01x02 - Pray on It...

[bunniefuu]

Previously on
"The Queens of R"...

With our 30th anniversary
coming up

and Xscape's 30th anniversary
coming up,

maybe we join up forces,
possibly even integrate a show.

SWV and Xscape...
we can make huge history.

Tocha feels like Tamika
body-shamed her in the text.

both: How?

Tamika said,
"If you had a a*s to kiss."

[dramatic music]

We can talk about the idea

of all of us getting together
to do this tour.

I wanna see a production.

You may see Taj and Kandi
on the stage together.

Yeah.

I'm not excited
about going on tour.

We got a lotta internal issues
that we got to deal with.

I just hope that Xscape

can figure out
their internal bullsh...,

so we can move forward.

Or not.

When you and Rocky
stole my money,

Mama didn't say nothing.

My checks were cashed in
my sister's husband's account.

I got everything.
You want to go to jail now?

'Cause you can still
go to jail.

Over $30,000.

- Tamika, you wrong!
- Wow.

Y'all, cut the cameras off,
or you can get out of my house.

- You want to act?
- Cut the cameras off.

Or you can get out of my house.
- Oh, y'all gotta

turn the cameras off now?

- She need counseling!
- She need to calm down.

Mama, you know
y'all ain't right.

And you gonna bring that crap
up here?

You ain't never gotta worry
about me coming over here

ever again in life.

I been dealing with this
my whole life!

I'm tired!
- Tamika...

I'm tired, Mama!
I'm tired.

- If you so tired...
- I'm tired!

You should have came
and talked to me.

I've been talking to you
about it!

You know they stole my money!
- Ain't nobody stole...

Oh, you know they did!

You know they did!

You still acting like
you don't know?

Cut the cameras off!

Yes.

'Cause she don't
want anybody to know

that her precious daughter
did this to her sister.

I am a human being!

- Get out of my house!
- You come and do me like this!

It is not fair!
- You cut the cameras off!

Get out of my house!

My mom was angry
because I revealed something

that no one knew.

Not even my own daughter knew.

Lord, Jesus.

- O'Shun.
- Yes, ma'am.

- Talk with your mama.
- Mama, I gotta go.

- They stirred this up.
- And for you to sit there

and act like
you don't know Tocha

stole my money from me.

You know this,
and I was pregnant with Armani

when this happened.

- Tamika, you...
- You know this, Mama.

I gotta go.
Let me go.

I just need a ride.
I gotta go.

Oh, baby,
she deserve an Academy Award.

She came with some bull-S.

She was on some...you know
she was on some bull-S, O'Shun.

You know that.

I was really praying that
it didn't get to this point.

I been going through this
my whole life.

[tense music]

♪

[hip-hop music]

♪ My lifestyle poppin',
bottom to the top, yep ♪

♪ Worries I be droppin',
you won't ever top it ♪

Good morning, y'all.

We need our nails done, so we
gonna get our nails done today.

I wanna be in the camera.

- Say hi.
- Hi, everybody.

Got our silkies on today

'cause we gonna get
these fingers done.

Yeah.

♪ Am I clear, yeah

♪ You will never top it

I'm about to transform
all this goodness

into perfection, bae.

Let me bring this down
just a pinch.

Ooh, I'm sorry,
getting all moody and whatnot.

♪ My lifestyle poppin',
bottom to the top, yep ♪

Hi, Justy.

You want a treat?

Sit down, sit.

Lay.
Thank you!

She goes to her little
private spot to eat.

[laughs]

♪

♪ Am I clear, damn right,
am I clear, yes, sir ♪

♪ Am I clear, damn right,
you will never top it ♪

Esther, did you get
the stuff?

Esther?

Esther!

This is not my forte.

I don't do chacut...
what they call it?

"Chacuterie."
[laughs]

♪

- Kandi!
- Yeah?

What's up?
- Where you at?

Over here eating
chicken wings.

You over there eating.

♪ Chicken wing,
chicken wing ♪

Yeah, hey, how you doing?

- What's up?
- Man, what's good with you?

Damn, you should've told me
you were gonna get spiffy.

Where you going?

Uh, do I have to be going
somewhere to look cute?

- Okay, yes.
- [laughs]

[mellow music]

♪

- Hey, ladies.
- Hay, baby.

- Hey.
- Okay!

Y'all all dressed up.
- Who dressed up?

- Sexy-dexy.
- Girl, this $9.99 dress.

- Wore this...
- Girl, bye.

[laughter]

Okay, chicken, yes.

Thank you, darling.
Thank you so much, baby.

- Where Tocha at?
- Yeah, where is Tocha?

Mm, I don't know.

I thought...
since she's not here,

I was like...I thought
she didn't come

because of last night.

What happened last night?

My mama called
a family meeting.

And how'd it go?

