Club Shay Shay - Kandi Burruss

Episode Date: March 20, 2023

Kandi Burruss is here this week inside Club Shay Shay! She joins Shannon to talk all things Atlanta, Xscape, her relationship with Jermaine Dupri and much more. Listen in for all the stories from this member of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. It was like an 18-minute long interview. Wow. And the whole 18 minutes, she was dogging me out. It was very hurtful. Did you know she had these feelings towards you?

No! It bothered you now? Are you tearing up a little bit now? Oh, yeah. Can we get some clean air? Hustle paid the price, won a slice Got the rolling dice, that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life, yeah All my life, been grinding all my life Sacrifice, hustle paid the price

Won a slice, got the rolling dice That's why all my life, I've been grinding all my life Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shea Shea I am your host, Shannon Sharp I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea Shea. And the lady that's stopping by needs no introduction. Actually, she's the first female to actually sit in studio. So this is a first.

So thank you for stopping by. She's a Grammy Award winning songwriter, TV personality, executive producer, actress, entrepreneur, restaurateur. She's the first black woman to win ASCAP, Songwriter of the Year genre. She's also the first female winner of the Masked Singer. She's a wife, a mom, a real housewife of Atlanta, and a fan favorite, Candy

Burris Tucker. Damn! All of that? Well, thank you. And I'm the first woman to be in Club Shaysa. Give it up. Give it up. Give it up. You are the first. If you haven't heard, I love being the first. Yes, you are the first in a lot of things. Kick the door in.

Actually, when we were sitting down to get the guest list, who we could have on, I was like asking my stylist, Hollywood. I said, Hollywood, who should be the first female to actually come in and sit in Club Shaysha? I'm talking about without hesitation he said candy i'm like candy who i'm like i'm like hold on what you mean candy because i'm like no i'm like i know you're not talking about the real house i think hollywood why would she even sit down and i'm like i don't know if that's she's like you ought to reach out to her i'm like well who is who handles her he He was like, Don, I'm in a deal. I'm in a deal.

Because, you know. He told me. I was like, really? See? You see? Really? That's what I said when he said, you should have Candy on. And I'm like, really?

So thank you for stopping by. Well, thanks for inviting me. I think the biggest thing is, Candy, is that a lot of people, they only know you from the Real Housewives. Because you're so far removed. I mean, you still do music. I'm sure you're still right. Yeah. But you're far removed from Escape.

You're far removed from, like, being in front. I don't know if I would totally agree. Because right now, SWB Escape, we have a new TV show on. Prior to that well prior to that um our group we reunited I guess about six years ago okay and um we started we've been selling out shows I know you have I mean you look I don't don't play me like I remember escape in the 90s you get my daughter was like that that's that's that's them from escape so you started at a very young age singing were you always musically inclined um i would think so i mean i mean our group we started singing together when i was 14 okay um that was when i

first started going to the performing-Cities High School. Tri-Cities, okay. Yeah, East Point. Right, East Point. So basically, I would sing a little bit, but not like really, really, really trying until I guess ninth grade. Okay. So ninth grade, and then you get a recording contract in the 11th grade.

Yep. And then your single dropped that summer yep how quickly did your life change it's um it changed like immediately just simply because you know i'm in high school and we got a hit song on the radio right so even though like my friends i would be going to school on a regular basis but then i would have to lead them be like oh i got shows this weekend wow or i have to you know do this you know something big that they my classmates if it was something on tv the teacher would record it and they would be able to watch us all day for the next day so they used to be glad like if i had to be out of school or something like oh good we get to watch y'all in history

class or whatever did you think like when you first started in the ninth grade so did you did you have to give up anything were you in the sports did you play sports basketball soccer cheerleading no i definitely i did not want to do any of that i didn't feel like that was my thing i don't want to be out in the hot ass sun that that i was like my friends all you know were trying to get me to do that stuff but I was like nah I only did performing arts so I did drama drama that's mainly what I did and then I was in the youth ensemble of Atlanta as well okay so outside of school I still was in theater right so that was so in the ninth grade you says this is my calling did you know that's

what you wanted to do moving forward did you always want to be okay that's a good question okay when i was young at first i used to say i wanted to be an accountant or a lawyer okay and then when i got um i just i kind of fell into the performing arts okay a friend of mine she wanted to go right and you had to do this audition process for the summer and she didn't want to do it by herself and so she asked me to go with her okay and then i ended up getting picked for the school and she didn't unfortunately she didn't how could you do that no no no no it wasn't my fault like it it wasn't my fault you should say you know what as much as i would like this is my this is her this is my friend it wasn't my fault but she changed it changed my life going to that school changed my life because i was not really necessarily doing all the right things that i should be doing

because i guess i didn't have like a focus right you know what i'm saying so when i got there and was around other like-minded people that were into music and arts, it just kind of like changed everything for me. And meeting my group members, it was like right around the time where, you know, LaFace Records had came to Atlanta. Yes, absolutely. So it made it real that, okay, if we just get a record deal, we can blow up. And so that's all I thought. It never occurred to me that we wouldn't blow up.

I was just like, we just need somebody to sign us. Right. So, yeah. So you met them. So did they also attend Tri-Cities or did you meet? Tamika and Tasha did. Okay. Yeah, Tamika and Tasha did.

Tiny went to summer school there one year. Right. But, nah, I mean, I met Tiny through Tamika Scott. Okay. And so did you, did anything about school change for you? Just like, dang, I mean, everybody knows who I am. I got to be different. Did you change? At school? No. I mean, I mean, like at school, I was already kind of known. OK, OK. I was Miss 10th grade. I'll just play.

Well, no, I was. You were OK okay. No, I was, Mr. The Grave. But, no, but what I mean is, like, you know, it wasn't like I was unpopular. I was kind of popular already. You know, whenever you could sing and you went to all the talent shows. So you went to all the talent shows. Well, our group. We used to sing and all the stuff. So people knew who we were.

Go back. So when did the group form? You were in ninth grade. In ninth grade. In ninth grade, okay. In ninth grade, when I was 14 years old. Okay. At first we was just like, I was just going over to your house all the time, hanging out with them.

We was singing at church together. Okay. And I used to, people used to say like, y'all should be a group or whatever. And I was like, come on, let's be a group. But Tasha, she was a senior. Right. I was a freshman. Okay.

Okay. And Tameka, her sister, she was only in 10th grade so tasha used to be like i want to be in a group right right you know and we used to always say it to her but one day um these ladies had like this audition and my other friend tan had me with her when i get their day there i'm like i thought you said you want to be in a group and tasha was just kind of like i guess they had worked with these right before so that's how they want to be in a group. And Tasha was just kind of like, I guess they had worked with these women before. So that's how they got them to be there. But at first, she had Tasha in an older group, meaning all the girls were like seniors in high school.

Right. And then me, Tamika, and my friend Tan, and one other girl. We was like ninth grade, ninth, tenth grade. Okay. So we could sing, but we were young. Right. Right. And so the day we had an audition for LaFace. Okay. I think Bryant Reed, L.A. Reed's brother. Right, right. And so the day we had an audition for LaFace.

Okay. I think Bryant Reed, L.A. Reed's brother. Yeah, brother. Yeah, we were supposed to be singing for him. And so the ladies made a last-minute decision to take Tasha out to Otagirl's group and put her with me, Tamika, and my friend Tay. Okay. Was there any jealousy once you guys established the group?

Was there any jealousy in Pyramates when guys established the group? Was there any jealousy in peer mates when you go into class? Did anything change? Amongst my peers? Peers. No. The only time I felt like they were some real haters was when. OK, so when we first came out, you know, we were like all about the baggy clothes. We weren't like prissy, made up girls. anytime somebody like said something negative about our appearance

or like the comedians would get up. This one comedian said on Apollo, I remember one time, he was like, you ever seen that group escape? They need to be captured. And I came to school and it was like a couple people was like oh they just thought that was just so funny yeah and i was like yeah okay whatever we're gonna we're gonna find out yeah

okay the group now tia tia's wife tiny she auditioned for the group you you guys have already got three so you got the older sister the younger sister and and you. And my friend Tan. And your friend Tan. Yeah. Tamika asked Tiny to come and audition for the group. She came. We had her doing all kinds of stuff. We had her doing flips, splits. Y'all doing too much now. Well, I didn't know her at the time, so I was just like...

