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| Rozonda Thomas | |
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 Thomas (right) and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (left) hosting TRL.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rozonda Ocelean Thomas |
| Also known as | Chilli, Sexy, C |
| Born | February 27, 1971 [1] |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop |
| Occupations | Singer/Actress |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | LaFace (1992-2000) Arista (2001-2005) Tron Musik (solo) (2008-present) |
Rozonda Ocelean Thomas (born February 27, 1971),[1] best known by her stage name Chilli, is an American R&B singer and actress who rose to fame as one third of the successful R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop girl group TLC.
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Early life
Rozonda Ocelean Thomas was born in Atlanta, Georgia[1] and graduated from B.E. Mays High School. Her father, Abdul Ali, was of East Indian descent and her mother, Ava Thomas, is of African American and Native American descent.[2] Thomas, who had been raised by her mother, later allowed the Sally Jessy Raphael television talk show to air footage of her meeting her father for the first time in 1996.[3]
Career
1992 - 2004: TLC
Thomas was first a dancer for Damian Dame. In 1991, she joined TLC, replacing founding member Crystal Jones, and was nicknamed "Chilli" so that the group could retain the name TLC. The group went on to sell over 40 million records worldwide; solidifying themselves as one of greatest selling girl groups of all-time.[4]
After the death of group member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in 2002, Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins have occasionally performed as a duo.
2005 - present: Solo career
Since the hiatus of TLC, Thomas has hosted a radio show in Atlanta and has engaged in charitable activities. In 2006, she was number 90 on Maxim's Hot 100. Despite rumors of having signed a four-album deal with singer/rapper Akon's label Kon Live Distribution in 2006, she later denied these reports and confirmed that she is entertaining offers from other record labels. The album will still include work by Missy Elliott as well as tracks produced by T-Pain, and Tricky. Certain tracks that were intended for the album have already been leaked on the Internet. A track titled "Gameproof," which featured her TLC band mate T-Boz, was leaked in spring 2006. On February 16, 2007, "Straight Jack," a track featuring Missy Elliott and produced by Polow da Don was leaked. The track entered the Deutsche Black Chart in at #35.[5]
In early April 2008, Thomas's first official solos single, "Dumb, Dumb, Dumb" was released.[6] It was recently[when?] confirmed that the name of the album will be Bi-Polar, and will be out sometime in the near future released via her own label Tron Musik, as posted in a recent[when?] press release.
Film & television
Thomas made guest appearances on shows such as The Parkers, That 70s Show, and Strong Medicine. In 2000 she was featured in the made-for-television movies A Diva's Christmas Carol and Love Song (with Monica), and in the film Snow Day. In 2001 she co-starred in the action film Ticker, directed by Albert Pyun. She also played a small role in the 1997 film Hav Plenty.
In June 2009, VH1 announced plans to air a reality series starring Thomas. The series, which will document Thomas' quest to find love, is set to air in 2010 and will be produced by FremantleMedia North America.[7]
Thomas also markets a line of handbags titled, Bags by Chilli.[8]
Personal life
Thomas dated producer Dallas Austin with whom she has one son named Tron. Thomas also dated singer Usher. She was in his music video for "U Got It Bad". The couple broke up in January 2004.[9]
Discography
Albums
- 2009: Bi-Polar
Solo Singles
- 2009: "Dumb Dumb Dumb"
Featured Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop |
UK | NZ | |||
| 2009 | "Let's Just Do It"(Lisa Lopes featuring Missy Elliott and TLC) | - | - | - | - | Eye Legacy |
References
- ^ a b c MSN (2008). "Chilli". MSN. http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist=16227479&. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ Jenkins, Sacha (2002). Ego Trip's Big Book of Racism. HarperCollins. pp. 74. ISBN 0-060-98896-7.
- ^ Christopher John Farley (2008). "The Spicier Girls". Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,20611,00.html. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- ^ RIAA Top 100 Certified Artists
- ^ Die Deutschen Trend Charts
- ^ CHILLI'S NEW SINGLE HAS 'INK' ALL OVER IT: Written by Cri$tyle, 'Dumb, Dumb, Dumb' sparks controversy.
- ^ "More Sober House, Fit Club, Pepa And Chilli On The Way From VH1!". vh1.com. 2009-06-29. http://blog.vh1.com/2009-06-29/more-sober-house-fit-club-pepa-and-chilli-on-the-way-from-vh1/. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ Official Bags by Chilli Website
- ^ Cruz, Anne Marie (2004-04-19). "Usher in a New Era" (in English). People 61 (15). http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20149882,00.html.
External links
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