- Oh, God.
- Not good.

And guess what I said.
- What?

I brought up the incident
when she and Rocky

took my money.

Oh, really?

To have my mom sit there
and take up for my sister,

like she always does,
it took me back

to when my sister
and her husband

stole my royalties,
and my mom defended them.

[tense music]

And I did not mean
to take it there,

but when you keep
poking at something

and poking at something,

that something
is gonna explode, and I did.

I told my mom,
and she was like,

"Well, you don't know what she
was going through at the time.

Maybe she needed the money."

I was pregnant with Armani.

And my daughter O'Shun
was in college at the time.

But she might have
needed the money.

When walked in, I was
actually happy to see her,

but, baby, that person that was

on that couch
that I talked to...

I'm your sister.
You don't body-shame people.

I don't know who that was.

♪

Hey, babe.

- What's up, baby?
- Finally got up.

Hey.
- How you doing?

- [sighs]
- How you feeling?

I don't know how I'm feelin'.

I know it was a lot going on, but...

Yeah, it was crazy
is what it was.

A lack of better words.

It's way, way out of control.

But let me ask you
a question.

Why my name come up?

You and Rocky stole my money.
Mama didn't say nothing.

I'm sick of being called out

by Tamika
for something that's...

- Doesn't exist.
- First of all, it don't exist.

- Absolutely.
- It ain't real.

To even accuse me
of something or to say my name,

I would never.

Yeah.

'Cause when you scream
somebody's name,

you gotta deal
with what comes with it.

Tamika's not gonna sit here

and accuse me and my husband
of stealing

'cause I'm not...I don't steal.

I'm not a thief.
We're not thieves.

And it's damaging because my
sister has a tendency to lie.

Listen, you can outlive
a lie any day.

I don't give an enemy
that much energy.

- That's right.
- You know what I'm saying?

When the truth is the truth,

you don't even have
to defend it.

It defends itself.
You understand what I'm saying?

So...which is why
I call you the truth

because you ain't even got
to defend it.

And I'm just tired of it.
I really am.

The vibe was just wrong,
like, from her.

You know, she walked in
with a stiffness about her.

And she was very,
very aggressive.

It's almost like
she was possessed

'cause I've never seen her
disrespect my mama that way.

I wasn't trying
to be disrespectful,

but later,
my mom left a message.

Mm.

What did your mama say
in the message?

All I want you to know
is you're grown.

You don't wanna humble
yourself down.

You don't wanna listen
to your mama.

You don't wanna hear
that you hurt

your sister's feelings.

And you don't have
enough God in you

to calm yourself down
and listen to righteousness.

And if I hear you dropping
on your sister,

ain't nothing in this world
would keep me

from kicking your tail.

What in the hell?

Ugh!

- Aww, Mi.
- Aww, Tamika, don't cry.

'Cause y'all know
that's not me.

I been protecting my sister
since y'all know me.

Mm.

For years,
Tamika has blindly gone along

with what her sister wanted.

I have never went
against my sister for nothing,

even when she was wrong,
I was against y'all

because that's my family.

That's loyalty.

Have I ever went against her
for any reason?

No.

This situation is, like,

now she's finally standing up.

I'm very proud of Tamika.

Where do we go?

'Cause you gotta
see the group in...

This week.

So what's next
for the group then?

I don't know.

I'm questioning whether
I even wanna do this

with them ever again.

♪

Anyway, we love you.

We understand what
you've been going through.

We've been seeing it
for all these years.

My biggest issue
has always been,

we hold on to sh...

- Yeah, we do.
- And nobody can break away.

And then it just builds up
and builds up.

- Yeah.
- I hate that she's not here.

We all four
need to get together

and hash out this sh...

We need to hear y'all out.

Make sure
y'all have security.

- Ah!
- [laughs]

Don't do it.

Coming up...

- This is...
- Oh, I didn't ask for tea.

No, that's coffee.

They got coffee in bags now?

- Yes.
- It looks a little weak.

Well, leave it
in there overnight.

[laughter]

[upbeat music]

♪

Sister.

Come on in!

I bear gifts.

Hi!

Give me a huggy-buggy.

You look so pretty.

Thank you,
thank you, thank you.

I need some coffee.

- Okay, this is...
- Oh, I didn't ask for tea.

No, that's coffee.

But the coffee bag
fell in there.

Oh, they got coffee
in bags now?

- Yes.
- Oh, okay.

I just never seen coffee
like this.

- No, yeah...
- It looks a little weak.

Well, leave it in there overnight.

[laughter]

My sister Jeanette
is the matriarch

of this family.

What does this remind you of?

- Mommy.
- Mommy.

My mother passed away
when I was 22.

After that,
my dad passed away.

Everyone who could cook
a good meal passed away.

Jeanette became that person.

What you get?
- I got a few items.

