Are you on Team SWV or Team Xscape?
The divas battle it out on their new Peacock show, "SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B," over which group should headline their joint tour.
“SWV & XSCAPE: The Queens of R&B” premiered on Peacock on March 5. The premiere episode touched on how both groups started, why they broke up individually, and what prompted an SWV and Xscape tour in the first place.
Things took a dramatic turn, though, when it was asked “who will be the headliner for the show?” Xscape members believe they deserve top billing although SWV has had bigger album sales and more streams.
Xscape’s Kandi Burruss feels as though she has made Xscape more visible because of her success on the “Real Housewives” franchise.
Eboni K. Williams talks to comedian BDaht and trademark attorney Kyona McGhee about the SWV and Xscape drama on “theGrio with Eboni K. Williams.”
SWV is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time
Let’s start with SWV (Sisters with Voices). Cheryl “Coko” Gamble and Leanne “Lelee” Lyons founded SWV as a gospel group in 1988, later recruiting Tamara “Taj” Johnson. The trio became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s with hit songs like “Weak,” “Right Here (Human Nature Remix), “I’m So into You” and “You’re the One.” SWV has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
Kandi Burruss and Tiny Harris have made a huge success from side projects
Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, LaTocha Scott, her sister Tamika Scott, and Tamera Coggins-Wynn formed Xscape in 1991 (Coggins-Wynn left the group in 1992). Xscape’s hit songs during the ’90s include “Just Kickin’ It,” “Understanding,” “Who Can I Run To” and “Feels So Good.” After the group broke up in 1998 to pursue solo projects, Burruss went on to write hit songs for Destiny’s Child, Boyz II Men, TLC, Usher and others. Kandi’s pen game speaks for itself. With both groups attributing highly to the culture, how does one decide who will be the opener and who will be the headliner?
The clash of the headliners: Who will get top billing?
In the first episode of “SWV & XSCAPE” — after going back and forth for months — the seven singing ladies finally agreed to a joint tour, but the drama didn’t end with that decision.
When Xscape’s Kandi Burruss asks, “The last tour we did, we were headlining our own tour … so how is this going to go when it comes to billing?”
In response, SWV’s manager said co-headlining would be the best option to avoid any bad feelings or issues, calling them both “legendary R&B groups,” and adding that is what would be fair.
Kandi immediately disagrees, saying she understands but, “our group still feels like we want to have top billing on our tour.”
Comedian BDaht and Eboni K. Williams weigh in
SWV has the numbers and its members said they have been continuously touring 90 to 100 times a year, but Xscape’s Tiny makes the point that although SWV has major hits, the group doesn’t have the fanbase. Kandi and Tiny have acquired a huge following over the years because of their side projects like “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle.”
Comedian BDaht seems to agree, saying “the advantage for Xscape is that their face card is good…and a lot more visible.”
But Williams says if she’s SWV and she has the numbers that this group has, “ain’t no way in the world I’m opening up for you sis!”
Twitter fingers create even more drama between the R&B divas
The drama continued on Twitter with a Kandi tweet. “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.”
Tiny echoed her bandmate. “We NOT talking record sales, we talking ticket sales.”
The situation does have a lot of people wondering, what’s the big deal? Why can’t they co-headline and squash the beef? Keep in mind that whoever gets top billing will have more advantage on the tour and ultimately be paid more.
SWV’s and Xscape’s social media presence and the audience they carry could be used as leverage for future negotiations
Trademark attorney Kyona McGhee breaks down whether being a headliner puts a performer at an advantage over an opening act. “It’s going to give them more leverage as it regards to negotiating from the beginning … your name may have been bigger in the ’90s, but we’re not selling tickets in the 90s, we’re selling tickets now,” she said.
She also touches on what a negotiation might look like if the groups decide to go on tour. Before lights come on and before dance rehearsals start, they need to hash out who will open the show because whoever opens will carry the majority of the liability if something goes left in these concerts, she said.
So who do you think should open the show — SWV or Xscape?
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