So you were really trying to hurt her to get the job. Well, I kind of... At the time, I'm not even not even gonna lie i kind of felt like um samika and my friend san which is still one of my best friends to this day they had an argument and they all said she bringing somebody new to try to audition for the group right and so i was just kind of feeling like are you trying to replace my friend saying you know right right so i you know we ended up having five members for a while. Okay. Yeah. So what did she sing?

And when did you guys know, like, okay, we got something here? Well, no, I don't remember what she sang, but she sang and she sounded great. Right. And then she could dance. Right. Tiny can dance. Yeah. She don't really do it as much anymore, but she can really dance.

Okay. So she did her thing. And, you know, you can't hate on her. Right. And I don't know if a lot of people know this. anymore but she can really dance okay so she did her thing and you know you can't hate on her and i don't know if a lot of people know this tiny used to be like a little kid actress right where you know how you have those little um commercials on saturdays right and they throw the paint that was her right she was the little kid in the commercial that was doing that stuff right she

already had like a little claim to fame right you know so i was like okay you gotta give it to her you look at you guys in the 90s okay so you got in got En Vogue. You got TLC. You got SWV. You got Escape, Destiny Child a little later. So did you look at what they were doing and said like, well, dang, OK, they're doing that. Well, we need to do this. Or did you like, hey, I mean, this is our lane. We're going to stay in our lane. Or did you? We didn't really have like an image when we first started out okay and we went through like a hundred different ideas of what it should be and one time we was atlanta's best kept secret we were um the sounds are touche because we really had like this club right we was in it was almost like a gang okay all the reason why i say that

is because we used to go to the club together you know how that is like if it goes down we all going down you know but um so it was the sounds of for a minute and then um you know we became escaped um by us we have met jermaine jermaine dupree yes um so has was So So Dep already established then? No. Okay. No. He was working with Criss Cross at the time.

They weren't out yet. Right. Okay. But he had already done some things. He had had that group. I don't know if y'all remember the rap group Silk Times Leather back in the day. Yeah. He had them before, and he was working on some things.

So our manager took us to him, and he was just kind of like, oh, y'all dope. We sang to him on his 19th birthday. Okay. And he was like, y'all dope. I'm going to come back and sign y'all. We was like, yeah, right. Everybody had been saying that. So we even sang for Left Eye one time after they had came up and blew up.

Because we were like, well, you know, maybe she can help us. Right. But, yeah, it just never came around until like a year later our group we had performed on um remember a teen summit used to have like a talent showcase on bt yeah so we did that um we sang hold on by a vogue tasha she beat box while we sang the song instead of playing the track right and he was like oh y'all to get on in vogue i'm gonna sign y'all so he came back and signed he did what he said after he blew it crisscrossed up he did come back and signed right how did you come up with the name escape tasha came up with the name escape okay

um were you all in for were you all in favor of it or did you like cool we was cool just simply because like we had been through a few names right nothing nothing stuck okay so when she said it she was like yeah we could be escaping from the stereotypes of other girl groups so it's like okay okay that works yeah right so you have a hit just kicking it uh-huh that blew you up that really that was that the one that put you on the map that you was like okay we override we're here yeah i mean just kicking it really like took off right which we weren't expecting really no okay so to be honest um that we did not want that to be our first single why not well we didn't think it was strong enough and it only everybody and like all of us like to sing lead or whatever right but that particular song i was

the only one who really was singing on the verses tasha was ad-libbing but it wasn't showcasing everybody right so you know we was kind of like you know this not really showcasing the group and really showcasing like vocal vocals right you know it's that laid back vibe, you know what I mean? So we were like, ah, and he said this is it. So we just went with it. You went with it. And who can I run to? My little secret and understanding. So you're doing all these and obviously you're blowing

up. Not everybody knows. And when they talk about you know, the girl, girl, lady group, the girl group back then, SWV and you hear in Vogue and you hear all these and it's like escape how does that so what are you thinking what you mean like that we started people are when they mentioned swb and they mentioned in vogue and they mentioned all these others you're right there well yeah i mean at the time back then, we were just happy to have opportunities.

Right. You know, we were just excited to be out there. You know, I feel like there's a time, especially when you first come in the game, you just be like, thank you. I'm like, oh, my God, we're doing it, we're doing it, we got a hit. But then somewhere it kind of turns to where I think sometimes you take things for granted. Okay. Yeah.

Because you had started off, you had six consecutive top ten hits. All three of your albums, Certified, Platinum, and you sold over a million copies. Just kicking it, spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. So when did it, all of a sudden, you start, well, you know, it's more than just, you know, having fun,

good times. You start thinking about the business aspect of it. That's a good question um see that was the problem the money we learned a lot of things on the job after the fact right so i don't think anybody's deal their first deal is going to be good right right and i don't have any regrets about that just simply because when you first trying to get a deal, you first trying to get in the door that you, who are you? No, you know, that you have to get there in order to really be demanding. Right. So, um, it wasn't a lot of money for the first deal. Right. Um, but then we were just going along with whatever we were told

to do as far as, you know, our managers or the people that were in place to tell us. Because we didn't really know. Tiny and I, we were underage when we signed the deal. So our mamas had to co-sign on the dotted line with us. So we didn't really know. But we had a lot of big learning lessons. We had one accountant that stole from us, I think, after the first tour. I remember we really didn't make us i think after the first tour i remember

we really didn't make that much money after our first album but we felt like we was doing shows every weekend you know and we were we were on a tour right and we were doing separate shows on weekends outside of the ones we were doing on the tour so we're like where the money at right and it wasn't that much money right uh for For like weeks and weeks of touring, we only like probably had like $30,000 a piece. Or it was like, I don't know. It wasn't like a lot of money. You were thinking hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yes.

And then when we were sitting down with the accountant, I remember he was saying, what's the word? What do they use? What is like a line where it doesn't really have anything? Miscellaneous. Miscellaneous, okay. Yeah, he was like, yeah, this is for miscellaneous things. And it was like a hundred and something thousand dollars. We was like, what?

Who is miscellaneous? And what did he do? You're like, what is all this? But then come to find out, then all of a sudden, it was like two accountants that were partners and one of them disappeared. Right. So I guess he disappeared

without money. Right. And that was our first, I feel, big learning lesson. Right. Yeah. You mentioned you,

JD signed you. So what did you learn about how to write songs? You know, because I don't, were you writing songs at that point in time before you got a i don't were you writing songs at that point in time before you uh i definitely was writing like at home meaning like uh before we met him we all

was like trying to learn how to write and stuff like that and i remember you know um different producers that i would go and try to work with to tighten up my melody games and stuff like that um but working with jermaine i definitely would say I learned a lot. Right. You know, just simply because watching him write how he would take everyday sayings or, you know, slang and flip it and turn it into a song that everybody want to sing. Right. You know, those things or the way he make the verse go into the B section, all those little things he would do.

I was like, OK, I got that. So I used to ask him all the time, like, let me write, let me write, let me write. And he'd be like, okay, I'm going to let y'all write. But when he did let us write, it would only be like a piece of a verse here or a little bit here, a little bit there. And not to say that that wasn't um good enough but i think what it was he was so used to at that time doing it all you're doing it all he was always like the creative behind whatever project he was working on so he really wasn't used to giving up any control to

anybody so um i i just don't think he really realized that. What you were capable of doing at that time. Right. So, yes, we do have credits on the songs. But I always say for me, especially now that I'm a writer as well for a lot of people, I think it's the difference when you're the person that came up with the concept, the hook, the melody for the verse, and then somebody that came in and put a line or two on there. Right.

It's two different things. I don't know if you're going to respond to this or if you're going to get upset with me asking this. Uh-oh. In working with Jermaine Dupri, a relationship was established. God. He was being sissy. No, make sure i want to be i want to be

respectful maybe that's so when people found out that you guys were dating were they upset or did you allow yourself like damn how did i manage to get that is the funny thing people did not know it was not like we were openly kicking it. Right. You know what I mean? Oh, just kicking it. Is that where the song came from? No.

