Pebbles Talks TLC on Wendy Williams, Loses All Sympathy

Last month, we fell in love with TLC all over again, thanks to VH1’s CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story.

And we also remembered how much we despised Pebbles.

Perri “Pebbles” Reid, the Mercedes-loving film antagonist, was pretty much painted as the devil in a designer dress, the evil music producer cheating her wide-eyed proteges out of millions of dollars.

As many of y’all know, Pebbles found Da Lawd after her tumultuous tenure in the music industry, divorcing superproducer LA Reid, becoming a minister and embarking on a gospel career. But after the TLC movie made her music industry public enemy No. 1, Sister Perri decided to emerge from hiding to tell her side of the story to Wendy Williams.

While I gave Pebbles a hard time in my movie review, common sense will tell you that there are two sides to every story. I assumed the truth in the eternal TLC/Pebbles beef lied somewhere between both sides.

Too bad this interview firmly put me on TLC’s side.

Here’s why:

“I can’t say certain things because of the confidentiality agreement.” Nine times out of 10, that was Pebbles’ answer to every question. I understand legalities can tie your hands, but why bother giving an interview if you can’t SAY anything? You’re wasting your time and ours.

The girls were not paid $25 a week. And they got the raggedy cars they asked for. I’m actually on Pebbles’ side here. She said the girls were paid more than the $25 stipend the movie claims (although she doesn’t say how much they were paid – confidentiality stuff, I guess). And those raggedy Rav4’s the girls were saddled with in the movie? Pebbles said they asked for them. Plus, they “weren’t making Ferrari money” at the time. Fair enough.

Pebbles didn’t kick Chilli out of the group. The other girls did because Chilli was a freak. Not sure I buy this one, playa. Pebbles said the girls were annoyed with Chilli chasing Dallas Austin and every other brother in a 10 mile radius. And I’m sure they were. But Pebbles made a huge deal about Chilli “fraternizing with the help,” which certainly is a legit concern and threatened the investment she made in the group. What probably happened is the girls were complaining to Pebbles about their frustrations and she decided herself to cut Chilli off, since she was costing them money. And we know how Pebbles loves money. Pebbles constantly portrayed herself as a simple music producer with no power to drop folks out of the group. But if she was handing out Rav4s like candy, enforcing”group rules,” and she knows the group’s financial ins and outs, OF COURSE she had the power to hire and fire. Stop playing.

Chilli slept with LA Reid. Yeah, she dropped this alleged bombshell. And she’ll tell you all about it WHEN YOU BUY HER BOOK. Sister Perri never passes up a chance to make a buck.

Pebbles’ daughter Ashley said she wants to beat Chilli into the pavement. And she has no remorse! When Wendall Wendy Williams is the voice of reason, you know things have gone too far. Threatening to kill someone your mom is tied up with lawsuits with on national TV ain’t gonna help the court case.

Pebbles didn’t make TLC pay for their name. Oh wait, she did. TLC has claimed they had to buy back the letters T,L and C from Pebbles for $1 million a letter. After a bunch of “confidentiality agreement” backtalk, Pebbles said “it wasn’t that much money” and that “I own the group name.” So in a very roundabout way, she admits that she made them buy back their name. Why not just say “yeah, they had to pay.” Why all the song and dance?

That last round of questioning proved that Pebbles is the ultimate spin doctor, full of double talk. Making the girls pay for the name of their own group sucks, but it’s business. If Pebbles outright admitted that the payment was one of the rigors of the music industry, I’d respect it. But all that sidestepping smashed her credibility. No wonder TLC thought they were rich one minute but were getting paid in Fruit Stripe gum the next. You can never get a straight answer out of Pebbles.

Man, I sure wish I had a minister like Sister Perri Pebbles, who spends her TV appearances cussing and bragging about her designer stuff while her daughter is getting ready to snatch weaves on an upcoming World Star Hip Hop video.

If Pebbles’ goal was to look like the victim, she failed miserably.

To quote the great philosopher Jay-Z, “we don’t believe you/you need more people.”

But let me chill. Ashley might beat my face into the pavement.