SWV Was Initially Named TLC, Says Group’s Singer Coko Clemons

We’re often confronted with tales of Rap beefs in the industry, but some of our favorite R&B girl groups weren’t as friendly as we think. We recently watched as SWV and Xscape shared the Verzuz stage to relive some of those classic hits that fans have loved for decades, and because many of those ladies have been longtime friends, their performances were filled with celebratory moments.

SWV singer Coko Clemons recently chatted with Carlos King and during the interview, he asked if there were girl groups that had beef with one another. Coko said, “Yeah, of course, we all had beef with somebody.” The host wanted the details.

SWV, TLC
Jason Kempin / Staff / Getty Images

“You, know, when SWV first came out, our name was TLC. Honey, we got a cease and desist real fast,” she revealed while laughing. “So, we had to change our name… We had to change our names so fast, so, you know, we weren’t too happy about that. That’s how we went from TLC to SWV.” For them, TLC would stand for their names, Taj (Tamara Johnson), LeLee (Leanne Lyons), and Coko. However, that name was obviously already taken.

That wasn’t the only run-in they had with a girl group. “We had a little something with Jade back in the day,” Coko added of the “Don’t Walk Away” hitmakers, noting that none of these small beefs never got physical. “We were so ghetto,” she joked. “So ghetto! So I don’t really think—but it wasn’t that deep that we would throw hands or something like that.”

Check out Coko’s full interview below.