No, no. That is not. That is funny that you said that. But no, no, no, no, no. Actually, we had completed two full albums before we ever crossed that line. Okay. So I know it's been put out there like so many different rumors. It wasn't like

it was something that happened in the beginning. You know how you could be working with somebody and over time, you know, flirtation, you know, things happen or whatever. So it wasn't like, you know, we were, you know, honestly,

I felt like when people want to say like oh there was favoritism there was no favoritism he didn't show you favoritism no well you gotta stop it we gotta stop yeah like not to say that i felt like i was supposed to be getting favoritism because honestly like for me i don't i never want people to feel like oh that's how i got on no right i was on right and then it just happened okay like to be clear you know what i mean but um so the only people who actually knew um as far as from me right like i'm not saying who's ever who he told okay yeah but like i talked to tiny right a lot and um tamika scott right we were the three of us were like, you know, the three mustaches.

We would, you know, share secrets with each other. So, you know, I would talk to them about it and they would know. But not like, I wouldn't be like, if we came in the room, you wouldn't even know anything was going on. Do you feel women are judged more harshly for dating in the industry than a man? women are judged more harshly for dating in the industry than a man yeah i mean well i mean i feel like it's however it's brought to the plate i mean to the people right you know what i mean so i think when it was said to the world because like i said like it wasn't like an open thing right right um when it was said to the world it was said like oh she was trying to you know kick it with him to get on and it's just

kind of like no that don't make sense we had already two albums i had already been on leading on multiple songs so no like don't try to make it seem like it was that so i i feel like people as a woman it's we can definitely make the decision of who we want to share ourselves with correct right so it doesn't have to be oh i'm trying to get put on i was on right you know what i mean and i and i'm very clear about that like i'm just very much like i'm about my business right you know and you know you didn't like the narrative that was being put out about candy yeah i did not like that at all and but because also the narrative came later and and it wasn't even just that it was the other things that were said along with it that really made it like wait what so have you had a full opportunity to set the record straight is the record straight now as As far as?

What transpired, how it all went about. It's not like it was, because, you know, they're going to portray it. It was probably portrayed one way. Like you said, she did this to come up, yada, yada, yada. And you're like, well, hold on. I already got albums. I had two albums. What you mean come up?

Yeah. I wasn't no fledgling. I wasn't somebody that was unsigned. Right. Well, I never really felt like I had to clear up anything about the situation with Jermaine. Right. I didn't feel like I had to clear that up. I mean, you know.

Right. That wasn't it. It was, I mean, I don't know what other questions you got to ask. I don't want to be jumping far ahead of you. No, go ahead. Go ahead. But basically, you know, obviously we worked together during that time period after our group had separated, you know, after third album.

Right. And we had been like not a group for a few years before my group member got on the radio because she was upset about some things. Oh, she outed you? Yes. Oh, man. But not just that. She added some more BS to it.

Oh, she put some beats to that thing and make it grow right well the negativity okay so the part that i felt like for a long time wasn't clear and people try to run with she was like oh candy you know was having sex with your man and she tried to make it seem like that was the reason why the group broke up and that was not that was the first thing and then the other thing was y' was still friends yeah well we i stopped talking to her for a decade but we're friends okay okay we're friends again but anyway but then the other part was that she added to it was that uh she tried to say yeah she screwed his daddy or something like that that was way over the top right and then i was like really like hurt and upset by the whole situation because, you know, a long time she and I had a great friendship.

And it's just like I understand we're no longer like working together like we used to. But why would you do that? And but I never tried to clear up publicly what she said at that time. But that rumor lingered for years. And so that was what was frustrating to me. It wasn't the part about Jermaine. It was the other part because it's just like,

dang, you gotta make a scene like I was just going through the family. Like, what the hell? I'm glad you said that, Ken. I didn't say that. That's what she said. She put that out there. Let the record show.

Yeah, but, I mean, we cleared it up, I guess, when we got back together and did the first reality show that our group had. You know, she cleared it up somewhat. And then there are still some other things that I felt like were never said that would have made it even more like y'all would be like what? But I don't feel the need to clear

all those other things up or to add any fuel to the fire. I just feel like when she basically let it be known that what she said wasn't true then I was like okay I'm just gonna let it go. So where were you

when you heard that did somebody come to you that she had put your business in the street no you know how i heard this is the craziest thing me and my friend rashida okay the rapper rashida that's on love of hip-hop okay yeah we were doing a project at the time um it was we was working on something and we were in the studio and a family friend sent me the link while I was sitting and I sat there and I listened to it and what bothered me was it was like an 18 minute long interview wow and the whole 18 minutes she was dogging me out and I cried I was like whoa you know what I'm saying it was very hurtful did you know she felt had these feelings

towards you no I didn't know that I mean the thing about it was I think like I said you know it bothers you now you tearing up a little bit now oh yeah I mean that really can we get some can we get some I mean it's not coming down no but I'm just saying because it hurts

you I mean you in a group y'all together, we sisters. Right, but now mind you, we were separate for a time. So anyway, what happened was, at that time, Jermaine had just put out a book. Right.

And in the book, he barely talked about our group. He don't really say that much about us. But I think in there, he said some things about her sister getting the big head or something that's why the group basically defeated themselves right because we didn't break up because of a album not well whatever but she didn't like what he said about her sister and so i guess she called herself i didn't say it it, but I am always the one to catch the heat for some reason.

Right. So anyway, when that book came out, like the next day or within that period of time, she went on the radio to do the interview calling herself, clearing up that it was not my sister. The real reason why the group broke up. But now she says why the real reason why the group broke up but back then she was defending you know her sister i guess right but at the same time like to be clear i am very serious about like i said about my work my accomplishments right i'm like a person who likes accomplishments right right so it's not always about the money but you don't want you but you don't want people to shortchange your accomplishment don't shortchange

my accomplishments exactly so that's i mean it was everything she said was hurtful obviously but it was just like i think some of the things that the um the interviewer was like so when she was like yeah candy did this and she's like you mean candy the one who writing all the songs well we all right it was stuff like that I was like what the heck and then it would be like well you mean Candy that wrote this and did this and I mean we all do that

like it was just like everything she said or and it was just like trying to make it seem like everything that I had done had been because of a man or because of somebody that I got hooked up with or whatever, which, no. Right. I go get the bag, and if I decide later on that we can hook up, then we can hook up.

But I'm going to get that money first. You'll get the bag first. I'm going to get the bag first. I'm going to make my credits first. I'm going to do all that. And then I do, well, I'm married now, so all that doesn't matter. OK, OK. I'm saying back when I was a single woman.

Right, right. OK, OK. I was very much so about, you know, accomplishing all my goals. And I don't like for you, you know, to go back to what you're saying about the way people look at women in business. look at women in business. When a man, you know, has a relationship with somebody that he works with, people don't say,

oh, well, the only reason why he met her there is because he got with a girl. You know, they are always going to say that about the woman, which is so annoying. I know. That's annoying.

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on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You mentioned that and the way I got it wrote down here because I don't want to be distasteful, is that Escape, you're at the top of your game and you took

a hiatus. Yeah, we broke up. I told you I didn't want to be disrespectful. No, no, no. I always felt like it was a breakup. The reason why I say it was a hiatus because

you want me to go through the hole? Hey, you here. I got you. You here. Because, you want me to go through the whole? Hey, you here. I got you. You here. Okay, so we were, you know, doing really good first album, second album, or whatever. So now it's time to start making some money now. You say the first album you didn't make no money. Second album you made a little bit more.

Now the third you're like, ooh, I'm going to get that bread. Yeah, we was trying to go get that bread for the third album. Okay. So while we were actually on a tour when we were supposed to start these negotiations, so we was on a tour and we started hearing rumors on the tour that our group member Tasha was going solo. So basically she started, you know, she had said it to some other people. Her team had been, it was whispers. So we asked her about it, like, yo, you supposed to be going solo?

