high point of the Oooooo0hhh…On The TLC Tip era and contains one of my most favorite Left Eye raps, though, that’s the point of the whole countdown, anyway, isn’t it? 

I remember there was a guy in high school.  He was a little older than me.  Junior when I was a freshman.  I knew his name; of him.  Not sure he knew me.  He was an obvious TLC fan.  He used to wear the Cross Colours gear.  I know everyone did at the time, but he doubled up his jeans with suspenders.  And that could only come from TLC; just like only a cover like Number 8 could.