Kandi Burruss Once Hooked Up With This Hip-Hop Legend
Long before she was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi Burruss was a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. During her time in the music industry, she had a brief fling with a hip-hop icon.
Kandi Burruss’ music career
In the early 1990s, Kandi Burruss was a member of the hot new R&B group Xscape alongside Tiny Harris and sisters Tamika and LaTocha Scott. They were discovered by hip-hop record mogul Jermaine Dupri, who had written and produced for other artists and was behind much of the group’s music.
Xscape released their debut album Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha in 1993, which contained their hit singles “Just Kickin’ It” and “Understanding.” They released two more albums, Off the Hook and Traces of My Lipstick, throughout the ’90s, and all three of their records achieved Platinum status with over one million copies sold.
The group broke up in 1998 and the group’s members began to focus on their solo careers. Burruss turned her attention to songwriting and producing for other artists. The following year, Burruss penned two number one hits: “No Scrubs” by TLC and “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child.
Kandi Burruss and Jermaine Dupri’s romance
The four members of Xscape came together in 2017 for a planned reunion, which was chronicled on their reality TV series Xscape: Still Kickin’ It. The group appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to discuss the reunion and much more, but Williams focused in on one burning question for Burruss.
“Did you and Jermaine Dupri have several rows in the bed?” Williams asked bluntly. Burruss laughed and confirmed, “We had a hookup, yes, but that had nothing to do with why the group broke up. Let’s be clear.” Tiny, who was seated behind her, said that it wasn’t a one-time thing.
A few weeks later, Andy Cohen revisited the topic with the group on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “Jermaine and I hooked up, but that’s not why the group broke up,” Burruss said. Her response was directed at her bandmate Tamika Scott, who ignited flames of controversy a decade prior when she said in a 2007 interview that Burruss’ romance with Dupri — as well as a totally fabricated one with his father — is what led to the group’s breakup.
Kandi Burruss’ husband and kids today
Today, Burruss is happily married with a family of her own. Much of her life over the past decade has been chronicled on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
In 2011, Burruss began dating Todd Tucker, a line producer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta whom she met when filming the show. They were engaged two years later, and tied the knot in April 2014.
The following year, Burruss announced that she was pregnant, and in January 2016, the Xscape singer welcomed her first child, a son named Ace Wells. Burruss and Tucker welcomed their second child, a daughter named Blaze Tucker, via surrogate in November 2019.
