"No Scrubs" was initially written byKandi Burruss on an envelope while sitting in her car.[2][3] The lyrics allude to a previous relationshipTameka Cottle described as a "screw-up".[4] Burruss and Cottle intended to record "No Scrubs" together; however,Dallas Austin gave the song toTLC as their first single forFanMail, withRozonda "Chilli" Thomas singing the lead vocals. He regarded the song as a breakthrough for Thomas.[2]
"No Scrubs" was written by Burruss, Cottle and producerKevin "She'kspere" Briggs, with background vocals provided by Thomas, Burruss, Cottle, andDebra Killings.[5] The lyrics were modified slightly to match TLC's image. Two versions of the song were released to boostairplay across formats, one described as straightR&B, the other containing a rap verse from TLC memberLisa "Left Eye" Lopes.[3]
"No Scrubs" was released on February 2, 1999, as thelead single ofFanMail.[3]
"No Scrubs" is an R&B[3][7] andhip-pop song,[8] containing a prominentKurzweilAcoustic Guitar beat.[9] It has "airy remnants of an electronic guitar", followed by Chilli's vocals. The word "scrub" was used inAtlanta as a slang term for an unsuccessful person of low social status.[6] Natelegé Whaley ofVibe stated that the song is "a scathing critique on men at the bottom of the dating pool".[10] Musicnotes published this song in4 4 common time with a moderatetempo indicating 100 beats per minute in thekey ofG♯ minor, with a vocal range spanning from F♯3 to C♯5.[11]
John Dingwall fromDaily Record described "No Scrubs" as a "slinky, acoustic R&B smash".[7] Stevie Chick fromNME 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".[8] In 1999, it was listed onThe Village Voice's annual pollPazz & Jop at number one.[12] "No Scrubs" placed at number two onNME's Top Tracks of 1999 list,[13] and at number 45 on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 1990s.[14]Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 10 in their list of the 50 Best Songs of the Nineties,[15] and at number 303 on their list of the Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[16] 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", which placed at number 6.[17]Billboard ranked "No Scrubs" at number 42 on their listicle of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[18]
"No Scrubs" was commercially released on March 23, 1999, after it was distributed to radio.[19] It peaked at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 upon the single's release on theBillboard issue dated April 3, 1999,[20] where it remained for four weeks from April 10, 1999, to May 1, 1999.[21] The song charted in the top-ten of the Hot 100 for 17 consecutive weeks.[6] 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.[22][23][24] It holds the record for most weeks at number one on theRhythmic Top 40 with 15 weeks, as well as being ranked at number two onBillboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999, only behindCher's 1998 song "Believe".[6]
In Australia, "No Scrubs" spent seven consecutive weeks at the summit of theARIA Charts from May 2, 1999, to June 20, 1999.[25] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number three on theUK Singles Chart, becoming TLC's highest-charting single.[26] The song was certified quadruple platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) in September 2023 for sales and streams exceeding 2,400,000 units.[27]
TheHype Williams-directedmusic video was set in a futuristic space station, where the trio wore silver and blue metallic outfits.[10] It contains a rap verse by Left Eye, which was used in the single's release.[9]Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins 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. Americandrag queenRuPaul also appeared off-camera withoutdrag to see them, as his makeup artistMathu Andersen was in charge of makeup for the group, placingrhinestones on the lips of each member.[2] The music video is stylistically similar toMichael Jackson andJanet Jackson's music video "Scream" (1995), as well as theBusta Rhymes and Janet Jackson music video "What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999), which was also directed by Williams.[6]
The video features the women in four 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.
