No Scrubs

I know it's been almost a month since I've posted anything but when you got young toddlers, your energy gets sapped quick. When I do get the urge to write, someone in the house wants something. Diaper change. Feed me. Clean me. The life of Honest Man LOL. But I have some free time (shocking) tonight PLUS I have energy so Poof. Pow. Ping. You get a story......

1999. Atlanta. I'm in town for business recruiting. But you know A-town is my town so I had to get up with the homies. The biggest song of the year was released by one of ATL's own. The song, "No Scrubs." The group, TLC. Not Tender Loving Care, I'm talking T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chili. Now I should say this, I loved TLC's 2nd album CrazySexyCool. Thought the first album was okay, but the 2nd album was the shit. Probably one of the best R&B albums in the past 20 years. And considering I'm not a TLC groupie, that's a big thing for me to say.

Anyway, I touch down in ATL and immediately hook up with my boy K-dawg. Back in the day, K-Dawg and Jay Boogie were roommates, always had the nice get togethers PLUS they had the couch spot reserved for yours truly. Anyhow, I get to their apartment, and K-dawg's like "Yo Waldini, they shooting the video for No Scrubs at Tower Records!" I'm like "We there." Back then for us, to do random shit like that was just our style. No thought process, no long drawn out philosophical discussion debating why or why not should we go. Just a simple "We there." Add in my man Juan Valdez who was down for the cause plus my kid sister who was spending a semester at Spelman, the party was set.

Friday evening. Buckhead. The OLD Tower Records location directly across from Lenox Mall. For the old heads, this was the spot. You see anybody from Kris from Kriss Kross to JD walking up in there on random days. Even though they moved to a bigger store on the other side of Peachtree, shit still didn't feel right. But whatever, I'm rambling :-0

We get down there, and there is a gazillion people in the parking lot with a few onsite staff for both Tower and TLC. They tell us that they are going to film random shots in the parking lot and want people to just follow the camera, doing zany things. Again that was so us so you know we elbowing folks, little kids included, to mean mug for the camera and "claim" our fame by being in a video. They must have played "No Scrubs" like forever to keep taking pictures. Never did we stop to think how come TLC is not out here with us.

So they finish shooting, then tell us TLC is on the inside of Tower, ready to sign autographs (only if we purchase their new album though...Fuckers :-)). So we wait in line, steal a poster that has "Fan Mail" and get to the front. My sister goes up first to get a signing, I remember her going to Left Eye and LE asking my sister who I was, saying I was cute. Of course, I should be honored right that a celebrity is giving a "scrub" like me a compliment. But naw, in my mind, I'm like hell naw, I don't want the crazy chick that burns people's houses down, I want the chick with the cute baby hair and toned muscles (that would be Chili). Anyway, me and my boys go up, get a quick signature, do the fake "we love your album" even though we had not heard it, get a No Scrubs button and go about our business.

I get back home, I'm sending out emails to everyone I know to be on the lookout for me and the crew in the upcoming No Scrubs video. I'm literally preparing myself for folks to ride my jock, and chicks to be like "Hey aren;t you the guy from the video" lines. Funny thing though, the No Scrubs video comes out and it's TLC surrounded by a bunch of mirrors. No shots of people, just mirrors. And TLC. My mouth was going WHAT THE FUCK in my apartment. I called K-Dawg up and we both were like WHAT THE FUCK. What in the hell happened to our video shoot? And why the hell they have us out for like whatever, cooning, and all we got was some bullshit No Scrubs buttons??

Today's Lesson

I was literally depressed for 2 days LOL. To add injury to insult, I remember my homegirl replying to my note, being a smart ass and saying "Were you behind one of the mirrors :-)?" I guess that's what I get for elbowing that 5th grader.