I moved to Atlanta
from New York

with my two kids in 1996.

My mom passed away in '95,

and I wanted to be close
to her grave.

- I got some bacon.
- Oh, oh.

I know you like
to cook bacon.

Eggs.
- Okay.

And some biscuits.

I have four sisters.

Growing up in the Bronx,

we didn't have much.

Me and my sister shared
a twin-size bed,

and I didn't really have
a lot of clothes.

I wore hand-me-downs,

and whenever my friends
would give their stuff away,

I'd be like,
"I'll take it, I'll take it."

I was so happy
to have something new.

- Okay, sis...oh, my good...
- Oh, sh...

This is why
I don't let you cook for me.

[laughs]

I was a young girl
with big dreams.

I wanted to put myself
in a position

where I can buy myself something.

And that one thing I always
wanted to buy was a bed.

Where do I find a fork?
Do you have a fork?

- Yes, I got one more.
- Oh, one, okay.

- [laughs]
- What kind of fork is this?

The one you gon' use.

[laughs]

Okay, how was South Africa?

It was super dope.

I knew I wanted to be a singer

at about age 11,

watching "Star Search."

But I got pregnant at 15,
and back then,

you couldn't work full-time
at 15,

so I had to get
two part-time jobs.

At night, my mom would babysit
my daughter,

and I would go in the studio
and record with the girls.

And back then at that time,
we were working on our demo.

♪ Mm-mm-mm

This food look professional.

- Let's see what it taste like.
- [laughs]

I remember,
our first single came out

on the radio,
so we're in the limousine,

and soon as we heard, like...

♪ Da-da-da, da-da

I was like, "Oh, sh...!
That's us on the radio!"

[upbeat music]

♪ Da-na, da-da-da

♪ Da-na, da-na

I was like, oh!
Ah, ah, ah!

I think we lost our minds
a little bit.

I was just like, "Wow,
we are on the radio for real

in Los Angeles, California."

It was like
a overnight success.

♪ Love will be right here

You turned the oven off?

I think.
I don't know.

Can you check?
'Cause it's...

I think I did.

The first thing I bought...

I bought a king-size mattress

with my money.

Ooh, no, I didn't.
- See?

Yes!

♪ My house,
my car, my chains ♪

♪ New rags
in a whole different lane ♪

♪ In the same breath,
ain't nothing changed ♪

♪ I'm just living
on a whole new plane ♪

Hey, hey, hey!

I'm waiting on my girlfriend,

but I'm gonna look
until she get here.

We have banana nut muffins

if you want
to be a little healthy.

- No healthy today, girl.
- Okay.

Ooh, girl, I'm like a child
in a candy store right now.

- Yeah, you are.
- Hey!

You know when I'm fasting,
and you want to eat out.

- I'm sorry!
- You lucky I love you, girl.

Whenever I see Tamika,

she's like the little sister
I never had.

So you fasting
from junk food.

From everything.

- Sex too?
- No, no.

Girl, I was about to say,
Lord bless you.

If anything,
I do it more when I fast.

Thank you.

You want to go over here
in the park?

But you good though?
Everything's good?

Yeah, I was excited
about the meeting

you called the other day.

- Good.
- Just thinking about a show.

I got so many ideas.

I know,
and I loved your ideas too.

- Thank you.
- They were great.

'Cause I was just thinking
about all that stuff

that you were thinking.

Now we just gotta
implement it.

Yes, we gon' work on it.

Did your sister
come around yet?

Girl, mm-mm, not yet.

We went to my mom's house,
and we talked.

When I walked in, I just felt
like they were attacking me.

And my mom
always takes her side.

You are so angry, baby.
You need counseling.

She is not angry.

You're the one acting
like you angry.

Let me tell you,
my whole entire life,

I've taken up for my sister.

- Uh-huh.
- My whole entire life.

I would never...
- I know, honey.

I know.

It's okay, it's okay.

[soft music]

It's okay to cry.

♪

My mama's always taken
my sister's...

she's always taking her side.

Maybe someone can help you
figure out why

you followed your sister
all those years.

- I know why.
- Why?

Because when I did it,
I got my mom's love.

That's when I got
my mom's approval.

Mm-hmm.

But when I didn't,
I felt like a outcast.

And if I ever went
against anything

they wanted me to do,
I didn't love them.

Mm.

♪

If you're gonna sit there
and choose a side as a mom,

what are you telling
the daughter

that you're not choosing?

It's not fair.

Mama needs to step to the side

and let these girls
work this out.

Make it right with your mom,

and hopefully,
your mom will help you

make it right with your sister,

but I want you
to also think about you.

♪

Coming up...

I personally feel like
we should get new management.

I feel like
we should get somebody

that everybody can feel
comfortable with.

How do you feel about it?

I need to pray about it.

