ItsNotYouItsMe Throwback Features Thee Always Missed & Trendsetting Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes!

ItsNotYouItsMe Throwback features thee always missed & trendsetting Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes!

"With the 15th anniversary of the passing of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes already here, many music fans are remembering the superstar not only for her skills on the mic, but for her confidence, personality and charitable efforts. The most outspoken member of the R&B group TLC, Lopes left a legacy that expanded far beyond the musical realm, teaching young women everywhere how to stand up for themselves and others with passion, power and ultimately, inner peace.

Check out seven lessons that Left Eye taught women below.

7/1. Lessons Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Taught Women




2. How To Be Perseverant
As a child, Lisa knew that she wanted to be a musician like her father. After taking up the toy keyboard at a very young age, she started to write her own songs. She started out singing gospel at local events and churches with her band with her siblings, The Lopes Trio. She moved to Atlanta from Philly at the age of 19 with her then-boyfriend to audition for TLC, and the rest is history.

Her song “L.I.S.A.” illustrates her perseverant spirit with lyrics such as, “Just to make it in the world and go against all odds/ Come from the gritty inner city to a superstar.” This shows young girls that no matter where you come from, it’s possible to make your dreams come true through hard work and dedication.

Another popular Lisa line showing the power of dreams can be found in “Waterfalls”: “Dreams are hopeless aspirations in hopes of coming true/ Believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you.”




3. 7 How To Be a Trailblazer
Lopes brought a fresh, quirky style to the mainstream, rather than an over-sexualized version of herself. Her confidence and controlled sexuality gave TLC a recognizable image.

While it was a joint effort making TLC the girl-group they are today, Lisa has songwriting credits on some of their hits, like “What About Your Friends?,” “Kick Your Game” and “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes,” gave the group a distinctive voice with her conscious lyrics and thought-provoking rhymes.

In her featured verse on N*SYNC’s “Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Ya),” she spits, ”Nothing to fear, no doubts and no tears/ Millennium sound to motivate the future years.” Ahead of her time, Lisa believed she was the voice of a generation. Now looking back, it appears she was correct.




4 7 How To Be Fearless
Lopes made sure to use her voice to make a positive impact, and her honesty made her more magnetic and respected. She and her TLC sisters, Chilli and T-Boz, spoke out against their label swindling them out of their well-earned paychecks during a Grammys post-interview in 1996.

“You can sell 10 million albums and be broke if you have greedy people behind you,” she said. Lopes also broke down how payment was allotted between the label, TLC’s team and TLC themselves in her documentary, The Last Days Of Left Eye.

Although they were stuck in a pretty bad contract, the trio made sure to set the record straight about the music industry, and how it’s not all cars and money. By unabashedly using their voices, they were able to shine a light on the downsides to fame.




5. How To Own Your Sexuality
When it comes to sexuality, women are damned if they express it, and at the same time, damned if they don’t. Lopes and the women of TLC made sure to own their sexuality and reveling in the fact that women can also discuss the importance of a healthy sex life just like a man can.

In the song “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” Lopes tells a male companion that in order to get with her, he’s going to have to work for it: Realize the realism of reality treats Us both the same/ Cause satisfaction is he name of this game/ You wanna rock the boat a little, well, earn your pass.

In addition to a healthy sex life, TLC was also important when it came to the topic of safe sex. As a play on her nickname, Lopes often taped a condom over her left eye as a promotion of contraceptives as well as to make a political statement.

In “I’m Good At Being Bad” Lopes rhymes about the importance of consent and contraceptives, saying, “I understand you want a tour of what's inside/ Bring my safety guide before I take you on this drive/ Straight into the center, you enter my dimension/ The question is protection, selected in my section.”




6. How To Be Charitable
Lopes was always doing the most to help out underprivileged families in Honduras, showing that despite being a superstar, she was always putting others before herself. She promoted several Honduran literacy programs and had plans to open up a children’s camp. Even after her passing, her philanthropy in the central American country is still present. Her family formed the Lisa Lopes Foundation, which continues her mission and work.

She also won $32,000 as a contestant on the singer version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and donated her winnings towards the charity, The Village Foundation. The charity is geared towards males and supports programs for education, community service, sports and education.




7. How To Be One With Spirituality
Lopes would often go to Dr. Sebi’s healing village in Honduras to get away from the pressures of society. She was visiting Honduras in 2002 for a spiritual cleansing, which was ultimately her last visit to the village.

In her track “Untouchable” with friend Tupac Shakur, the musician raps, “You wanna admire it's the faith/ Cause with the faith I can walk through the fire.” She was very at-one with her God and very at peace with her life. Her spirituality has always been important to her.

"I have always been a very spiritual woman, I think we all have different heavens,” she was quoted as saying. “[My heaven] will probably be me re-living my life over.”" - Vibe.com