Former RegalMag.com sportswriter Paul Hirsch had a slogan on his email signature that read, “Know Thy Audience.”
That slogan should be the mantra for every entertainer and business owner because without an audience or customer base, success is impossible.
But once a person has a loyal fan base, if the entertainer or entrepreneur shows respect for that fan base, the fans will likely support them until their career ends.
TLC singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas is finding out the hard way what happens when an entertainer upsets their loyal fanbase for political reasons.
Chilli shared a social media post that called former First Lady Michelle Obama a man.
She has donated money to political causes supporting President Donald Trump.
And she follows the social media accounts of right-wing media entities notorious for disseminating fake news, like Newsmax.
TLC was one of the biggest girl groups of all time.
The trio, originating from Atlanta, dominated the pop charts in the 1990s with classics like “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.”
And while the group topped the pop charts, which requires support from various races and both genders, their success began on the backs of African-American women.
Their look, especially on their first album “Ooooooohhh…On The TLC Tip,” was straight hip-hop.
Their writers and producers Dallas Austin, Organized Noize, Prince, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Sean “Puffy” Combs, and my high school classmate Cory Mo were mostly African-American.
And the music was mostly urban.
Therefore, when it became apparent that Chilli supported and voted for President Trump, it felt like a betrayal, especially to many African-American women, who overwhelmingly supported former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
Trump’s policies include objectives that are harmful to women, especially African-American women.
Many women support the right to choose.
But Trump’s policies have prevented women from having autonomy over their bodies.
Trump and his supporters from the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have often called successful African-American women like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hires, despite their impressive resumes.
Trump’s administration has advocated for reparations for White men because of DEI and affirmative action policies, while trying to rewrite the atrocities that African-Americans of the past had to endure at the hands of the White power structure in America.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made it harder for African-American federal workers to fight racism on the job.
The Trump administration has tried to make it harder for Americans to vote by wanting people to re-register to vote and present their original birth certificates, which will adversely impact many poor African-American voters, especially those born before the Civil Rights Movement.
In 2020, Trump wanted to disenfranchise voters in Detroit, who are overwhelmingly African-American, because most Detroiters voted for former President Joe Biden.
Trump has posted social media videos depicting the Obamas as apes, which is one of the most racist things that can be said about African-Americans.
But the president still has Chilli’s support.
While Chilli has every right to vote for whoever and whatever she wants to, she should not be surprised when she finds out a large portion of her fanbase does not want their money going to the MAGA movement.
I am not advocating for the cancellation of Chilli.
But her fans should not have their rights cancelled either.
If they do not want their money going to an artist who does not support their values, the fans should keep their money in their pocket or give it to someone who aligns more with their values.
While Chilli is the latest star to misunderstand her fanbase, she is not the first and will not be the last.
The Chicks, formerly The Dixie Chicks, saw their popularity diminish when they criticized former President George W. Bush.
When former President Bush launched a war in Iraq, lead singer Natalie Maines said she was ashamed Bush represented Texas.
Immediately, their fanbase, which was largely White and Republican, turned their backs on the country music group.
Concert tickets dried up immediately.
A rebrand did not help much either.
While many non-fans started buying The Dixie Chicks’ albums, their concert ticket sales dipped tremendously.
Unfortunately, many artists earn the lion’s share of their money from touring.
Additionally, songwriters earn a lot of money from publishing.
But Maines’ controversial remarks about Bush led to a radio ban of The Dixie Chicks, making potential publishing revenue nonexistent.
And although I might pay $10 for an album to support an artist because of their political courage, it takes a real fan to pay hundreds of dollars for a concert ticket.
And it takes an even more dedicated fan to brave the elements and watch TLC outdoors at an amphitheater in The Woodlands, Texas, in the brutal August heat in the Greater Houston area.
Many fans, like me, will choose to spend our money differently than to burn like hell at an outdoor concert and see our money spent to advance the policies of a demonic president.
I am not one of the people who believe celebrities should stay out of politics.
Celebrities have every right to speak out on the issues impacting their daily lives.
In fact, they have a duty to speak out because they often have larger megaphones than their fans.
The problem is when they forget their fans and begin speaking for people who are a detriment to their fanbase.
TLC was once spokespeople for strong women.
Their look was unapologetically African-American.
Their sound was hood.
Now, Chilli has forgotten all those demographics to support a political movement that wants to take those groups backwards.
That is very unfortunate.
As a matter of fact, for the group member who was once labeled as the “Sexy” one, her decision was “Crazy” and so not “Cool.”
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