♪ Yo, yo,
pay it to the bank ♪

♪ Presidential Rolie,
that's okay ♪

♪ Tesla whipping,
no gas in the tank ♪

♪ Big boy homie,
what you think? ♪

♪ Yuh, pay it to the bank

Blend sherbet and juice
in a blender.

Pour in champagne glass.
Leave room for the champagne.

Okay.

[dramatic music]

♪

Knock, knock!

Hey, y'all, hey!

- Hey, baby!
- Where is everybo-ty?

Right here.
I'm finna make drinks.

Okay, where the kitchen?

It's been a while
since I been here.

Uh-oh.

I don't know
how to work that, boo.

I'm in trouble.

I mean, five houses
with five different blenders...

sometimes, I get confused
on my appliances.

I wouldn't say
I was spoiled or rich,

but I live pretty,
you know, pretty decent.

How much?
Tell me when to stop.

Once I cowrote "No Scrubs"
with Kandi,

then I started seeing
some real checks.

I seen what this money
look like for real.

- What y'all doing?
- Ah!

Girl!

Don't be scaring us like that.
- I'm so glad you're here.

I have something for you.
You're gonna love it.

I made Creamsicle mimosas.
- Oh, God.

- Yes, yes.
- You're gonna love it.

Put a little bit more
of this in there.

She's not a drinker.

I know,
but she's gonna like this.

[laughs]

They be another one
'fore the meeting.

I gotta have my mind right
for this meeting.

I don't want no...

You don't want
to drink too much.

We are too grown,
too old to be letting things

come in the way of our money.

We gotta get Tocha and Tamika
hopefully on one page,

so we can get to the bag.

Let's toast
to a great meeting.

- A prosperous future.
- Yes, yes.

A prosperous future.
I like it.

- Yes.
- Okay.

- And good sex.
- Ooh, girl, all the time.

Mm.

♪

It was some salmon
or something in there

looked pretty good.

- Hey, hey.
- Hello, hello, hello.

- What's up, girl?
- Not much.

What y'all in here doing?
- Drinking.

Basically.

- Now we gotta make your drink.
- Okay, lord.

Since the incident,
my sister has not reached out.

She has not apologized
to myself nor my mother.

I'll sit and wait on my drink.

I'm still not over the things
that have been said,

and this meeting
is a little too soon,

but I'm here
out of my love for Tiny.

So who would like to start?

Anything that y'all want
to start with specifically?

Anybody?

LaTocha, why don't you start?

I really don't even know
where to start.

Let's talk about management, okay?

With the "Verzuz"
as hot and big as it was,

I feel like we should
have had all kinds of sh...

coming our way.

♪ Understanding
is what we need ♪

"Xscape,"
ladies and gentlemen.

Have we fell off?

No, we haven't fallen off.

I'm trying to figure out
what the [BLEEP] is going on.

No, we haven't fallen off.

I personally feel like
we should get new management.

I feel like
we should get somebody

that everybody can agree on
and everybody

can feel comfortable with.

It's been over a year
and some months,

and I don't know anything

that this management company
has really done.

So I'm like, why are we
putting up with this?

They're very good friends
with my sister and her husband.

[tense music]

Tocha, how do you feel
about what we're saying.

I'm hearing everybody out.

But how do you feel about it, period?

- I need to pray about it.
- Pray about it, okay.

She never
directly answered a question

'cause she needs
to go talk to her brain,

which is Rocky.

[whispering indistinctly]

If she don't have him around,

she's not gonna give you
an answer.

I think, as you said,

you wanted to talk about it
and discuss it.

We're here to talk,
so let's just go ahead

and talk about it
and try to get through it.

We're dysfunctional.

We don't hold ourselves accountable.

We have
so many different issues,

and all we do is just sweep,
sweep, sweep,

sweep it under the rug.

We never address them.

I just don't want us
to keep going

through the back and forth
if we don't have to.

Let's try to nip some
of the sh... in the bud

that we know that we can fix,

buckling down and putting
our personal to the side.

Mm-hmm.
[small laugh]

Easier said than done,
but yes.

There's sisterly love here.

There's nothing
never gonna change that.

Why you still mad at me?

- Please.
- Why you still mad?

- We not finna do this 'cause...
- Yes, we are finna do this.

We talking. Let's talk.

Let's get everything out.
- No.

'Cause what we gotta talk about
is my mama,

and I'm not doing this
in front of everybody.

- Your mama?
- Not doing this.

Our mother.

- You said "my."
- Our, okay?

- You just said "my."
- I corrected myself...our.

All right, but Mama
ain't got nothing to do with...

- Yes, she does.
- What we're talking about.

Yes, she got a lot
to do with this.

What she gotta do with it?

I'm not finna talk
about this right now.

- Go ahead.
- No.

It's not like they don't know
what's going on.

No.

