Kandi Burruss
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Kandi Lenice Burruss Tucker (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her
mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
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 Xscape. In 2000, she won a
Grammy Award for 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 Ba ...
for her writing contributions on the
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 ...
hit song " No Scrubs". Burruss has starred in the
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reality television series ''
The Real Housewives of Atlanta ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' (abbreviated ''RHOA'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired fourteen seaso ...
'' since its second-season premiere on July 30, 2009. Burruss has appeared in six ''Real Housewives'' spinoff and companion series as of 2022, beginning with 2012's ''
The Kandi Factory ''The Kandi Factory'' is an American reality competition series on Bravo that debuted April 9, 2013. Developed as a spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', starring Kandi Burruss. The show chronicles Burruss and her team at The Kandi F ...
'', and continuing on with ''
Kandi's Wedding ''Kandi's Wedding'' is an American reality documentary television series that premiered on Bravo on June 1, 2014. Developed as a spin-off from ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta''. The five-part wedding series follows singer and reality televisi ...
'' (2014), ''
Kandi's Ski Trip ''Kandi's Ski Trip'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on May 17, 2015. Developed as the fifth spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta''. The show focuses on Kandi Burruss, her husband Todd Tucker and their ...
'' (2015), and '' Xscape: Still Kickin' It'' (2017), all of which were aired by Bravo. Burruss also appeared as a guest in
Kim Zolciak-Biermann Kimberleigh Marie Zolciak-Biermann ( Zolciak; born May 19, 1978) is an American television personality and singer. In 2008, she appeared as one of the original housewives on the reality television series '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta.'' Zolc ...
's wedding special ''
Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding ''Don't Be Tardy'' is an American reality television show that premiered on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo on April 26, 2012, as ''Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding.'' Developed as the first spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta,'' feat ...
'' in 2012. Burruss's sixth Bravo companion series appearance, and fifth series overall to focus on Burruss, is called '' Kandi & the Gang'', which premiered on March 6, 2022.‘Kandi & the Gang’ Reality Series Sets Debut at Bravo (Exclusive)
/ref> Burruss had a recurring role as Roselyn Perry in the third season of the
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drama series ''
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''. She also won the third season of the
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competition series ''
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'', and placed fifth on the second season of ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' on
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.


Early life

Burruss was born in
College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is part ...
, the daughter of the
Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...
Titus Burruss Jr. and Joyce Jones. She had an older brother, Patrick Riley (1968–1991), who died in a car crash. Burruss attended
Tri-Cities High School Tri-Cities High School is a public high school in East Point, Georgia, United States. It is a part of the Fulton County School System. The school opened in 1988 under the leadership of principal Dr. Herschel Robinson. It was originally formed by ...
in East Point, Georgia, graduating in 1994. She first appeared on the
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
series ''
Teen Summit Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...
'' at age 15.


Career


Xscape

Prior to joining Xscape, LaTocha Scott had been performing with a group called Precise. While attending Tri-Cities performing arts high school in East Point, Georgia, Scott's sister Tamika met Kandi Burruss. The three began singing together and recruited a fourth member, Tamera Coggins, though her time with the group was short-lived. Soon Tameka "Tiny" Cottle was asked to audition for the girls, and Xscape was officially formed. After the group's major debut performance at BET's Teen Summit in 1992, the girls were introduced to record executive Ian Burke, who later became the group's manager. Xscape soon caught the attention of
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
, who later signed the group to his recording label So So Def Recordings. On October 12, 1993, the group released their debut album, ''
Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha ''Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha'' is the debut studio album by American R&B singing group Xscape. Released on October 12, 1993, by So So Def Recordings (as the label's inaugural release) and Columbia Records, the album produced the singles " Just Kic ...
''. The album peaked at number seventeen the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and number three on the
Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart. It was a critical and commercial success, certified platinum within a year, and launched two top ten singles. After their debut album's success, Xscape released their second studio album, '' Off the Hook'', in 1995. The album eventually went
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
. Their third and final studio album ''
Traces of My Lipstick ''Traces of My Lipstick'' is the third studio album by American R&B group Xscape. The album was released on May 12, 1998, through So So Def Recordings and Sony Music Entertainment. The album was preceded by the release of three singles: " The Arm ...
'' debuted at twenty-eight on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop album chart; over a million copies were sold in the U.S. After ''Traces of My Lipstick'', LaTocha Scott initially left the group to pursue a solo career. The ladies soon regrouped and made appearances on the ''
Big Momma's House ''Big Momma's House'' is a 2000 American buddy cop comedy film, directed by Raja Gosnell, and written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The film stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent who is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict and hi ...
'' and ''
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'' soundtracks, before going on another hiatus until 2005. In 2017, TV One had planned to produce an unauthorized movie about Xscape which Kandi Burruss did not want to happen against her and the group's wishes. She called other band members to discuss starting a show of their own. The show was named ''Xscape: Still Kickin' It'', and set as a four-episode miniseries. On November 5, 2017, the show premiered on BravoTV. Before Kandi could rejoin the group, she wanted an apology from band member Tamika Scott, who claimed in a 2007 interview that Burruss broke up the group by sleeping with their label head
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
and his father, Michael Mauldin. Kandi wanted an apology for the false statement that Scott told regarding Mauldin, but did confirm that she and Dupri had been involved (though Burruss claims that wasn't the reason why the group broke up). Burruss received an apology from Scott on stage during a concert in Detroit in 2017.