You know, and she's like, well, no, but when I do go solo, I'm going to let y'all know. It was that type of vibe. Oh, really? Yes, it was that type of vibe. So it was like, okay. But once again, you have to understand the dynamics of our group. Growing up, she was the oldest. Right.

I'm the youngest. Me and her always bumped heads. Right. Okay. Her sister always sided with her and did what she, whatever her sister wanted to do. Tiny kind of rides the fence most of the time. Right. So it's like always, it always felt like them against me a lot of times. So you're by yourself. So you're

on an island. Yeah. All the time. Okay. It was all the time. And so, but in this situation, it kind of felt like, you know, she was separating herself a little bit. Right. Okay. You know? And at that year, I had just bought my house.

So, I'm 19. I had just got a house. Now, you know, I still had payments, though. Right. Okay. So, we, you know, we supposed to be negotiating. And then it came back that she had basically had an offer from a label i guess because they had been shopping the deal within the sony system because you've had you've had to stay with okay and she had an

offer and so the the lawyer basically was trying to say well she's not going to do the third album unless y'all allow her to do her solo project and that's when it became an issue for us because i'm like you know they won't that was messing up our money. Right. Because we're trying to negotiate this big money and they're like, we don't even know if y'all going to stay together. Right. And all this other kind of stuff. They used that as an opportunity not to pay us what we were worth.

Sure. So anyway, it really, really became a problem. I remember the days that she came to sit us down to talk about it. Oh, child. She gonna be mad at me for telling this story, but I'm gonna tell you. Tell it, tell it.

We had a break from the tour. It was like a two-week break. Okay. So for that week, we went to change up our show. Okay. Me, Tamika, and Tiny, we had rehearsals with the choreographer. Tasha didn't come to not one rehearsal

until the second to the last day. Uh-oh. So she came in there. She didn't even try to learn anything. She said, I'm just going to watch. And she was like, Hold up, you're in the group. What you mean?

She said, we ain't doing that. We ain't doing that. And we ain't doing that. Now, mind you, this is what we would have put together all this week. She ain't came here for it. She just basically shut down

everything we were talking about doing. And then she was like, when we have, when we finish this rehearsal, I want to talk to y'all or whatever. So it's like, okay. So we already in our feelings because we were like, how she going to shut down everything?

She wasn't even here. Right. We go, we sit down, we sitting in a circle. And she says. Y'all sitting in your style? No, we're in chairs. We're in chairs. We're in chairs.

Okay. She was just like, yeah, so I told y'all I was going to let y'all know whenever I decide to go solo. Well, I'm letting y'all know. You know, it's all about me right now. So, she said, Tameka and Tiny, y'all can go have more babies. And Candy, you can do your little modeling thing or whatever it is you want to do. But I'm going to go solo because it's all about me right now. She put it out there like that? Yes, and our dumb asses was like sitting there like speechless.

You know what I'm saying? And I think she just caught us so off guard with the way she said it. It was just so disrespectful. Now, to be honest, down to her credit, it was frustrating on the first album. Tamika got pregnant as we were starting to blow up, which became a big issue. Right. You know, back then it wasn't popular to have albums out and you're pregnant. Right.

But because she did that on the first album, then Tanya was like, well, it ain't bad. So she ended up having a baby on the second album. What happened to you? Nah, I'm just about my bag. I ain't doing that. So anyway, but to her point, I guess that's why she felt that way.

If I'm going to give her any pass. But to me, I had got like this opportunity to do this. Oh, yeah, they still use their hair color box to this day.

The optimum hair color box. They had me as one of the faces on the box. Okay. So she was like, yeah, your little modeling thing or whatever it is you want to do.

Little, little modeling thing. Little, little modeling thing. So anyway, when she said that i was just like um i said i sat there for a second okay because i was caught off guard yeah but then i got gathered my thoughts and i was like all right well we'll just do the album without you and she was like

well i didn't mean that i was gonna do the album without you and you know i was just saying y'all could take a break while I did my thing. Now, I felt like because we've had arguments in them before where she would say, you know, crazy stuff. I just felt like if she does leave and blow up, she ain't coming back. No. Period. No. So I was just like, we can't just be sitting around waiting.

So anyway, what ended up happening, you know, we start the three of us talked and we was like, come on, we should just tell Jermaine. Let us do the album. Let her do what she want to do. Let us do the album, whatever. We get ready to go today. Now, we were all on the same page. Right. Three of us.

We get to the meeting. And Tiny love to tell this story. And Tamika shows up with Tasha, and they got these gray wigs on. Oh, my goodness. And we was sitting there like, we knew that was about to be some bullshit. Like, how you going to show up with your sister? We supposed to be meeting with Jermaine. Right. We go in there with Jermaine, and so Jermaine's like, what's up?

You know, whatever. And Tamika's like, well, you know, can't you just let us wait on my sister? Hold on! Give us the money so we can just sit and wait on my sister to do her thing? Oh, I was hot! Okay! You went

off the edge. I think, no, I mean, I didn't go off because basically at that point, you done made us look stupid in front of our label head right here. Right. You know what I'm saying because we done told him we want to meet about going ahead and doing the album. Well you should have

knew something Candy they came in with matching wigs. You should have knew something. We knew. Me and Tiny knew it was about to be some bullshit. But anyway at that point you know the conversation of was going ahead and doing that album was just a mute point right and so what was decided was they basically let Tasha know that you know she could do a solo project but it would be after the third album and she was supposed to do it with so so deaf and not the other company that had gave her

an offer right so um we went into our third album knowing that the group was going on hi so that's why i say that okay because she didn't give us a complete answer of i'm done right she just said like yeah i want y'all to wait while i do my solo project. Wow. You get what I'm saying? I do. I do get what you're saying. That was a long story. I'm sorry. It's all good. 19 years old, the group splits up. We didn't split yet.

Okay, you're hired. We were working on a third album. You're hired. Yeah, you took a break. You paused it. We paused, I guess, after the third album. So what was that? It was 21.

21. Yeah. You buy your first house. You'll purchase. I mean, 19-year-old teenager, 21 years old. Not very many 21-year-olds purchase a house. So you're feeling good I mean, 19 year old teenager, 21 years old, not very many 21 year old 21 year olds purchase a house. So you're feeling good. Like, okay, okay. The group, you know, we take it a hiatus, but I got it. I'm good. I got some bread. No,

what I told you was I bought my house. I put it down. Let's be clear. It wouldn't pay it off. Right. Okay. So I did that when I was 19 before i knew we was taking a hiatus okay so when i found out we was taking a hiatus i was panicking because how am i gonna make the payments now right because i've always been very much about my money and back then i used to remember we used to have checkbooks yeah yeah i used to balance my thing down to the penny right okay so i knew exactly how much my bills were, whatever. So when she started doing all that, I was like, oh, no.

Like, this ain't what I'm going to do. So I was stressing. Right. You know, that's when I told Tiny, I'm like, yo, she going to do her thing. Me and you got to figure out what we going to do. So why don't we start working on another project? We should write and um you know make demos and then you know show what we would want our project to be like let's not go and try

to get a deal right let's do songs and then take it to the label be like yo this is right what we can do so she and i started doing that but it was while we were working on the third album right you know what i'm saying right because my whole thing is were working on the third album. Right. You get what I'm saying? Right. Because my whole thing is, we know after this third album... It's over. Yeah, we don't know what's happening. So that's how we ended up starting writing with different people and those scrubs came about because it was a demo for Tiny and I.

You wrote that, y'all, you wrote that song, right? Yeah. But you ended up giving it to... TLC. You were disappointed with... No, I wasn't disappointed. You weren't disappointed? No. I mean, to be clear, me and Tiny had a whole bunch of hot records at the time.

Right, okay. She and I, I mean, I liked the song. Right. But I always wanted to be a writer and write for other artists, but I didn't know how to go about it. Okay. And so when somebody had Tony, shout out to you, he was working with the label. He had

played it for L.A. Reid and he wanted the song for TLC. I was just like, okay, let him have it. Because our manager that we was working with at the time was like, yeah, I like you, but it's not as good as y'all other songs. And I always felt like, yeah, I like it, but it's not as good as y'all other songs. And I always felt like, yeah, I could write another one.