Your energy is like...
it's just...I don't know.

What?

Just you.
You're not you.

It's like you come in,

and you have a chip
on your shoulder.

Hm.

It's like I don't even know
who you are anymore.

- Oh, wow.
- I don't.

Okay, enough said.

I miss the old Tocha.

Growing up,
we did everything together.

We were just
two peas in a pod.

- Slow down!
- Okay, okay, that's enough.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Tamika...

She acts like
she's street fighting.

You not...who are you
trying to hit?

- Oh, Lord.
- Uh-oh.

both: I'm scared.

[laughter]

She and I were best friends.

Guys, we have to be able
to mend it at this point.

I mean, we really not done
with the business though.

We need to talk.

We'll just wait for y'all
to have y'all conversation,

and then we'll try to come
back together afterwards

about possibly
doing a show with SWV.

Okay, cool,
I'm gonna walk the queen out.

[tense music]

I hope that the friction
that my sister have

don't ruin any type
of opportunity

with Xscape or with SWV,
because they don't deserve

not being able to move forward
because we are having problems.

It's not fair to the ladies.

Y'all gotta get together,
'cause without you two...

When she get it together
with our mom, I'm cool.

The sh... ain't gon' be
the same...right.

It ain't gon' be right till
she get it right with Mama.

We come from a praying family.

We come from a family
of togetherness.

We come from a family
who didn't have nothing

and stuck together
and defied all the odds.

And to have my sister
disrespect my mother

in a way that was unwarranted,
and then too it was lies.

I don't care about no money.
I don't care about no tour.

I know you don't.

I don't care nothing
about that.

I will tell y'all no every day.
No!

No, no, no.

It's wrong on every level,
and I don't like it.

And being the older sister,
I can say that.

You're wrong.
Fix it.

- Okay, babe, I love you.
- I love you too.

Okay, bye.

♪

Coming up...

Eriq, do you know
who Xscape is?

- I heard the name.
- Yeah?

You don't know any songs?

No?
- No.

- No...
- No offense.

No offense.
- You on punishment.

Early morning flight.

I'm so excited.

I'm going home.

You excited?
- Mm-hmm.

I miss being home

so freaking much.

Right now, we're staying in

Atlanta while we're rehearsing.

At this point, I've been

away from home for a month.

Hey, boys, I'm coming home.
I'll see y'all soon.

Mm.

Atlanta is always
a central point

to rehearse with the girls
because Coko's in Virginia,

I'm in Nashville,
and LeLee is in Atlanta.

I'm so excited
to be going home.

[upbeat music]

Eriq!

Guess who's home!

- Hey!
- What's up, Mama?

- Oh, my gosh!
- Hi, monkey.

Ooh!
- What's up?

Hi!
[kissing]

Y'all acting like
y'all miss me...

- We did.
- So much.

- We did.
- Ah!

Y'all, all right now, y'all.

No, really.

I feel like
y'all hiding something.

When I first moved
to Nashville in '02,

coming from Brooklyn,
I loved the peace

and quiet of Nashville.

I just wanna sit down
on the sofa for a second.

Yes, yes, welcome home.

Welcome back.
- I missed my boys.

If it wasn't for Eddie,
I doubt my life would have

ended up in Nashville,

but you will follow
your heart, honey,

and I followed my heart
right to Nashville

and planted roots,
had a baby,

built a life, yes.

Nashville is home now.

I need me a good little bath.
You know I love my baths.

I don't want you falling
asleep in it though.

- Working nonstop.
- Yeah.

Atlanta, Rome,
South Africa...everywhere.

We're constantly on the road,
just about every weekend,

sometimes during the week,
all year long.

Come on!

♪ Anticipation

When I walk
through that door,

I leave SWV outside the door,

and I'm a mother and wife
when I get home.

Nothing takes precedent
over that.

Hi, Easy.
- What's up, Ma?

- Look at my big baby.
- Mm-hmm.

What have you been doing
with yourself without Mommy?

Thinking about you.

[laughs]
You been thinking about me.

- Yes, I have.
- You storyteller.

It's difficult for me
to find balance as a mom,

especially being
on the road so much.

How's practice?
- Good.

But my son Eriq,
who's never known anything

but me being on the road,
he's so used to it,

he wants me gone.

He's like,
"Ma, when you leaving again?

Oh, okay, can I get the car?"

That's all he cares about.

We gotta take that first day
of school picture

so folks can see
how my baby has grown.

[fake cries]

I love performing
a great deal.

It really brings me a lot
of joy,

but my priority is with Eriq.

I have to be there,
especially in the senior year.

He's got so many
last everything.

I can't miss everything.
I'll never get it back.

I'm so happy to be home,

even if it's just
for a couple days.

I just got to work out
some little details

with Xscape, but...

Eriq, do you know
who Xscape is?