Solo work and production

After the disbanding of Xscape, Burruss focused on production and songwriting. In 1999, Burruss co-wrote, along with
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 ...
, three major hit songs: " No Scrubs" for
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 ...
, "
Bills, Bills, Bills "Bills, Bills, Bills" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland, Kandi Burruss of Xscape, and Kevin "She'k ...
" for Destiny's Child, and "
There You Go "There You Go" is a song recorded by American singer Pink for her debut studio album '' Can't Take Me Home'' (2000). The song was co-written by Pink, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and Kandi Burruss and was produced by Briggs, while Burruss produced ...
",
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
's debut single. All three songs had writing involvement by their respective artists, and "No Scrubs" was also co-written by Burruss's former groupmate Tameka "Tiny" Cottle. In 2000, Kandi released her debut album, '' Hey Kandi...'', which spawned the singles " Don't Think I'm Not" and " Cheatin' on Me". "Don't Think I'm Not" reached number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album did not do as well on the chart as the lead single did, reaching #72 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Burruss won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers's Songwriter of the Year award in 2000, in the Rhythm & Soul category. She was the first African-American woman to win the award. Burruss rewrote and executive produced the 2009 song "
Tardy for the Party "Tardy for the Party" is a song by American television personality Kim Zolciak; it was independently released on September 1, 2009. The track was written and produced by her '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' castmate Kandi Burruss, with additi ...
" for her ''Real Housewives of Atlanta'' co-star
Kim Zolciak Kimberleigh Marie Zolciak-Biermann ( Zolciak; born May 19, 1978) is an American television personality and singer. In 2008, she appeared as one of the original housewives on the reality television series ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta.'' Zolci ...
. On March 12, 2013, Kandi Burruss, and her collaborating songwriter/producer, Rodney "Don Vito" Richard, filed suit against Zolciak for profits earned from "Tardy for the Party". In the documents filed, Burruss' attorney, ''RHOA'' castmate
Phaedra Parks Phaedra Creonta Parks (born October 26, 1973) is an American television personality, attorney, businesswoman, author, actress and mortician. She is best known for appearing on Bravo's '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' from 2010 until 2017. Pr ...
, alleges her clients wrote the song for Zolciak and that Zolciak released and sold the single "without heplaintiffs' authorization, license or consent." Burruss was also seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent future sales of the song and the "destruction of all copies of the infringing single and any other product of defendant's that infringe plaintiffs' copyrights", punitive damages, attorney's fees, and a jury trial. The lawsuit was dismissed on October 12, 2013, after the presiding judge deemed that Burruss failed to furnish enough evidence of copyright infringement. Following a hiatus from music, Burruss recorded her first EP. The '' Fly Above EP'' was released on October 29, 2009. In December 2009, Burruss announced she had signed a deal with
Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/As ...
after her deal with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
fell through. Her second album, '' Kandi Koated'', was released in December 2010. Burruss also teamed with
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 ...
female rapper
Rasheeda Rasheeda Buckner-Frost (often stylized RaSheeda) is an American rapper, television personality, and businesswoman. Music career Music beginnings Rasheeda started her music career as a member of the female hip hop trio Da Kaperz, which made a n ...
to form the duo Peach Candy. The 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 ...
" by
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 ...
, which ranks as one of the most successful singles of all time, drew comparisons in its lyrical rhythm to "No Scrubs", particularly in the pre-chorus line, "Boy, let's not talk too much/ Grab on my waist and put that body on me." As a result, Burruss, Cottle, and Briggs were awarded co-writing credits on "Shape of You".