That's just how I was. I was like, yeah, I'll write another one. Let them have that. But when it blew, did you know it was going to do that? No. It's an anthem now. I didn't know it was going to do that. But let's also remember, I feel like a song,

it goes to who it's supposed to go to. And I feel like TLC definitely took goes to who is supposed to go to okay and i feel like tlc definitely took it to where it needed to go right i remember the day i saw la reed at this party he was like i'm gonna make this song this song the biggest song of your career i was like yeah right because mind you escape we had hits right so i'm like okay. I wouldn't be a disrespectful in my mind. I was like, yeah, right. But he went lying. So what gives you greatest satisfaction? Is it writing

or was it like Escape, you actually singing the vocals? You may think I'm full of it, but I love both. I love being able to put a hit on another artist right i feel like when i started writing for other artists that's when i really start getting a different type of respect amongst my peers in the industry you know i feel like say for instance all the record labels

come together for those different conventions right and they may see you and be like oh hey how you doing that girl from escape whatever you know whatever but when you that hot writer or that hot producer that write hits for everybody everybody's trying candy it used to be that girl from escape but then it became candy hey candy how are you and it was people that i didn't even think knew me like that okay they were trying to connect then oh i need you to work on this for me or work on that so it gave me a different type of like okay and then that check was that check that check hit different huh that check was hitting way different and i was mad because i was like we should have been writing more songs on our project like what is this you know Right. But because like having the little 5% here or whatever,

that it wasn't the same as having like a good 50% or a good, you know, 30% or whatever it is of the song. I'm looking at bills, bills, bills for Destiny's Child. Joe hit If I Was Your Man. I mean, so now you just sit back there like, man, I don't want to go back to no group I'm just going to write these songs it wasn't that

I don't want no group oh my gosh it was so it was a weird situation so I was yeah I was writing or whatever and mind you when I first separated it wasn't just me.

Tasha was still doing her thing, too, at first. Right. But then while I was, I guess, you know, during the course of our album, you know, our project's supposed to be coming out, I don't know what happened to her project. I just saw the other day she tried to imply, like, I stopped her project from coming out.

Yeah, you know, I was going to ask you about that, but I was like. I was like, girl, how I do that? Can you please tell her to ask Jermaine Dupri why her album didn't come out? She was signed to So So Def. Ask him. Like, I don't know why she be trying to blame me. Right. Anyway.

But, yeah, so for whatever reason, I don't know because I wasn't really keeping up with what was going on with them after we kind of split I just really started doing my own thing and I was just grinding so after my album hadn't come out yet but she

whatever her deal didn't go through or whatever was going on so then all of a sudden she was ready to come back oh no no no no no no no i was like oh no so they had a meeting with me and i'll never forget they was like she was like yeah you know i think it's time for the group to come back and you know people want to you know people won't escape oh really and i was like huh i was like did you say i don't want to escape right now?

Yeah, I was like, no, I really want to finish my project, though. Like, no. Like, I want to, you know, I still want to do my thing. Right. And they was like, yeah, but, you know, right now it's about escape, you know. Oh, now it's about escape. Right. I'm like, okay, now when she thought.

She was trying to escape. Now you want to. Now I was like, so. I was like, yeah, I don't know. I'm going to have to she thought she was trying to escape now you want to so I was like yeah I don't know I'm gonna have to think on that and then like I thought about it no no no it was worse by the time I left we had

we had like sat down with each other for like at lunch or something okay conversation by the time I made it to my house they was calling me back and be like, uh-uh, you need to give us the answer now.

What? Yeah. Or you need to sign a leaving member notice. So, I was like, and like a leaving member notice, basically,

it was just like, basically, it allows the label to just officially say that they can do it with just them without you. Right. You know what I mean?

Right. But they were like, either you're going to do it now or you're just gonna sign a living member notice how they gonna tell you what you're gonna do and they did i was like i was i really was pissed about it because in my mind i'm like well we didn't tell you that right you know but at the same time you know they were coming the way they came at me i was, you know, they were coming, the way they came at me, I was like, you know what? This is, I need to just, just say, okay.

I just said, okay, cool. I'll sign it. And I did. Why did you say that's some bull jive? You should have said,

because it had been so many years of, our group, we, we do this vote. Right. Right. It's the,

you know, we have a voting system. Okay. So if you automatically know you're going to have two people this vote. Right. Right? It's the, you know, we have a voting system. Okay. So if you automatically know, you're going to have two people sticking together. Yeah. And then if they get in tiny air, you know you got three against one every time. Yeah, you outvoted. I'm always on the losing end.

You see what I'm saying? And so at that point, I just was like, I was just tired. I was just like, you know what? Okay. So I did. But at that point, it really piped me up to be like, okay, I really got to go get this bread. Right. Because now I've, you know, basically said okay to letting them do what they wanted to do, letting them have it or whatever. have it or whatever.

Yeah, so that's why after that, the conversation, the time they came back a few more times after that point, saying, oh, let's do it again. But at that point, I was like, no, y'all didn't want me. Like, that's how I felt. And mind you, our group, we do not have great communication.

I give that to everybody's point. But I thought women were great communicators. No, no, I'm not. Oh, so they've been lying to me, huh? Tell me I'm a poor communicator. I'm horrible. Like, I get into myself, and I just be like, yeah, okay, cool.

I'll just move on. We ain't even got to talk about nothing. Like, I'm terrible like that. I am terrible like that. You shut it down. You just close off. Yeah, I'm very, I guess, you know, I do have, like, a dude side.

I've heard that. But, yeah, I definitely will be like, okay, cool. And keep it pushing. When you wrote bills for Destiny's Child, well, actually for Beyonce, when you see her in the studio, did you know she was

going to become B? Forget Beyonce. I don't even refer to her as Beyonce. They go by, she's B now. Did you know she was going to be that? I knew she was going to be great. Right. It was kind of pretty evident that her dad really was going to set her up to be solo one day.

But her work ethic and her drive is serious. You know, at that age, you know, she's younger than me. She was a couple years younger than me, a few years younger. I don't know. A few years younger than me. And she just, you know, she knew what she wanted right like as soon as we had the studio we playing the tracks and she was just like i remember um shakespeare who did the music right he had walked out of the room and i heard the girls talking and she was

like look we don't really like it we need to just let them know because we don't need right and i said i was like well do y'all mind if i sing you the idea that I have before y'all make your decision and it was like okay you know whatever and then um that was when Bugaboo right he was playing Bugaboo and they at that time people weren't really singing over rap tracks or those high energy tracks like that right so I sang the um melody that I had for the verse and the concept for the hook or whatever. Okay. And they were like, oh, okay.

You know, we like it or whatever. And so then we started doing things. But she was very instrumental of how it should be vocal produced or, oh, this person, oh, you go in and sing this part or I'm going to sing this part. Like, she very much knew how to and when we weren't in the studio they had to go and do shows so they worked every single day of the week at and they was only like what 17 right you know 18 or something like that so I was like the drive was

crazy because I mean mind you you sing it every single every single weekend like three four days a week right and then you going in the studio the other days of the week they never had a day off right so so you've worked with some of the biggest i mean uh obviously tlc and beyonce whitney and mirage in sync and usher monica alicia keys joe but i mean so what is it? Do you get nervous? Sometimes. Yeah. Even after all? I was nervous for sure with Mariah Carey.

Okay. We wrote that song together over the telephone. Right. Wow. She decided that she wanted to work with Shakespeare and I, but I think she was out of the country working on her album, and we were here, we were in the states working with other artists right so she was just like okay well he sent her the track and then she'll be like okay what you come up with and i'll sing her the idea that i had on a melody and then she's like okay

we're gonna change that word or change this word and then she'll be like okay i gotta go back into here i'll call you back and then she'll call back what was the song that you got? It's called Ex-Girlfriend. Okay. But it was interesting. Right. I never have done a session like that, to be clear. Because I like actually being there. You like to be there. Yeah, I like to be there with the person, especially if we're going to collaborate writing-wise.

Right. But, yeah, it was an experience. Who haven't you worked with that you would like to work with? Rihanna. And simply because, I mean, I think she is great at picking hits. Right. Meaning, you know, the consistency of her albums. Right.