♪ No, no, no

♪ No, no, of course not

- I heard the name.
- Yeah?

You don't know any songs?

♪ Just kick it, just kick it

No?
- No.

[upbeat music]

♪ Come on, baby, ooh

♪ You're too stressed
you're too stressed ♪

♪ Let it go with me

[dogs barking]
- Oh!

I hear somebody.

Hi, boo-boo!
Hi, Jake.

Have a sit-down and a cup
of hot tea.

Hi, hi.
- Welcome home.

Thank you.
[dog barks]

How was your trip
to South Africa?

Too long.

Being on the road, it's a job.
It's what I do.

I go to work, I do my job,
and then I go home.

I'll be missing you
when you go.

I'll be glad to see you come.

Mm-hmm, glad to see me go?

[laughs]
Glad to see you go.

My mother and I, we have
a very close relationship.

Growing up, it's always just

been my mother and I together,

and I always knew we would end
up in the same house again.

I miss y'all.

It be quiet in here?

No, 'cause I sing everywhere
in this house.

I was about to say no,
'cause she in here singing...

Everywhere.

Like the Lord stepped
on her feet.

Echoing.

Your boyfriend
be over here too?

That ain't none
of your business.

- [laughs]
- It's personal.

You be humping?

[laughter]

I'ma open the Word up
on you in a minute.

My mother, she raised me,
like, one way, Jesus only.

Mm-mm.

You're going to hell
for anything else.

Whoo!

When you going
back in the studio?

You ain't go yet?

No, not yet,
but we're working on getting

the background singers
to go in and do their part.

She got a choir.

Growing up, my mother
taught me how to...

I guess sing.

She was like
what you would call

a session singer,

so she did vocals
with Luther Vandross

before he was Luther Vandross.

Her mama taught her well.

Let 'em know.

Growing up in church,
I would sing solos.

My mother didn't believe
in R music.

Go figure.
[laughs]

Once you become, like,
a teenager,

your friends are listenin'
to R,

so I start hearing R,

and I'm like, "Ooh,
this is what I wanna do."

You was singing
before you was talking.

Yes.

We first said
it was a gospel group,

and she was like,
"Oh, yes, yes, yes."

And then I had to tell her
the truth

because the contracts
started coming in.

I'm like,
"Ma, it's not gospel.

It's R"
She' like, "What?"

She started supporting
my career

when I bought her a new car.

[laughs]

You been practicing?

I'm writing.

Trying to finish some tracks,
so we can get in the "stu."

So cool, the "stu."

[laughs]

Aw, I wish they would do
something else.

This music industry is not it.
- Yeah.

I have two boys.

Both have a little bit
of me in them.

Jazz, AKA Lil Tracy,
he's an emo rapper.

He's amazing,
and everybody's always

talking about these numbers
on social media.

My baby has 1.1 million.

I don't want you to get,
like, at my age where I am.

I wish that I would
have gone to college

and done other stuff.
- Yeah.

Jalen is my fabulous
youngest son.

He just decided

out of the clear blue sky

he wants to sing.

I knew he had a voice,
but I didn't think

that he would ever want

to do something like that professionally

because we had already decided
for him to be a dentist.

In the beginning, it was great.

You know, when you young,
you just living.

- Can I say something?
- If you want.

I don't know
if you can know definitely

where you're gonna really go
because you're 19.

That's true.

And what I'm saying is,
as you grow, you change.

Right.

So that's how you feel now,
but at 12,

you thought you was gonna
be a dentist.

The thing is,
you know you wanna grow,

and I think
that's the key right there,

but that's just me.

Just long as you're happy, like...

well, not really, but...

[laughs]
- I don't know.

Coming up...

We change the management,

tryin' to figure out whatever
we gonna do with SWV,

and we waiting
on Tocha to pray.

[laughs/screams] Aah!

♪ They told me
that I'd never make it ♪

♪ All my life,
I dealt with haters ♪

♪ Now look at all this paper

♪ This the life
that I created ♪

[hip-hop music]

What up?

Look what the cat drug in.

Yeah, whatever, sir.
What you over here doing?

I am over here trying
to listen to your new music.

- "Only For You."
- "Only For You."

Produced by me.

♪ It's for you, ay ya ya

- It's catchy.
- ♪ Only for you, ay ya ya

♪ Oh, no, it ain't
nobody else's, no ♪

I don't really go into studios
often as I used to.

I used to live in the studio.

I used to write four,
five songs sometimes in a day

because I was just, like,

that focused on just music.

♪ Ooh, I'm gon' sit
on top of you ♪

But now?

My days have been crazy lately

between sh**ting "Housewives,"

running restaurants,

producing Broadway shows,

and running back and forth

with the kids and my husband,

and...oh, yeah, and Xscape.

I don't really have time
to do anything.

