"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from their third studio album, ''

FanMail ''FanMail'' is the third studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 23, 1999, by LaFace and Arista Records. The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans who sent them fan mail during their hiatus. ''FanMail'' debuted at numb ...

'', on February 2, 1999, by

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

and

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. The song was written by producer

Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs is an American record producer, known for producing the TLC #1 hit " No Scrubs" and various Destiny's Child songs from the album ''The Writing's on the Wall''. Briggs' then girlfriend, former Xscape singer Kandi Burrus ...

, former Xscape members

Kandi Burruss Kandi Lenice Burruss Tucker (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American producer, television personality, singer, songwriter and actress. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the female vocal group Xs ...

and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, and TLC member

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper and singer. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besid ...

. The song lyrics describe the role of a man in a relationship. Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas sings the lead vocals for the first time on a TLC single. "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked for four consecutive weeks. It was ranked number two on ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' year-end Hot 100 singles chart of 1999, behind

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

's " Believe" (1998). The song won

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

and

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

at 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. The

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

-directed

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released in 1999, which depicted the three members dancing inside of a space station. It was compared to other music videos such as "

Scream Scream may refer to: *Screaming, a loud vocalization Amusement rides * Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany * Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England * Scream! (roller coaster), at ...

" (1995) and " What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999). "No Scrubs" received divisive attention following its release; several radio stations aired

answer songs Answer commonly refers to answer (response), response to a question. Answer may also refer to: * Answer (law), any reply to a question, counter-statement or defense in a legal procedure Music * Answer, an element of a fugue Albums * Answer (An ...

as a response, while the word "scrub" became prominently used worldwide.

Background and development

"No Scrubs" was initially written by

on an envelope while sitting in her car, then she free-styled the entire song while driving on a highway. The song's lyrics stemmed from a previous relationship

Tameka Cottle Tameka Dianne Cottle Harris (born July 14, 1975), known professionally by her nickname Tiny, is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the multi-platinum R&B vocal group Xscape. She received a Grammy Award ...

was involved in which she described as a "screw-up". "No Scrubs" was meant for Burruss and Cottle to record together; however

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

decided to give the song to

as their first single for ''

'', with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas singing the lead vocals. Austin emphasized that the song was a breakthrough for Thomas as he believed that "It was a great way to expose her; being a secondary vocalist was not just her purpose". "No Scrubs" was written by Burruss, Cottle and producer

, with background vocals provided by Thomas, Burruss, Cottle and

Debra Killings Debra Killings (born July 7, 1966) is an American singer and bass guitarist, notable for extensive session musician, session and background vocal work for LaFace Records and Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC (band), TLC, Monica (singer), Mo ...

. A few lyrics from the original song were changed in order to firmly describe a "scrub", such as "fat" being replaced by "broke". In addition, the changes reflected on the persona of TLC, who were described as "confident, bold, independent women" by American radio program ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...

''. Two versions of the song were released in order to boost

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

despite its format; one was described as straight R&B, while the other contained a rap verse from TLC member

. "No Scrubs" was released on February 2, 1999, as the

of ''FanMail''.

Composition and lyrics

"No Scrubs" is an R&B and

hip-pop Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...

song. Natelegé Whaley of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' stated that the song is "a scathing critique on men at the bottom of the dating pool". It contains "airy remnants of an electronic guitar", which begins with Chilli's angelic vocals. The word "scrub" originated from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where it was initially used as a slang term for a person who could not get their life together. "No Scrubs" is based on common time, the

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

is 100 beats per minute and is played in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

of G# minor. According to the

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

published at Musicnotes.com by

EMI Music Publishing EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by parent company Sony Corporation of America. In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pending ...

, the vocal range of TLC spans from the low note F#₃ to the high note of C#₅.

Critical reception

John Dingwall from '' Daily Record'' described "No Scrubs" as a "slinky, acoustic R&B smash". Stevie Chick from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' stated that the song is "the best song ever about not wanting to sleep with someone you're not attracted to in the first place", acknowledging that it is "soulful, simple and quietly witty". In 1999, it was listed on ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''s annual poll

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

at number one. "No Scrubs" placed at number two on ''

s Top Tracks of 1999 list, and at number 45 on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 1990s. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song at number 10 in their list of the 50 Best Songs of the Nineties, and at number 303 on their list of the Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Additionally, VH1 listed "No Scrubs" at number 22 in their list of the 40 Greatest R&B Songs of the 90s, ranking behind the band's 1995 international single "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

", which placed at number 6. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' ranked "No Scrubs" at number 42 on their listicle of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

Commercial performance

"No Scrubs" was commercially released on March 23, 1999, after it was distributed to radio. It peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 upon the single's release on the ''Billboard'' issue dated April 3, 1999, where it remained for four weeks from April 10, 1999, to May 7, 1999. The song charted in the top-ten of the Hot 100 for 17 consecutive weeks. The song's airplay was at the time, the first to peak with over 140 million audience impressions, and was crowned the Top Airplay Song of 1999. It holds the record for most weeks at number one on the

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

with 15 weeks, as well as being ranked at number two on ''Billboards Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999, only behind

's 1998 song " Believe". In Australia, "No Scrubs" spent seven consecutive weeks at the summit of the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

from May 2, 1999, to June 20, 1999. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming TLC's highest-charting single. The song was certified triple platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) in March 2021 for sales and streams exceeding 1,800,000.

