“I Wanted to K*ll Everybody”: Dallas Austin Reveals Feeling Betrayed When Chilli Left Him For His Close Friend, Usher

Superstar songwriter & producer Dallas Austin was on Established with Angela Yee, a FOX Soul series where he talked about writing for artists like TLC, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Monica, Blu Cantrell, Pink, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and why he wrote many of his single from a female perspective. 

In the video, he talked about dating in the entertainment industry and how relationships can become messy when dating another artist’s ex. After talking about how he and Diddy both dated Kim Porter (their relationship inspired the hit Nick Cannon film “DrumLine”), Austin explained the issues working with TLC after he and Chilli had broken up and she began dating R&B Heartthrob Usher. 

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He expressed that he penned the record “Cool” about Chili,, a song about being able to be friends with an ex after having some space and distance. Initially TLC wanted it, but Austin declined because of Chili’s new relationship with Usher. The song ended up going to Gwen Stefani on her 2004 debut Love Angel Music Baby. 

8:35 into the clip, Austin said “I wanted to kill everybody because honestly, I was friends with Usher too, We’re two different people. We always have been. But it was crazy because I moved to Miami. I was just so fed up. ‘I got to get out of Atlanta. Things are going too crazy.’ I moved to Miami, I sat up in that house. Me and her first broke up then. I started working on music in Miami, in this house where I set up all my equipment. But by the time I called and said, ‘Hey, let’s be together in Miami.’ She said, ‘No, no, no. It’s a wrap. I’m done.'”

Despite it being the most successful year of his career, Austin went on to say that it was still the worst year of his life. 

She goes and started dating Usher and I’m going mad. ‘We got a kid. That’s my girl,’ this that and the other,” he vented. “So I went through this whole year thinking it was the worst year of my life when really, I did all the Pink songs at that time. ‘Just Like a Pill’ and ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me’ was about my relationship I was in. I did Blu Cantrell’s ‘Hit Em Up Style.’ I did Drumline. All of this stuff was going on but I must have had blinders on because I was in such that space that everybody gets to when you break up.”

Austin clearly used the ordeal to fuel his creativity that year, as many of the records were break-up and relationship records.