Reality television

Replacing DeShawn Snow, Burruss joined ''
The Real Housewives of Atlanta ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' (abbreviated ''RHOA'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on October 7, 2008. Developed as the third installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired fourteen seaso ...
'' in its second season, which began airing in July 2009. She has since appeared in every subsequent season of the show, becoming the series' longest-serving cast member. When she first joined the show, she had recently become engaged to her boyfriend A.J. and was shown expressing interest in reviving her music career. A feud developed between her and
Nene Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. Born in Queens, New York and raised in Athens, Georgia, she is best ...
after Burruss became friends with Zolciak and helped her record her single "
Tardy for the Party "Tardy for the Party" is a song by American television personality Kim Zolciak; it was independently released on September 1, 2009. The track was written and produced by her '' The Real Housewives of Atlanta'' castmate Kandi Burruss, with additi ...
". In the third season, Zolciak and Burruss continued recording music together, although they clashed over their creative differences. A conflict between Burruss, Leakes, and Zolciak later ensued while the latter two women embarked on a promotional concert tour. In later seasons, Burruss struck up a friendship with castmates Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams, even starring the latter a role in her production of ''A Mother's Love'', a play that Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, created and produced. Sometime during her pregnancy with son Ace, a rift was shown between Phaedra and Kandi, eventually souring due to unpaid production fees that Parks owed Tucker. Burrus received the second spin-off from ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', ''
The Kandi Factory ''The Kandi Factory'' is an American reality competition series on Bravo that debuted April 9, 2013. Developed as a spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', starring Kandi Burruss. The show chronicles Burruss and her team at The Kandi F ...
'', in 2012. It was originally planned as a one-time television special, but eventually ran for a full season. It followed Burruss and her record producers as they attempted to launch the music careers of undiscovered artists, with a new artist selected every episode. Burruss and Tucker then got another spin-off series on Bravo, titled ''
Kandi's Wedding ''Kandi's Wedding'' is an American reality documentary television series that premiered on Bravo on June 1, 2014. Developed as a spin-off from ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta''. The five-part wedding series follows singer and reality televisi ...
'', which aired for five episodes in June and July 2014 and showed the two getting married. ''Kandi's Wedding'' brought in very high ratings for Bravo, and topped NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak's previous spin-offs. Her third spin-off series, ''
Kandi's Ski Trip ''Kandi's Ski Trip'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on May 17, 2015. Developed as the fifth spin-off of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta''. The show focuses on Kandi Burruss, her husband Todd Tucker and their ...
'', was a three-part special that aired in 2015 after the conclusion of the seventh season of ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta''. Burruss was a contestant on the second season of the reality competition show ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
.'' She placed fifth in the competition and was a fan favorite during her run on the show. She appeared as a guest judge on the "From Farm to Runway" episode of season 11 of ''
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'' alongside model and actress
Amber Valletta Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model, landing her first of sixteen American ''Vogue'' covers at the age of eighteen. During the 1990s, Valletta reached the st ...
, which aired on April 11, 2019. In 2020, she competed in the third season of ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' as "Night Angel". Burruss had been originally asked to compete in the first season, but was unable to participate due to other commitments. After watching T-Pain perform and having producers approach her again however, she reconsidered. Burruss won her season as the show's first female winner. In 2022, Burruss began starring in Bravo's '' Kandi & the Gang''.


Other ventures

Burruss has made
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
s on series such as '' Single Ladies'', '' Thicker Than Water: The Tankards'', '' Chef Roblé & Co.'', and '' Let's Stay Together''. Burruss also owns a
sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibratin ...
company called ''Bedroom Kandi''. Burruss and four friends started ''Kandi Koated Nights'', a "sex and relationship" web series on
Ustream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest offices. ...
. The show began airing on television in 2018.


Personal life

Burruss is a member of the Church of Holiness. Burruss and her ex-boyfriend, Russell "Block" Spencer of
Block Entertainment Block Entertainment or Block Ent. Worldwide is a record label created by Russell "Block" Spencer and Andrew "Gotti" Couser. The label is known for creating southern group Boyz N Da Hood and releasing artist Yung Joc. In 2005 Block signed an excl ...
, have a daughter named Riley Burruss, born on August 22, 2002. In late 2008, Burruss began a relationship with Ashley "A.J." Jewell and after dating several months, the couple became engaged in January 2009. However, on October 2, 2009, after sustaining head injuries in a brawl, Jewell died. On January 15, 2013, Burruss announced via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that she was engaged to Todd Tucker, a former
line producer A line producer is a type of film or television producer who is the head of the production office management personnel during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or TV program. A line producer usually works on o ...
for ''The Real Housewives of Atlanta'', whom she had been dating since 2011 while filming the fourth season. On April 4, 2014, the two were married in a lavish ceremony. In July 2015, Burruss announced that she was pregnant. She and Tucker welcomed their son on January 6, 2016. They welcomed their second child, a daughter, via surrogate on November 22, 2019. The couple resides in
Atlanta, Georgia 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 ...
.


Discography

;Studio albums * '' Hey Kandi...'' (2000) * ''Can't Rain Forever'' (2006) (Shelved) * '' Kandi Koated'' (2010)


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burruss, Kandi 1976 births African-American actresses African-American women rappers 20th-century African-American women singers African-American women singer-songwriters African-American songwriters African-American record producers American film actresses American dance musicians American hip hop record producers American hip hop singers African-American television producers American women television producers American women rappers American soul musicians American television actresses Grammy Award winners Living people People from College Park, Georgia The Real Housewives cast members Southern hip hop musicians American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American women singers American women film producers 21st-century American rappers American women record producers Masked Singer winners Women hip hop record producers American women television personalities African-American television personalities African-American women in business 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers Television producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century women rappers