Tupac Influenced Left Eye's Controversial Behavior, TLC Producer Claims

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Rapper Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994.
Dallas Austin, the producer of some of TLC's biggest hits, reveals that 'Pac may have placed the battery in Left Eye's back.

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes will forever be chiseled into the face of pop culture and music. Although she was taken away from us too soon, her contributions to the game will be remembered. However, her legacy carries on, not only because of the music that she created but as well as the controversies she faced in her lifetime. In a recent interview with VladTV, TLC's producer, Dallas Austin, revealed that one hip-hop legend may have instilled the idea in Left Eye's head that "bad publicity is good publicity."

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It isn't a secret that Left Eye and Tupac had a tight relationship with the TLC member even having had tat in honor of the rapper. However, Dallas Austin revealed that it may have been Tupac's fault that she acted a bit recklessly in her younger days. Austin and Vlad discussed the incident where Left Eye burnt down Andre Rison's house, although it was an accident. In the grand scheme of things, Austin explained that 'Pac gave Left Eye some advice in her career that drove her to act up.

"I remember when they called me and said, 'Look at the TV. Lisa burned the house down.' I'm like, 'Oh, here it goes,'" he recounted. "She had this thing that -- 2Pac told her a long time ago, 'If they're not talking bad about you, they're not saying nothing about you.' And she would just act out even more based off of that. Even though I don't think she meant to burn the house down, she had this streak in her at the time and it ended up being like they lost endorsements."

Peep the whole clip below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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