I usually don’t like songs that are built around making a particular piece of street jargon famous, like Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” or “I’m So Fly” by Akon, but when TLC transformed “keeping it on the down-low” from an little-known phrase to something even white Republicans use, they did it in a song that would have been great even without that phrase. “Creep” was the first single off of hip hop/soul trio TLC’s second record, and it built on the promise of their first album. In a major way. It topped the charts for two months, won a Grammy.
Incidentally, deceased TLC member Left Eye (RIP) hated the song because she thought a girl should leave a guy who sleeps around behind her back, where in the song T-Bone takes the tit-for-tat strategy of up doing a retaliatory cheat.
Further listening: Unpretty, Waterfalls, and, of course, No Scrubs. All great songs, all GOAT candidates.
Covers: Afghan Wigs’ is freakin’ awesome.