Music video

Background

The

-directed

was set in a futuristic space station, where the trio wore silver and blue metallic outfits. The Main Mix, which includes a rap verse by Left Eye, is used in the video in place of the album version.

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer and actress. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy A ...

described how the group went all out during production of the video, with her being specifically excited about "wearing the all-white outfit", while Thomas initially felt apprehensive about going on the swing, constantly practicing before the shoot until she did not want to get off afterwards. The scene at the end of the video showing the three fighting each other and being silly was a result of the tube moving and the group attempting to fight against the moving set, with Thomas and Lopes hitting each other by accident. American

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

also appeared off-camera without drag to see them, as his makeup artist Mathu Andersen was in charge of makeup for the group, placing

rhinestone A rhinestone, paste or diamante is a diamond simulant originally made from rock crystal but since the 19th century from crystal glass or polymers such as acrylic. Original Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river ...

s on the lips of each member. The music video is stylistically similar to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's music video "

" (1995), as well as the

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and Janet Jackson music video " What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999), which was also directed by Williams.

Synopsis

The video features the women in three different colored space-suits: white, black, silver, and Left Eye in blue. When there are shots of the women together they have two different outfits: black and silver. T-Boz's hair is fuchsia in the video. It includes a dance sequence where the women dance in front of the "TLC" logo, and also features several scenes of Chilli on a swing. As Left Eye's rap begins, she is positioned in a garage wearing white clothes, and practicing martial arts in a futuristic blue outfit in a separate scene. She is filmed by a drone as she continues rapping; "Can't forget the focus on the picture in front of me/You as clear as DVD on digital TV screens." The final scene shows TLC fighting each other, while also dancing and having fun.

Reception

The futuristic music video allowed TLC to win the

MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Group (also known as the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video) is given to recording artists at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The award was introduced at the inaugural ceremony in 1984 by vocalis ...

at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards over all-male nominees such as the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

and

NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...

. As of March 2022, the video has over 300 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Legacy

Reactions

Following the immediate release of "No Scrubs" in 1999, the song received a divisive response about labeling a new term for males "with limited money, ambitions and romantic vocabulary, and who mostly still live at home with Mom", with several debates on radio stations, and airplay of

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer so ...

s. Such songs included "No Hoochies" in San Francisco, and " No Pigeons" by rap group

Sporty Thievz Sporty Thievz is a Yonkers, New York-based hip-hop duo—originally a trio—composed of King Kirk (a.k.a. Thieven Stealburg), Big Dubez (a.k.a. Safecracker) and Marlon Bryant Brando (March 19, 1979 – May 11, 2001; a.k.a. Robin Hood).[ allmusic ...

in New York throughout April 1999. Thomas acknowledged that the latter group were threatened by the song's success, stating that "they can't take the heat!". The use of the word "scrub" rapidly spread worldwide, which was commonly used by women. Writing for ''The Washington Post'', Lonnae O'Neal Parker noted that "No Scrubs" served as social commentary in the vein of previous songs such as Madonna (entertainer), Madonna's 1985 song "Material Girl" and Gwen Guthrie's 1986 song "

Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Guthrie. It was released in 1986 as the lead single from her fourth album, '' Good to Go Lover'' (1986), on Polydor Records. It became the biggest hit of Guthrie's ...

", stating that it culminated from 20 years of

misogyny in rap music Misogyny in rap music refers to lyrics, videos, or other aspects of rap music that support, glorify, justify, or normalize the objectification, exploitation, or victimization of women. It is an ideology that portrays women as objects for men's o ...

Covers and samples

American singer-songwriter Avi Wisnia performed a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "No Scrubs", which was included on his 2010 studio album ''Something New''. Pop duo

Karmin Karmin was an American pop duo consisting of Amy Renee Noonan and Nick Noonan. Starting as a novelty act that released covers on YouTube, they signed in 2011 with Epic Records. In May 2012, Karmin released their debut EP ''Hello'', which sp ...

covered the song in 2011, shortly before releasing " Crash Your Party", which integrated the former song to the retro

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of "

The Choice Is Yours (Revisited) "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" is a song by the Native Tongues affiliate Black Sheep, from their debut album '' A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing''. It was released in October 1991 as the second single from the album. The song quotes the Roger Mil ...

" in the latter song.

