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"No Scrubs"
#1 weeks: 4
weeks: 1999-04-10, 1999-04-17, 1999-04-24, 1999-05-01
genre: pop, r&b
artist: TLC
album: FanMail
writers: Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle
producers: Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs
label:
formats: CD Single
lengths: 3:34 (album version), 4:00 (main mix w/ rap)

"No Scrubs" is a 1999 song recorded by R&B girl group TLC for their album FanMail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" eventually became TLC's smash single. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year, but lost to Santana's "Smooth". The single is generally considered to be one of the group's signature songs and was the 2nd biggest Hot 100 single of 1999, according to Billboard's Year End Charts. The single was certified platinum in the UK.

Written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs along with Tameka Cottle and Kandi Burruss (both from the group Xscape), the track lyrically explains "scrubs" as reference to a slang term for a man who is (for the most part) jobless, lacking a car, lacking money, and otherwise described to have virtually no ambition or class. "No Scrubs" was the first single for TLC to feature lead vocals by group member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas rather than Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. There were two versions of the song: the album version (which was released to radio), and a "Main Mix" with a rap by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The latter mix was featured in the music video for the song.

Prior to the release of FanMail, the track "Silly Ho" received some radio airplay, prompting a peak of number 59 in the U.S., although it was never released by LaFace as a lead single. "No Scrubs" climbed into the U.S. top ten as an airplay only song and jumped to number one upon the single release. The single stayed in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 consecutive weeks.No Scrubs is listed at number 123 on the All Time Singles Chart Worldwide with points of over 6,000,000.

The futuristic music video directed by Hype Williams also received massive airplay on MTV, and won the group the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, beating out favorites 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Each member had a set in the video. The video also has a dance sequence where the girls dance in front of the "TLC" logo. The Main Mix is used in the video instead of the album version. The video features the girls in three different outfits: Chilli is in white, Left Eye in black and T-Boz in white and red. When there are shots of the girls together they have two different outfits: black and silver. T-Boz's hair is fuchsia in the video. The set up of the video is similar to the Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's video, "Scream" and IMx's video Stay the Night.

"No Scrubs" also draws parallels with Destiny's Child's single "Bills, Bills, Bills", which was written and produced by the same production crew. Both songs drew minor controversy as the members were accused of being gold diggers, women who only like men for their wealth, in their respective songs. In response, the New York-based hip hop trio Sporty Thievz recorded what would become, respectively, their second and biggest hit, a parody entitled "No Pigeons", and a follow-up "No Billz Billz Billz (Why, Why, Why?)", released independently.

This is their first and only single wherein Chilli sings lead for the full track. T-Boz does not appear on this track, instead it's Debra Killings, Kandi Burruss, and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle singing background vocals along with Chilli, though it sounds distinctly similar to T-Boz.