She has to be saying, like, have a good ear to say, okay, that's for me or that's for me. Like, so I just feel like it's going to be dope. Well, me and you both. I would like to have a round in that chair, too. So, I guess we... Don't be trying to replace me. Well, you already got that distinction. You're the first.

Exactly. There might be 15, 20, 30 women come after, but you're the first. So, when I'm looking at you, you're the first woman, African-American woman, to win the ASCAP. Yeah, in the genre. So when you get this, they say, well, Candy, you're the first.

And you said, I like being first. Yeah, but I think that was the... That hit different, huh? That was the first time that it really stood out to me because, you know, I didn't really think about it until I got there that day when it was, and it was like, oh my God, do you know what this means?

And I really didn't know what it meant until I like went back and I started looking at history. Like most of the time, every single songwriter of the year is a man. Right. And then for me, it really meant something because I'm like okay you know what i am in a male-dominated industry and it's time to kick the door open for my sisters to come

through you know what i mean because obviously they didn't see that being the norm right um it's funny because i hear you you always talk about that bread in that bag and you say when you write them song the road them checks, them checks real nice. They hit different, huh? Mm-hmm. So, and now you have the reality show, Escape, the group, with SWV. How did that come about? Okay, so after we did the verses.

Okay. I guess Mona Scott Young, she decided that, you decided that there was more that we should do together. Because they got a lot of great reactions from the verses or whatever. And so she came back with this idea for us to do the show with SWV. I think everybody was a little bit apprehensive at first. And for different reasons. I know for me, I just kind of felt like our group, it was a lot of tension after the first time we did the first reality show.

Okay. And I didn't know if we could handle it again. I didn't know if I could handle it again. Right. Because... What did the tension stem from? It was a lot of me and tasha um bumping heads still on the first reality yeah this reality this time i think it's the two sisters

bumping heads okay you know i mean of course i'm still i still have some issues in there but so far from what i see because i haven haven't seen the rest of what they're showing, it's a lot going on within the family. Right. I mean, as Sharon sampled Shape of You, when somebody comes to you and samples...

It's a blessing. It is so crazy, but no scrubs. Did he call you? Okay, so what happened was It is so crazy, but No Scrubs Did he call you? Okay, so what happened was they did reach out initially when he first did the song.

Okay. They sent the song and said that they wanted to work out the percentage of what he was going to pay for the split. Right. I mean, for using the melody or whatever. So we had talked, but then we didn't hear nothing else from him.

Right. So in my mind, I thought, okay, he's just not going to use it. Right. Or whatever. And then the song came out. It was on the radio. And people were, like, doing their No Scrubs and Shape of You mashups online. Right.

And we was like, oh, okay, well, then we need to have a conversation about what the split's about to be. Right. And it wasn't, you know, they didn't try to, you know, go back and forth about it. They just was like, okay, you know, yeah. You always start high. Start real high. Well, I think we were reasonable. way down to i think we did we were reasonable because honestly you know what we you know of course it's a little bit more than what we initially was gonna do it for because release

the song right yeah that's what i'm saying because now you got him over a barrel but we didn't like go crazy okay yeah because you know he might want to sample something else of yours and come back and see you again. Well, I mean, it would be nice. But I've had a lot of people sample that song. It's a few people that are, it's another song that's about to come out in the next week or two. Wow. Yeah. So who would you say

is the GOAT female songwriter? A GOAT female? Oh, my friend Esther Dean. Okay. Oh, she's a goat for sure okay um but diane warren is the goat of all goats okay for uh female songwriters where would you put missy oh for sure no let me put missy is up there too that's my girl i love her too so before we go into anything else i want to know how did you get involved with the real housewives of atlanta who brought that to you and you say you know what that sounds like a good idea sign me up that is funny i didn't think it was a good idea at first so i had watched the

first season right i thought it was good or, but I didn't see myself being on there. Right. And so just out of the blue, Tiny, she was trying to work on a TV show I did. Right. And so she had reached out to me and she had introduced me to Toya. Okay. And she introduced me to another young lady, whatever. And they all had celebrity relationships. Okay.

Okay. But Tamika wanted me to be involved in the show, too. Right. So they were trying to do, like, a talk show of sorts back then. So I was like, okay, cool. And it sounded like a great idea. He started working on it. And then he was like, maybe we could do a reality show. But the producer of the show, oh, while we were in the midst of trying to put it together

and shop the show, Derek Jay, he's a the midst of trying to put it together and shop the show, Derek Jay, he's a friend of my hairstylist in Atlanta. You've seen him on TV before. He was like, hey, you know, Housewives, they looking for somebody new. Looking for a cast member. Yeah, he was like, I think they need somebody with their own money. No, he said that. I was like, well, I'm already working on a show. He was like, yeah, but I'm gonna tell him to call you anyway, because they need somebody with their own money. And I said, yeah, okay, whatever. I was like, well, I'm already working on a show. He was like, yeah, but I'm going to tell him to call you anyway because they need somebody with their own money. And I said, yeah, okay, whatever. I was really just focused on the thing with Tiny.

But then the producer of that show decided he didn't want to use me. Wow. Everything happens for a reason. So I was like, okay, cool. And that ended up being the Tiny and Toya show. Right. Remember back then? Yes, cool. And that ended up being the Tiny and Toya show. Right. Remember back then? Yes, yes.

But then, so the week after, I found out I wasn't going to be involved. Right. Housewives caught me. And you said? I was like, all right. I tried. It'll be something fun to do. I was like, I didn't think I was, I was like, eh, it'll be something to do for a year, I guess.

But, I mean, you're the OG housewife now. Now? I never thought that was going to be. Yeah, I didn't think so either. You know what? I see you doubt me a lot. I don't know about you. I don't know about you. But you said, but you said you're not confrontational, but you don't back down from confrontation. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I said I don't like to do a no no no no no no no i said i

don't like to do a lot of talking okay that's what i said oh you're trying to squabble no i'm just very much like i can go from being like real laid back and calm you go zero to a hundred yeah like i i can't it's like that middle way i it doesn't last. I'm trying to keep it to me. I feel like, look now, next thing I know. So, I mean, but the portrayal and you've heard all this. I'm not breaking. I'm not. This is not earth shattering news. I'm not interrupting the normally scheduled programming.

They say the real housewives of Atlanta and there are others, especially when black women are involved, is not the most positive portrayal of black women. What do you say to that? That's the funny thing. Before, when I was trying to figure out if I was going to do the show, there were some group of women sitting around, and they were like, you shouldn't do that show. It's not a good representation of black women and all this other kind of stuff.

And I said, well, if you think that that's not a good representation of black women, but you think I am, then why wouldn't you want me to be on there? Right. You know what I mean? So overall, I think that we as black people, we are we are the most

we criticize ourselves. We're both critical of ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're the most critical, criticize ourselves more than anybody. Right. And when I look at all the franchises, not just Housewives of Atlanta, all of them kind of portray a certain stereotype without trying.

Right. So say for instance, like the New Jersey Housewives, it's mostly Italian women. Right. What's the stereotype of Italian? They say they hot-headed. Right.

You know, and everybody know they was flipping tables. They was doing all this stuff. Family brawls, you know. Right, yes. Nobody, nobody Italian or Caucasian says, oh, they're a bad representation of us. You know what I mean? But we, however, no matter how much we're showing of accomplishments and other things that we have going on,

anytime we have the negative arguing or whatever people always seem to want to say oh they're not a good representation of black women but what i will say is over the years we have shown people that yes we as black women we do have our arguments. We are a little spicy, you know, and all of that. But we do show our families and the love that we have for our family. We show you success stories. And we show you how, you know, sometimes things ain't

easy, but we make it through. And I feel like, hey, if it's not, you know, if you don't like it, then maybe it's just not for you. But you were able to parlay that. You have a very successful McCandy Cody. You have a restaurant tour now. How has Real Housewives of Atlanta helped you in other areas, other avenues? Oh, it's been helpful in every area.

