Wow! Tonight is our fourth and final installment of “Making The Band With The Savior Kandi”. Let’s be real, Xscape would not have been able to reboot without the inclusion of Mrs. Burruss-Tucker. Tonight we will see if it was a worthwhile journey.
We jump right in with the girls rehearsal for The Essence Awards and discussing their BET performance. Tamika gives us her synopsis and critique of each of the ladies, apparently only Tiny was praiseworthy. Kandi sounded winded (and behind the beat) and LaTocha’s mic was too loud. Je suppose that the lesser Scott sister hails her own performance as stellar. She does remind us that Kandi is the epicenter of the Xscape universe and that they need her on board for things to progress. Tamika’s new strategy is to encourage the teams ( Kandi + Tiny and The Scott Sisters) to divide and spend time with one another. Since Todd and Kandi have EP credits on this limited run series, I was not surprised that they replayed the Tamika radio interview that said “Kandi slept with the whole So So Def” #shade
While in Atlanta Kandi and Tiny are discussing their BET performance. Tiny says it was a “breath of fresh air- now that it’s over with”. On to TI’s absence during their performance(s). TI did not even view their performance! He was too busy hosting a lingerie party. WTF?! Tiny has a mini breakdown because TI has told her that he will not be attending any of her performances.
Tiny gives a bit of background information on her filing for divorce. She alerts us to his infidelity and says “if I cannot have it all, I don’t want none of it”! They were married for seven years. During which he did not want her to work. She states that the reason that she wants the Xscape reunion to be successful is to remind people of her own talents and to be known as something other than just TI’s wife.
Michael Mauldin enters! He’s Jermaine’s father and Xscape’s former manager. He now works with Live Nation and was formerly head of Columbia Records. According to Tamika, he is also one of Kandi’s conquests! LaTocha discusses her solo record project under his tutelage, as well as her recording advance. Apparently she received an advance of $300K, (that she felt had been misappropriated), and when she reached out to Michael Mauldin to intervene he was MIA. During this same period Jermaine changes record labels and her album is shelved. LaTocha is left owing the label in excess of the initial advance. Tamika says that they do not accuse Michael of the misappropriation ( but they do) but of abandonment. #ComeToJesusMoment LaTocha and Michael have a one on one about the discrepancies with the use of her production budget. He pivots and tries to entice her with his new position as promoter with Live Nation. LaTocha is not here for it! #gameRecognizesGame The Scott Sisters discus Michael’s apology. LaTocha does not believe that it was genuine. Tamika reinforces that hers to Kandi was. ( about as real as her posterior)!!!
1 Day until Essence Festival
Kandi and Tiny are on their way to New Orleans while the Scott Sisters are attending Tamika’s daughter’s wedding. Why were their “friends since high school” not invited? Tiny joins Kandi for dinner at Vessel NOLA. Kandi looks amazing! Tiny looks like an extra from The Last Tycoon! We are reminded that this is their first hour long performance, ever. They want to reach out to Karen Clark-Sheard (gospel singer Clark Sisters) as they are doing a cover of one of her songs. Tiny asks Kandi how she feels about Tamika and her apology. Kandi reinforces what I have been telling you!!! “I feel like she does feel bad about what she did. But on the other side, I feel like she just did it just so that she could benefit financially from us being back on the same page”. # Itoldyouso Our Kandi lets us know she is not about the BS and will terminate all forward motion at the first sight of nonsense.
Day of Essence Performance
We get a very short glimpse into Tamika’s daughter’s wedding. Again a reminder that the entire tour is predicated on Kandi’s feelings. Rehearsal time again. It seems like the ladies are not impressed by the area in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in which they will perform. Do they need a reminder that it has been 18 years since they were relevant? In the SuperLounge,at the SuperDome, the performance commences. The ladies are having issues with their audio but I think they sound great! They pull off the show and are impressed with themselves. Off to Detroit.
The Scott Sisters are the progeny of a musician. Their father is from Detroit and was in The Scott Three! Kandi meets Tamika on the Detroit river to see if the tour is still an option. They discuss their history as well as historical moments missed. Weddings, births etc… Kandi is reluctant to allow Tamika back in, but is open to it over time.
All of the ladies arrive at Chene Park Amphitheater to prepare for the performance. By the way, Detroit looks great in these images. And there is Windsor, Ontario! I miss being able to go to duty free there and then hop on the interstate to Chicago.
Kandi and Tiny discuss the future of Xscape. Tiny is all in and Kandi wants to fulfill the current obligation and go back to her life. Look who shows up at the Detroit performance,TI and family! Tiny is elated.
Showtime!
The ladies decide to wear baggy clothes over their more revealing outfits as a reference to their origins. They sound and look phenomenal! Costume change- the new sexy Xscape performs “My Little Secret”. Did I mention that they sound fantastic? Wardrobe change three! They don choir robes and Karen Clark-Sheard joins them on the stage. This was a “raise the roof” moment and they sounded fantastic. If I had any free time I would go see them! Tamika takes us to church! A public and formal apology to Kandi! I actually feel the authenticity and I am here for it. An acapella gospel song and outro…
I actually appreciated the way the ladies excited the stage and the miniseries. Thoughts?
Note from TT: Thanks so much to Moh for agreeing to recap this when I asked him to despite his busy schedule. I knew he was the right man for the job because I’m not a music person and had no idea about the backstory. Apologies for getting this up so late but Moh was out of town and I was under the weather. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Great recap! Hope you are on the mend, Tamara!
This show was amazing and deserved more episodes and a second season. I really enjoyed seeing Tiny, Tamika and Latocha and hope for much more success from all 3 ladies. I applaud Tamika Scott for trying to get the relationship back that her and Kandi once had and constantly apologizing but it’s evident that Kandi hasn’t really let it go and even though you guy’s were close back in the day it will never be the same. I really enjoyed seeing Tiny and her family and think she is a phenomenal woman and she’s one of my favorites, she’s reality TV gold and fits well on Bravo. All these years I thought Latocha did something to Kandi by the way she was always talking about Latocha in interviews but it’s only because she wanted to go solo. It’s clear that Tocha and Kandi will never be cool and close and that’s fine.
Dream Killa is a great song and I hope more quality music from Xscape and even though Kandi doesn’t want to be involved in anything but the tour and movie, I hope the best for the three of you and Kandi won’t stop the blessings that God has for y’all lives.
Just listened to Dream Killa, love it!! I wish all the ladies great success.
I want more. I loved this show. I love all the characters and I never even knew Xscape.
I agree 100% with this statement!
Thanks for the recap, Moh and Tamara!
I enjoyed the show a lot and wished there were more episodes. Too bad Kandi opted out of a group album but I think they will be fine without her.
Really enjoyed this little show. Tamika really grew on me! I hope her and Kandi continue to make strides in their relationship. Seems like Tamika is genuine but Kandi has been screwed so much by friends it’s gonna take a long time.
As I recall there was a ton of controversy at the Essence festival. While Xscape may seem not so relevant to folks who weren’t there, many, many folks were excited to see them perform and overfilled the assigned space. The buzz leading up to the Essence Festival was nearly all about the Xscape reunion, and it’s too bad the organizers weren’t listening to their fans. Heck, I would have been there if I could have.
Yes, I heard that they had to put Xscape on the big projection screen in the main arena to deal with the crowds trying to pile into the space where they were performing.
Kandi really does seem to hold onto a grudge, we’ve seen the same from her on RHOA, but I can’t blame her really. Some of the things that these people who call themselves her friends have done to her is just inexcusable. I wonder if there was a discussion about her recording studio and company being involved in the album and that’s why she’s not doing it.