TLC'S 1992 debut opens with an unidentified male grousing that the girl group ps baggy clothes aren't

ladylike. The Atlanta trio retorts with"Hat 2 da Back, an urban-soul single that positions their style not as a denial of femininity, but an assertion.

Such liberation characterizes this groundbreaking album, a new jack swing classic of R&B vocals and breakbeat samples that redefines womanhood with tracks like Aint 2Proud 2 Beg, a hip-hop shout-along that advances female sexual agency; His Story, a listen-to-the-victim op-ed: and What About Your Friends, a formative work of swaying-pop sorority.