Oh, T-Time, what's up?

The official A
is in the house.

- Okay.
- Yay!

Anyway...

- How's your group?
- Xscape?

That's the only group
I know that you was in.

[laughs]

[hip-hop music]

♪

Socks, got my Dunks.

Lysol, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Finished, done.

Hey, yo, Truth in the Booth!

- Yeah?
- Come on, baby, come on.

There you go, baby.
Look at the swag.

Looking really sexy there, baby.

- Yes, I have to for my man.
- You're looking really sexy.

Yeah, oh, my gosh.
- Good morning to you.

Let me pull out your chair,

you know,
as the gentleman I am.

Put this on your lap, darling.

Listen, no,
don't start touching me.

Do you want me
to feed you too?

- No, I'm good.
- Okay, 'cause...

27 years and to 27 more.

Let me say my...

This, on our 27 year,
you say your own prayer?

- I'm sorry.
- You say bless yourself?

Yeah, come on,
let's bless the food.

I mean, you just did.

Hopefully,
you put me in the prayer.

- I was just trying to quick...
- Okay, but go ahead.

You did it.
God is good, God is great.

Thank you for
what's on this plate.

both: Amen.

So ever since the meeting

with my mom and my sister,
everything, to me,

has just been spiraling
out of control.

I do pray
y'all get it together

because when
you think of Xscape,

especially in the '90s,
you guys were so magical

to the world because it just
was a real sisterhood,

and I think that's why
you guys still here today.

But when it comes
to you and Kandi,

you know, I mean,
honestly speaking,

you guys have just
never been on the same page.

When it comes to Kandi
and I,

we had issues with me singing.

- We've always gone past...
- I'm saying, but why?

Because you would get angry, Kandi,

when I would have
to sing a lotta songs,

and you made that very clear.
- Girl, bye.

And although she never wants

to say that,
everybody know this to be true.

You guys have been stuck
in a time warp

that's, you know, not healthy.

She was the young one
trying to make her way,

and there were times
when I would sing a song,

and she would just have a fit.

"Oh, why is she singing
all the lead?

Are you trying to set her up
for a solo project?"

And Jermaine would be like,
"No."

And so I think that developed
a resentment...I really do.

I think you just have
to feel comfortable

in your career
as well as your life.

Yes. I just want peace.

Did y'all ever
have y'all meeting?

Oh, God, yeah, we did.

It was, uh, interesting.

We have so many
different issues,

and all we do is just sweep,
sweep, sweep,

sweep it under the rug.

We never address it.

I think it's clear
that she can't move on

until y'all get
the real sh... out.

What you mean?

Why she doesn't
really care for you,

why she resents you.

The dislike started
when we were younger,

and it's been going on so long,

it's to the point where you
can't even pinpoint it anymore.

But you know it got worse
since then.

- Oh, it's got worse.
- You can pinpoint it.

She was supposed to go solo.
You went solo.

Thing is,
she's never gonna own it.

She can't get past
who you've become

and who she didn't become.

[tense music]

So do you feel like...
I mean, well, with Kandi,

do you feel like
she dislike you?

It's something.

It's something
that she dislikes about me.

I know back in the day,
in 1998,

I said I wanted to do
a solo project.

I think everybody was happy

for me except for Kandi.

She was just like,
"You're not coming back."

For some reason,
my project got shelved.

And then within
that same timeframe,

Kandi got signed,
and her album came out.

It was a little odd,
the timing of it all.

I just feel like we were
at the precipice

of the career, and...

- Who?
- Baby, don't.

Y'all went to Presbyterian?

No, the precipice, the top...

- Ooh, sh**t, new word.
- Of our career, and...

New word alert.

Being up there...it's like,
right now where we are,

nobody's thinking about that.

Everybody's thinking
about themselves.

Cool, you know,
'cause we got many more things

for you to do by yourself.

- Well, I'm ready.
- I'm not worried about that.

I'm ready for it.

We getting ready
to go to Nashville,

so we gon' go out here and talk

to the record label
about your deal.

I'm excitable right now.
Excitable!

This is something
I've wanted so very long.

And now that I have
this opportunity,

I'm going all the way.

- Let's toast to peace.
- To peace.

Love.

To the Presbyteri-ecipice.

- Precipice.
- That too.

Tocha was like, you know,

"Y'all don't even wanna
communicate."

She will come right in the room
and don't even speak.

Well, maybe she's setting
herself up to cut y'all off.

She clearly has
something going on

that she's not talking
to us about,

but I need her to go on
and spill the beans

so we can move on.

We're businesswomen.
- Correct.

- Let's get this done.
- Easy.

You change the management,

trying to figure out whatever
we gon' do with SWV,

and we waiting
on Tocha to pray.

[laughs]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Coming up...

So they don't know you
meeting with us right now.

No, they don't.

