TLC to Kickstart final album

In a move that inspired plays on the title of their first single, the 1991 hit "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins have taken to Kickstarter to fund what they say will be TLC's last album.

"We wouldn't dream of making our final album with anyone BUT our fans," the two wrote in the campaign description. "Come on ya'll, BE A PART OF TLC HISTORY!"

The campaign, which launched last week, has already exceeded its $150,000 goal. Some of the high-profile backers include Katy Perry, who reportedly donated $5,000, and the New Kids on the Block, who will join TLC and rapper Nelly on tour this summer.

It has always a bit eyebrow-raising when established stars use crowdfunding platforms to pay for creative projects. Director Spike Lee caught flack for using Kickstarter in 2013 and Zach Braff's efforts to finance Wish I Was Here faced similar criticism. But both campaigns were unequivocally successful. Kickstarter is also how the Veronica Mars movie got made -- creator Rob Thomas set a record when he asked fans of the show to raise $2 million. They donated $5,702,153.

The response to TLC's Kickstarter has been generally positive -- it's a safe bet that anyone (everyone) who remembers listening to CrazySexyCool would welcome another TLC album. But it's also arguable that a Kickstarter effort might seem a bit lackluster for the final album of one of history's most successful R&B groups.

"TLC Is Kickstarting Their Final Album and That's Kind of Sad," reads the headline at Vulture, where Lindsey Weber wonders why T-Boz and Chilli would "ask for a mere $150,000?" to fund the expensive endeavor that is making an album. (With days left to raise additional funds, it's likely they'll pull in much more.) And then there's the obvious, if uncomfortable, questions about what to expect of a TLC album without Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who died in a car wreck in 2002.

"The fact that they are going to Kickstarter, opposed to the traditional route, reinforces the idea that this is not necessarily something the people want," Weber wrote.

Chilli said that incorporating fans is part of TLC's legacy -- it was fan letters that inspired the title of the group's chart-topping 1999 album, FanMail.

"On FanMail, we had thousands of fans' names inside the CD jacket, we dedicated the whole album to our fans, so this is not new to us -- at least the fan involvement part," Chilli told Billboard.

Style on 01/27/2015

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