I didn't think it was going to be when I first did it. Right. I was like, I've been on TV before. Like, what's that gonna be do for me but the Bravo verse the Bravo universe right our fans for Bravo they go hard for us yeah they're very supportive you know they come out to all your events that you know whatever so I always look at the show is really like your own infomercial right and whatever you want the world to see that you're doing yeah they're gonna see your drama right but they really need to see you accomplish the things you want right because people will support it right you know and so that's

just the way i go into it yeah because you're still the highest rated uh over a million views per episode the highest rated of any franchise still as long as you guys been on the air you still have the support oh we definitely got the support mean, TV numbers aren't what they used to be. But, I mean, you know how they always be doing, the demo is this, and it's still doing whatever. It's still doing what it's supposed to. How about this? Hmm?

What's your relationship with Nene now? I guess we're cordial. The last couple times I saw her, she was cool. I mean, we, it's like... Cordial, that means you're cordially invited. I mean, I don't know. Like, we don't keep in contact. But, you know, the last couple times we've seen each other, we spoke.

We definitely go through our ups and downs, though. What about Marlo? Oh, right now, I'm not really feeling her. Oh, yes. I am cordial with Marlo. But, you know, we just finished season 15. Right. And you will see why I'm not feeling her when it comes out. Oh, man. Come on.

What? I thought y'all was going. Oh, I'm going to have to tune into this because I want to see progression, and hopefully y'all make amends. You know, we made amends sometimes, but she keeps going back to the bullshit. And I can't. You can't deal with that? Um, it just was a lot to me this time around. Right.

I mean, I can't tell you now. No, no, you good, you good. Yeah. But do you hate, I mean, it's been reported you make X amount of dollars, I ain't gonna say it, but do you hate when people leak your information, personal information? I don't think those people know what they're talking about. They just throwing going to say it. But do you hate when people leak your information, personal information? Half the time, I don't think those people

know what they're talking about. They just throwing numbers out there. Yeah, because I be seeing some of the numbers that they say, people's net worth and stuff, and they don't never be right. Right.

And I'm like, how do they come up with this number? Right. Who is the person that's saying or leaking the salaries out to? Just like when they want to say

who's making the most money. Half the time, they used to be trying to say who's making the most money or half the time they used to be trying to say what i made i was like is that what you think like i made more than that you know i'm like people you know and then people run with it they really think it's real i'm like where do you do you first of all i'm not telling anybody my salary right and i know bravo is it right so where you getting that from right being in the business that you've been in for a long period of time how hard was it for you to find a mate before you found and we'll talk about todd in a minute before you were able to find someone like okay this is what

i do he's gonna be okay i'll make x amount of dollars i'm probably making more than him and he gonna feel some type of way that I don't really need him um it see the thing is especially when you are a successful woman right it is kind of tough in the dating world just because like if you date a guy who has a lot of money

typically men who make a lot of money they want you to sit up and cater to them be up under them every day all all day, whatever. So when you don't have that type of time, it may cause issues or whatever. So, yeah, I just, I didn't stay in a lot of relationships too long. Wake up with football every morning

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that? Listen now on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. But what about, so a woman that makes a lot of money, does she not want to be catered to? We definitely do. Well, what if he ain't got that kind of time?

What you mean? See, you said, okay, you make your own money. You meet somebody that has more money than you. You say men like to be catered to. No, no, no, no, no.

What I'm saying, like, say for instance, and I'm not saying that, like, I wouldn't be willing to cater, meaning, like, cook or anything. Yeah, yeah. Like, I'm not talking

about those things. I'm talking about the type of time. I always use this example. A lot of times when a woman is in a relationship with a man, I've seen a lot of women like, say, we've been making love all night and everything good. When a woman get up in the morning, she's like, oh, baby, I'm just going to call in sick.

I'm going to lay up on you. I don't want to go nowhere. I'm going to sit right here with you. Turn it around. If a man has that same situation, when he wake up, he's going to lay up on you. I don't want to go nowhere. I'm going to sit right here with you. Turn it around. If a man has that same situation, when he wake up, he's going to say, babe, I'll be right back. I'm going to get the bag. I'll be right back.

It's like it's not always reciprocated, meaning a lot of guys, that's when cheating comes into play or whatever. Oh, you don't have enough time for me you don't have this you know so i've dated you know and different all different types of you know men as far as levels of success right you know what i mean but i just feel like it's hard. Like I said, when it comes to being fully committed to each other, when both of you are focused on your own thing. Right. It works well.

Like for me, with my husband and I, we work on a lot of things together. Right. So it brings us together a lot. Right. You know? Your husband, you meet him. He was working on the show. Mm-hmm.

Was it eye contact? Was it love at first sight? I mean, when did you know, like, okay, yeah, yeah, all right. You know what happened? I could see me kissing on him. Well, the funny thing is I did not know him at first. He was behind the scenes or whatever. And a friend of mine, well, actually, Dom, one was like,

Todd had came to set one day, and they had a conversation. He was like, oh, that Todd, he's a cool guy, whatever. And then somebody else was like, oh, yeah, you know, Todd, he's super, super cool. And I was like, that's the second person. Yeah, okay. Well, I might even know Todd. I was just like like who is this so anyway i was in africa and um a friend of mine was a was a producer on the show she was like uh i know

somebody who want to take you out and i was like who she said todd i said todd that's just todd again so i was like okay tomorrow i'm gonna find out who Todd is. And I saw him and then he didn't say nothing to me. He didn't even speak. He was just like, walk right past me. So I was like, I saw her. I was like, I thought you said he wanted to take me out. And she was like,

well, I don't know why he didn't say anything, but he definitely said that. But then later on, we ended up having a conversation and we hit it off and um he kissed me what just right just right is that yeah like we had we have been talking all night right and he just went in and kissed me and i was like caught off guard right because you know some guys you know don't want to be so forward forward right but uh i liked it okay he's not intimidating you know whatever yeah but he but he messed it up you're a hitch you're supposed to go you know you go 70 then she come 30 you don't go all the way to 100 todd now you went 100 i actually like You know what I'm saying? Kind of a 100 type. Anyway.

So I was like, oh, okay. And so when we went back to, came back to the States, you know, we, you know, started hanging out and went out. But he really wasn't supposed to be dating me. No. Because he was working on the show. He was working on the show. And that's what happened. Yeah. So we were dating in secret at first.

And then after a while, I was like, OK, I can't be doing all this. Yeah, yeah. I'm too old for this, you know. So, you know, he made the decision to leave the show. Wow. Yeah. That man gave a big career for you. That's what everybody says.

Like, his friends was like, don't do it. You should do it. But see, here's the thing. I mean, we were only dating like six months at that time but i felt like we had a strong connection the thing that i loved about todd is he he knew things that i didn't know meaning like you know business wise and stuff like that and he was just connected on things we wanted to do in life and all that stuff and i just was kind of like he was making good money in the show.

I know everybody's tried to, like, play him like, oh, you know, he didn't make what I make. Right. But he making money. Yeah, he behind the camera. He shouldn't make what you were making. You were in front of him. He wasn't even a cameraman.

He was a producer. Oh. You know, I got some. No, that was the rumors that they put out that he was a cameraman. Yeah, no, no, he was a camera yeah no no they even redo that i got you know i got you know i got sources yeah no he was uh at first he was a product uh a production manager and then he was a line producer right anyway um but yeah so i was just like yeah he knew things that i was like so basically i just told him i was like man

we can make that money right like us coming man, we can make that money. Right. Like, us coming together, like, we can make the money that you over there. And I feel like sometimes when people have a comfortable situation. Right. They be like, okay, I don't know if I step all the way out on faith for you because I don't know if this going to be like. And I'm like, dude, we can do this. You know, so we had put together this event, a couple of weeks after he stopped working with them. And we had made a nice bag. Right. You know what I mean?

We both put our minds to it. You know, our team, we put it together. And, you know, not to say how much we made, but he was like, oh, yeah, we could keep this. Like we just keep running it up. Right. Yeah. So he was in. You say the key to marriage is communication. You say you're not the greatest communicator. He's a better communicator than me. So that means, but you work to communicate. Yeah, I have to.

