Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut album by American R&B/Hip-Hop girl group TLC, which was released on February 25, 1992 by LaFace Records. The album's title comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on the album's lead single "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".

The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 chart. By May 1996, it was certified 4x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Background and production[]

TLC signed their contracts with LaFace Records on August 16, 1991 and began writing and recording songs for the album soon afterwards. For the album, TLC collaborated with producers Babyface, L.A. Reid, Dallas Austin, De Funky Bunch, Jermaine Dupri and Marley Marl, who helped TLC member Lisa Lopes with the songwriting. Production was completed by December 1991.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised the effort as well as the group and it’s message, calling TLC "a perfect pop group for the times". In a fairly positive review, Steve Hulley of Allmusic states that "although it’s uneven, the best moments of On the TLC Tip deserved their popularity and set the stage for the group's blockbuster success the next time out".

Commercial performance[]

The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 chart and reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. According Nielson SoundScan, it sold 2.5 million copies in the US. It was eventually certified 4x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America by shipping four million copies in the US.

Promotion[]

Singles[]

A total of four singles were released from the album. The album's lead single, "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" was released on January 22, 1992 and was an instant success, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Baby-Baby-Baby" was released as the album's second single on April 29, 1992 and out of all four singles, it was the most successful, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, thereby earning TLC their first No. 1 single. The album's third single, "What About Your Friends" was released on August 28, 1992 and was also a success, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Hat 2 Da Back" was the least successful of them all, peaking only at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

Track listing[]

"Intro" - 0:30
"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" - 5:36
"Shock Dat Monkey" - 5:08
"Intermission I" - 0:19
"Hat 2 Da Back" - 4:16
"Das Da Way We Like 'Em" - 5:01
"What About Your Friends" - 4:53
"His Story" - 4:23
"Intermission II" - 0:59
"Bad By Myself" - 3:55
"Somethin' You Wanna Know" - 5:43
"Baby-Baby-Baby" - 5:15
"This is How It Should Be Done" - 5:43
"Depend on Myself" - 4:11
"Conclusion" - 0:48

Personnel[]

Arranging – Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Dionne Farris, Marley Marl, DeRock Simmons
Art coordination – Davett Singletary
Art direction – Calvin Lowery
Assistant engineering – Mitch Eaton, Brandi Parisi, John Rogers, Steve "Stizz" S'berg, Matt Still, Bill Tan
Bass – Kayo
Concept – TLC
Coordination – Constance Armstrong, Yvette Whitaker
Design – Calvin Lowery
Drums – Kayo, L.A. Reid
Engineering – Frank Heller, John Pace, Darin Prindle, Alvin Speights, Jim "Z" Zumpano
Executive production – Babyface, L.A. Reid
Keyboards – Babyface, Darren Lighty, Daryl Simmons
Make-up – John Grier-Kellman
Mastering – Herb Powers
Mixing – Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Marley Marl, Alvin Speights, Matt Still, Bill Tan, Dave Way, Jim "Z" Zumpano
Photography – Michael Lavine
Production – Dallas Austin, De Funky Bunch, Jermaine Dupri, Marley Marl
Sampling – Rick Sheppard, X-Man
Scratching – X-Man
Shouts – Dallas Austin, Fabian Ford, TLC, Kevin Wales
Strings – Seldon "Big Wally" Henderson
Vocal arranging – Jermaine Dupri, DeRock Simmons
Vocals (background) – Mary Brown, Kayo, Debra Killings, Marsha McClurkin, TLC