Sibling rivalry wasn’t the end of the Queens of R&B beef after Xscape and SWV butt heads about headlining their concert.
Source: Andrew J Cunningham / Getty
With seven singing divas in two iconic groups, everyone can’t be queen bee. That doesn’t make it any easier to get those egos in check enough to collect a check. The claws came out on Queens of R&B and again on Twitter when the ladies disagreed about who should headline for their joint performance.
SWV And Xscape Got Heated About Headlining On Queens of R&B
In a meeting between Xscape and SWV, the groups got down to business for an epic upcoming joint show. After weeks of back and forth, LaTocha Scott finally agreed to the collaboration. Unfortunately, only more tension started after that when Kandi asked who would get top billing.
“Last tour we did, we were headlining our own tour. So how is this going to go when it comes to billing?” Kandi Burruss said.
“I think it needs to be co-headlining. That avoids any feelings or issues. You have two legendary R&B groups. It should be co-headlining to keep it moving,” one of SWV’s managers responded.
Kandi refused to back down about the business.
“I hear what you’re saying. At the same time, our group still feels like we want to have top billing on our tour,” Kandi continued.
“On your tour? On your tour?” Taj Johnson-George asked in shock.
After Kandi’s pushback, the ladies of SWV started to run the numbers.
“Girl, do you know who you’re talking to? This is SWV! We’ve sold how many records compared to your 7 million? Girl, bye!” Coko said in a confessional.
Kandi clarified that it wasn’t about comparison between the groups because they love and respect SWV. She said they have been headlining all of their tours since their comeback.
Although SWV’s hits are undeniable, Tiny Harris questioned if their fanbase compares to her and Kandi’s millions of new followers from their reality shows.
“People watch me and Kandi on TV doing our thing and then find out, ‘Oh, they can sing!’” Tiny explained.
Taj clarified that Xscape has only been headlining since their comeback and that they should share top billing. All the positive momentum went out the window as they bickered about whose name appears first and which group gets paid more.
“I sold 30 million records, b*tch!” Coko yelled after SWV stormed off backstage.
SWV & Xscape Took The Tour Drama To Twitter
Kandi responded to the drama on Twitter, keeping it strictly business.
“We may not have been the headliners in the 90s but we have been for the past 6yrs since we’ve reunited… & respectfully they’ve opened up for us multiple times already,” Kandi tweeted.
Lelee Lyons was diplomatic during the show, but the Twitter fingers sounded more like trigger fingers once she saw the episode.
“This here internet got n*ggas acting real gangsta lol. Keep that same energy boo boo chicken,” Lelee tweeted.
Tiny echoed Kandi’s statements that they love SWV and this dispute is strictly business.
“To be clear, we’re talking ticket sales, NOT record sales. We love SWV as much as y’all do, but business is business,” Tiny wrote.
“So you want us to take a pay cut and give them a raise? I don’t care what the flyer say, but that billing has to add up,” Tiny added in response to a fan suggesting that they co-headline.
The drama continued online when the internet weighed in on the disagreement. Fans on Twitter turned into accountants.
Kandi Addresses The Episode 3 Beef With SWV
On Kandi’s Speak On It podcast, she addressed the controversy about headlining. She started by saying there was “no intent for any disrespect for SWV.”
“I respect their success. I respect that they came out before us. I respect that they sold more records than us,” Kandi admitted.
“I don’t know about these 30 million records she’s talking about, though. Now unless [Coko’s] adding soundtracks, solo records, and all other kinds of stuff to that equation, I don’t know how she got to 30 million.”
Kandi also compared the two groups trajectory. She added that SWV had higher sales for their debut album, but consistently have platinum projects like Xscape.
Kandi went on to explain the pressure to break down the business came from promoters asking the same questions about billing and pay. She added that SWV and Bel Biv Devoe opened for them before as special guests on The Great Xscape Tour.
Who do you think is right about handling the headliner? Should Xscape get top billing or co-headline with SWV?