Meaning because, like, okay, I'm different in a sense of, like, okay, I know how to work my battles with my husband. Right. First of all, we don't really argue that much right but he's a leo and he likes to have his way all the time yeah but i mean i guess maybe because i've been in a group i kind of know how to pick and choose my battles okay right yeah so for the most part i let him have his way you know or at least make him think so well for the most part right if it's anything

that i feel super strong about that's when it has to be a conversation and sometimes that can get uncomfortable right okay you know but um the arguments don't last right we don't like stay in it right how do you keep the outside noise because that's that's the relationship especially you do you know you're on a reality television show. But the outside noise, how do you keep that at bay? You know, I've always been really good at not caring what other people think. Okay. Like, if I care what other people thought about me, then I would have been, like, left behind a long time ago.

Right. So I don't really care about other people's opinions. Like, I like what I like. I want what I want. And I make that work, you know? You know what? I mean, in your show, you have kids not be a cigarette. I mean, so how was that?

Because being reality television, you have your life play out in front of everybody. As opposed to you seem like you're a very private person where you were a very private person. Back in the day. Because now you give up the privacy. You give up the anonymity to have your life play out on television. Yeah. How was that for you? Well, you know, it's something you get used to over time.

Right. You know, so now obviously this is my 14th season and I just finished. So now I'm just, it's just part of what it is. But even with making decisions like, you know know when we have fertility when i have fertility issues right doing ivf and and including the world in that experience i know that i'm the only one that's dealing with no so it helps other people right to see me go

through that process or even when we decide to do the surrogate on our last child blaze right um you know we did we still included the world in what was happening. Right. Yeah, I know a lot of people had opinions. Right. But it helps a lot of people. Yeah, so, because, you know,

a lot of times people's like, well, rich people have it all. They don't have any problems. They don't have pregnancy issues. They don't have this. They don't have that. They think money solves everything. Right.

It's just that you have the situation. You have the means to probably help solve some of those. But you still have those issues. Right. Of course. You know, it was it. We do have lots of problems. People be thinking everything goes or works for me.

And it just doesn't. You know what I mean? But it's just that I just keep pushing. So you constantly seeing something come together so you just you don't really see all the things that didn't go right when i raising kids on television is that something that you thought you would ever do because if i'm not mistaken you had a daughter yeah my daughter riley when you first started yeah and you didn't you know you tried to play it. You didn't put on a whole lot, but she was.

She was on, my daughter, she's 20 now. Right. So she kind of grew up on television. Right. It's funny. People feel like they know Riley. Right. But she was only like six then.

And, you know, I'm a single mom. Right. So, yeah, a lot of people have been privy to the drama within that situation. And, yeah, that was kind of tough dealing with that on television. So you have no regrets about, you know, having to deal with that publicly? Because sometimes you like to deal with things, especially family. I like to deal with family behind closed doors. I don't want people to see that me and family bickering. Um, well, the problem is,

it's like, some of the stuff I didn't really have a say in. Right. Like, some, like,

when you're on reality TV, sometimes they like to surprise you with some stuff. Right. Like, surprise! Here goes your daughter's daddy,

and it's like, what the hell you doing over here? You know, it's that type of stuff that you be like, uh, okay. So, yeah, sometimes certain situations I wish I didn't have to deal with on TV, but it's part of what I am doing. Right.

Is your mom and Todd good now? Because you're just oh come on they are not horrible now but um I think what was the hold up with your mom and Todd my mom she don't think anybody's good enough for her daughter does no my mom okay my mom's old school right and I mean I honestly I think she would, you know, she would prefer that I had married somebody who had more money than me. Well, damn.

What? She want you to marry a Rockefeller, a professional athlete, or be what? I mean, probably, I don't know. I mean, it's that old school mentality. Yes. You know what I mean? And nothing wrong

with that no no you know i'm not saying anything but you love who you love you love who you love and then on top of that i just kind of feel like she didn't see the value in my husband right meaning that yeah you know i like the neo songYo song. I'm a movement by myself. Wait, I'm a movement by myself, but I'm a force when we're together. That's how I feel about me and Ty. Like, yeah, I was making moves before Ty and I got together, but we're a force together. It's leveled up even more, you know what I mean?

And I don't think that he gets the credit or the respect of what he brings to the table. Because you were so successful before he got there. Yes. So people are not going to give him the credit. And I don't think that's fair and obviously that can be frustrating to him. Right. And I think you know the situation with my mom and him is like over the years she's said

a lot of stuff. Right. You know she feel like we come from a big family and everybody would talk crazy. Right. You know, she feel like, we come from a big family and everybody would talk crazy. Right. You know what I mean? But they feel like you're just supposed to get over it. Right.

And I think he's at a point where he's tired of just being... Getting over it. Yeah. Yeah. How about you stop saying some of that stuff and then I'll have to get over it.

Yeah, that's kind of where they are right now. Okay. What is this? Bedroom candy? Yes. Bedroom candy. That's my adult toy line. Yeah, I know. I know

exactly what it is, but I'm saying, how did you like, you know what? I think people, they do, I mean, they using toys, they buying toys, they might as well buy from candy. Yeah, well, I agree. I know the buy from Candy. Yeah, well I agree. I know the good ones and I have the great ones. Yes.

Yeah, no, but basically. How did you come up with that? I want to know how. Well, I was doing this show online called Candy Coated Nights. Yes. And it's a sex and relationship conversation. Okay. And that was before everybody started doing it now. Now everybody's talking about sex that was before everybody started doing it now. Right. Now everybody's talking

about sex online, but we was doing it way back when. Almost 15 years ago. Right. So anyway, we had a big following for it and I just was kind of like

trying to figure out like, what, it has to be like a product or something that I can have to go along with this. And a friend of mine was like, you should do your own sex toy. And I was a woman

who enjoyed sex toys. So I was kind of like, hmm, that's an interesting idea i like that idea but the thing about it was you know because it's a stick it used to be a stigma attached to it like only porn stars used to be promoting it whatever um and you know like people be scared to go to the toy shop yeah they don't want nobody to see them with the box you know all that stuff yeah wait about go to the toy shop. Yeah. They don't want nobody to see them with the box. You know, all that stuff. Yeah. Wait about nine o'clock, 1030.

I don't know anything about that, but you wait late. Yeah. Don't want nobody to see you all day like going up in there. Exactly. Exactly. So I wanted to change that. Right. And yeah, because a lot of women do not, have not experienced an actual orgasm from just

penetration or whatever. So women really need to know their own bodies and know how to express what they like and what they don't like and all that stuff. Yes, girl, you need to get you a little toy. You need to figure it out and you can share that with your significant other and y'all can make it do what it do. CJ, we gonna be able to steal an arrow

off of this? I mean, you can cut it out. No, no, no. We ain't gonna cut it. We ain't gonna cut it. On a restaurant, several restaurants, right? Yep. Unfortunately, there was a shooting involved at one of your restaurants. Were you there that night or you got the call?

No, I definitely got the call. My cousin, he had got a shot. But it was outside the restaurant. It was during the day, actually. It was during the day actually. It was during the day. Right. Yeah. It was

yeah it was very upsetting. Right. To say the least. So 14 years on Real Housewives. You got the the new reality show Escape SWV.

You got so many other projects. Five, ten years from now what can we expect from Kandi? Hmm. Well, my overall goal, I tell everybody, I really want to achieve EGOT status. So Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony.

Well, I have a Grammy. Okay. Right now, working on that Tony. Okay. This is my second Broadway show I produce, The Piano Lesson. Okay. So I'm hoping that they recognize it in this coming Tony season. But yeah, I'm just going to continue to build things.

Right now I'm developing another girl group, like the younger group. Hopefully help them get to their dream. I just want to continue building the empire with my family and letting my kids, you know, helping them take it to the next level. Takeover. It's a candy takeover. Candy takeover. Yes. Thank you

being the first female young lady to sit down on Club Shea Shea. Thank you for the opportunity for me to sit across from you and ask you questions. Don Juan, I appreciate you making this happen. Candy, thank you. Thanks for having me. All my life, been grinding all my life.

Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Won a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. All my life. Been grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Pussel paid the price.

Won a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week,

but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolfe. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.