As 1/3 of the Grammy award-winning female trio TLC, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, left a legacy in urban music that is incomparable to any other artists of the 90s generation. Despite her tumultuous personal life and her untimely death, this one of a kind rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer helped forge a sound and an attitude that asserted women’s position in the music industry. Even though she emerged onto the scene as a member of one of the best selling female groups of all time, she unequivocally made her mark as an exceptional independent artist in her own right.
Left Eye helped popularize the sixteen bar rap over an R&B track and developed her own style by penning her own rhymes, which was extremely uncommon during that era. In her personal life, Lopes was very vocal about women’s abuse and alcoholism, as she was a victim and strong advocate against both. Even in her death, Left Eye stands as a testament of strength and creativity for women in the entertainment world in general and Black women in particular.
–Courtney Brown