Following the immediate release of "No Scrubs" in 1999, the song received a divisive response about labeling a new term for men "with limited money, ambitions and romantic vocabulary, and who mostly still live at home with Mom", with several debates on radio stations, and airplay ofanswer songs.[28] Such songs includedDJ Quik's single "Sexuality" from his 2000 albumBalance & Options,[9] "No Hoochies" in San Francisco, and "No Pigeons" by rap groupSporty Thievz in New York throughout April 1999.[29][30] Thomas acknowledged that the latter group were threatened by the song's success, stating that "they can't take the heat!".[2] The use of the word "scrub" rapidly spread worldwide, which was commonly used by women.[6] Writing forThe Washington Post, Lonnae O'Neal Parker noted that "No Scrubs" served associal commentary in the vein of previous songs such asMadonna's 1985 song "Material Girl" andGwen Guthrie's 1986 song "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent", stating that it culminated from 20 years ofmisogyny in rap music.[28]
Americanelectronic dance music producerXXYYXX sampled "No Scrubs" on "Good Enough", which was included on his albumXXYYXX (2012).[40] ProducerLe Youth sampled it on the 2013 song "Dance with Me", which peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.[41] The "No Scrubs" writers were credited onEd Sheeran's 2017 song "Shape of You", as it contained a similar lyrical rhythm.[3][42] Swedish record producerAvicii also credited the writers on his 2019 song "SOS", as American singerAloe Blacc interpolated the lyrics, "I don't want no scrub" to "I don't need my drugs".[43] The song was sampled on "Bobo" in 2021, which was performed by American singerMariah Angeliq, Spanish singerBad Gyal, and Argentine singerMaría Becerra. According toBillboard writer Jessica Roiz, it gave "No Scrubs" a "reggaeton twist" with perreo, urban-pop sounds anddancehall vibes.[44] The song peaked at number 41 in Spain,[45] and at number 96 in Argentina.[46] American rapperDoechii sampled "No Scrubs" in her 2023 song "What It Is (Block Boy)", which featured rapperKodak Black on its original version, and peaked at number 29 on theBillboard Hot 100.[47]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^abMayfield, Geoff; Caulfield, Keith; Graybow, Steve (March 27, 1999)."Hot 100 Spotlight".Billboard.Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. RetrievedDecember 5, 2020 – viaGoogle Books.
^Pietroluongo, Silvio; Patel, Minal; Jessen, Wade (January 19, 2002)."Singles Minded".Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 3. p. 77.ISSN0006-2510.Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2018.The record now reverts to Arista, which was the first label to surpass the 140 million audience mark in May 1999 with TLC's 'No Scrubs.'
^Pietroluongo, Silvio; Patel, Minal; Jessen, Wade (January 12, 2002)."Singles Minded".Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 2. p. 83.ISSN0006-2510.Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2018.In two prior years, only TLC's 'No Scrubs' in 1999 topped the 140-million listener mark, but three had such weeks in 2001's chart year, including 'Independent Women.'
^Bronson, Fred (December 25, 1999)."The year in charts".Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. p. YE-12.ISSN0006-2510.Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. RetrievedJanuary 30, 2018.
^abO'Neal Parker, Lonnae (April 15, 1999). "A Hit That Bashes Single Guys' Nerve; TLC's 'No Scrubs' Renews The War of the Sexes".The Washington Post. p. C01.
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. United States: LaFace Records. 1999. 73008-24385-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. United States: LaFace Records. 1999. 73008-24386-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. Europe: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 646002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. Australia: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 646002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. Europe: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 66095 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. United Kingdom: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 66095 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. United Kingdom: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 66096 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No Scrubs (back cover). TLC. France: LaFace Records. 1999. 74321 66865 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Top National Sellers"(PDF).Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 27. July 3, 1999. p. 13.Archived(PDF) from the original on June 8, 2020. RetrievedJune 8, 2020.See LWcolumn.
^"Top National Sellers"(PDF).Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 29. July 17, 1999. p. 11.Archived(PDF) from the original on January 25, 2021. RetrievedNovember 28, 2019.
^"Hot 100 Singles of the '90s"(PDF).Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20.Archived(PDF) from the original on July 26, 2020. RetrievedAugust 17, 2020.