[upbeat music]

♪ You know
you only living once ♪

♪ Oh, baby,
go and get it now ♪

♪ And don't you ever
slow down ♪

♪ You know
you only living once ♪

- Knock, knock.
- Hey.

- How you doing?
- Doing good.

I'm Lauren.
- I'm Rocky.

- Hi, Lauren.
- I'm a coordinator here.

- Tocha, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

Just gonna take you all to
the conference room over here.

- Okay.
- All right.

Ooh!

I'm gonna grab EJ and Monica
for you guys.

both: Okay, thanks.

- Hey, hey, hey!
- Hey, y'all!

- Good to see you all.
- EJ, what's up, man.

Good to see you.
Thanks for coming out.

- Monica, finally, yes.
- Good to see you.

- You look beautiful as always.
- Thank you.

- So good.
- Hi, Monica.

Finally!
- Hi, good to see you.

You look beautiful.
- Thank you so much.

Well, thank y'all
for coming in.

- Yeah.
- You know, in Motown Gospel,

we're very much about fit,

we're very much about
alignment and timing.

Okay.

And we're not
to sign everybody.

We're not to work
with everybody.

When we feel like we've found
people that God wants us

to align with,
we just pursue that.

And so talk a little bit
about the vision

that you have for this project,
what you want it to be.

And really talk
about your why.

Why are you here?

Get us excited like
you're excited about it.

I been wanting to do this
for a very, very long time.

I just want music
that's relatable,

and I wanna write.

We started in a group where,
you know,

men were writing
a lot of the lyrics,

and I feel like when we write
'em, it comes from home.

And I wanna make sure
that I do that.

Like, why now and why solo?

Well, when you been part
of a group,

it's very hard
to speak your truth

because that may not be what
another girl is going through.

So now's my time to be able
to speak my truth

and say the thing's
that's been on my heart.

But are you prepared...

and I don't know
how you juggle it,

this with responsibilities
with Xscape, with the group.

Are you still fully in that?
Are you fully in this?

Like, how are we balancing
these things

so we know
kinda what the level

of expectation oughta be.

[tense music]

I don't know.

It's a lot going on
even with that,

and I don't wanna
have the juggling,

like, I want to do this,
I want to do that.

So I just make a...
I'ma have to make a decision.

So they don't know you
meeting with us right now.

♪

No, they don't.

♪

Oh, I didn't know
that they didn't know.

Ha ha.
I thought she told 'em.

Are you intentionally
not telling them?

Well, I'm...mm.

Tocha's thing is...

I like to pray,
and I like to get it done

before I start talking
about it.

It's not to spite
you know, anybody.

- You're trying to protect...
- I have to.

You're trying
to protect your vision.

- I have to.
- That makes sense.

It's been times
I've tried to do it

and it didn't work out,
so that's why I'm like,

this is the time.

- This is God.
- Yeah.

So listen,
we're excited about it.

I think when we first heard
the idea of it

and Rocky presented it to us,
it was compelling.

One thing
that I do wanna know...

I know that you can sing,

but, like, do you do it
at the drop of a dime

like in a conference room
if someone says,

yo, give us a little taste?

What would that be like?

[lightly edgy music]

♪

I'll sing a little bit
of my song.

Oh!

♪ Looking back over
my story ♪

♪ Mm, when I was stressed out

♪ Heart and mind
full of worry ♪

♪ I know you know,
but I just wanna say ♪

♪ You never let me go

♪ Without givin'
that full-time love ♪

Just a little song.

- Yeah!
- Ah!

- I cannot, I cannot.
- Yeah!

Stop, okay.
Calm down, calm down.

- [laughing]
- Oh, my goodness.

Get yourself together.

I have God in my heart
and my man by my side.

And I'm praying for the best.
I think God, he's got me.

I know He does.

Thank you all so much
for coming in.

I think we see tremendous value
in what you've shared so far

in terms of your vision.

And we see a space for you,

but what does this mean
for Xscape?

♪

What does it mean for Xscape?

It's the question that...
this the question of the night.

But I don't know.

Next time on
"The Queens of R"...

I had a meeting today
for a record deal.

What does that mean?

Are you planning
on leaving the group?

I ran into someone you know.
- Who?

Tocha.

I have a mother
that do not have my back.

- What?
- If we was on a cliff

and you had to choose
between my life

and Tocha life,
I would not stand a chance.

Because
I can't do it no more.

Are you for real right now?

What about one show,
one big-a*s night?

We want to still have
top billing on our tour.

Y'all don't wanna
co-headline?

If we can't agree on this,

then there will be
no SWV and Xscape show.

I can't take another second
of this stupid-a*s sh...

[Tiny murmurs]

I ain't.....ing opening up

for no mother.....ing body.

I sold 30 million records, b*tch.

[dramatic music]