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

performed "No Scrubs" during her 2012 Summer Tour on August 23, 2012. The cast of American television series ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' covered the song in the " Sadie Hawkins" episode of the show's fourth season, by members Kevin McHale,

Chord Overstreet Chord Paul Overstreet (born February 17, 1989) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Sam Evans on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in the Apple TV+ comedy series ''Acapulco'' since 20 ...

Blake Jenner Blake Alexander Jenner (born August 27, 1992) is an American actor. Jenner won the second season of Oxygen's ''The Glee Project'' and, as a result, portrayed Ryder Lynn on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. He has since had starring a ...

Samuel Larsen Samuel Peter Acosta Larsen (born August 28, 1991) is an American actor and singer. On August 21, 2011, Larsen won the reality competition program '' The Glee Project'' on the Oxygen network, which led to his having a recurring role as Joe Hart on ...

and

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

. English singer

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album '' Sweet Heart Fever'', and ...

included a cover of "No Scrubs" on her sixth studio album '' It's Up to Emma'' (2013).

Pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was sto ...

released a mashup of "No Scrubs" and "

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

" by

the xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...

titled "No Angels", which was included on their second

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

, ''

Other People's Heartache ''Other People's Heartache'' is a series of mixtapes by Bastille. The first was released in February 2012, the second in December 2012, the third in December 2014, and the fourth in December 2018. Part one ''Other People's Heartache'' is a co ...

'' (2012). They performed the former song at the 2014 Governors Ball Music Festival. American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

performed the song during her 2014 tour "Same Tour, Different Trailer". In January 2019,

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

included a cover of "No Scrubs" on their twelfth studio album, '' Teal Album''. The song "BasicBitchTearGas" from JPEGMafia's third studio album '' All My Heroes Are Cornballs'' (2019), is a cover of "No Scrubs". American

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

producer

XXYYXX Marcel Everett (born October 31, 1995), better known as XXYYXX, is an electronic musician and record producer from Orlando, Florida, formerly signed to the label Relief in Abstract. His style is likened to Clams Casino, Zomby, Burial, James B ...

sampled "No Scrubs" on "Good Enough", which was included on his album ''XXYYXX'' (2012). Producer

Le Youth Wes James, better known by his stage name Le Youth, is an American electronic musician, DJ, and producer. He is known for combining R&B with 90's house music and he had a monthly radio show called Le Youth's Friday Night House Party on Capital Xt ...

sampled it on the 2013 song " Dance with Me", which peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The "No Scrubs" writers were credited on

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's 2017 song "

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...

", as it contained a similar lyrical rhythm. The song was sampled on "Bobo" in 2021, which was performed by American singer

Mariah Angeliq Mariah Angelique Pérez (born August 7, 1999), known professionally as Mariah Angeliq, is an American singer. Early life Angeliq was born Mariah Angelique Pérez in Miami, Florida, to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother. She was named after ...

, Spanish singer

Bad Gyal Alba Farelo i Solé (born 7 March 1997), known professionally as Bad Gyal, is a Spanish singer, songwriter, DJ and model. Known for her distinctive overall use of Auto-Tune, Bad Gyal has developed a strong cult following ever since her musica ...

, and Argentine singer

María Becerra María de los Ángeles Becerra (born 12 February 2000) is an Argentine singer and former YouTuber. She has been dubbed as "a leading voice in Argentina's urban pop movement". Career Becerra began her career at twelve years of age on the platfor ...

. According to ''Billboard'' writer Jessica Roiz, it gave "No Scrubs" a "

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

twist" with perreo, urban-pop sounds and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

vibes. The song peaked at number 41 in Spain, and at number 96 in Argentina.

Track listings

US CD and

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debu ...

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

International

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...

European 12-inch single UK CD1 UK CD2 French CD single

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the back cover of "No Scrubs". Production * Produced by Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs for Shekspere Productions, Inc. and D.A.R.P. Inc. * Recorded by Carlton Lynn at D.A.R.P. Studios, Atlanta, Georgia * Assisted by Ty Hudson * Mixed by

Leslie Braithwaite Stuart Leslie Braithwaite (born 10 May 1976) is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter. He is the guitarist of post-rock band Mogwai, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. He is also a member of the British alternative rock supergro ...

at D.A.R.P. Studios * Assisted by Vernon J. Mungo *

Background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

by Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Debra Killings, Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle *

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

and

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

by Shekspere for Shekspere Productions, Inc. *

Mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

by Herb Powers at Powers House of Sound, New York Executive producers * Antonio M. Reid * Kenneth B. Edmonds * Dallas Austin * TLC Artwork *

Art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

– Darrick "O.L." Warfield * Creative coordinator – Cherie O'Brien * Photography – Seb Janiak

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{{Authority control 1999 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Songs written by Kandi Burruss Songs written by Lisa Lopes 1998 songs LaFace Records singles Arista Records singles TLC (group) songs Music videos directed by Hype Williams Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs Songs written by Tameka Cottle Dance-pop songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles