All About Laughs
A “scrub” is a guy who can’t get no love from me. Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas along with her bandmates famously told us those now immortal words back in 1999, and she is still holding on to this mantra. When it comes to her dating life, Chilli hasn’t had the greatest luck as it’s been a bit rough on that end.
The TLC singer, who shares a son with producer Dallas Austin, was involved with R&B singer Usher back in 2003. Their high profile relationship made them the “It Couple” as many loved to see them together until the couple split after she found out the “Burn” singer had been cheating on her. But in 2010, she allowed VH1’s cameras and production along with matchmaker and author Tionna Smalls to assist her in finding love.
“I was built to be someone’s wife,” Chilli once told ESSENCE.com while discussing her reality show “What Chilli Wants” on VH1. The show, which ultimately produced unsuccessful for her love life in the long run, exposed viewers and potential suitors to “Chilli’s Checklist” in order for her to even consider dating them. “A list will keep you from making a lot of mistakes, although I know it’s impossible to avoid all of them,” Thomas explained to the magazine. “It’s like we all go through experiences, and a list helps you remember to smell the trouble as it comes around the corner.”
What are some of the things attached to this “checklist”? According to the singer, “He can’t drink. He can’t smoke. He can’t eat pork or have more than two baby mamas. He must be fine, with at least a four-pack. Last, but definitely not least, he must have a really huge p…package.” This list, that she created in her 20s while still learning about herself and men, has since gotten longer she’s said.
Adding that people she’s dated that don’t meet her criteria ended up being disasters, she puts her trust in God with her decisions. “God knows the desires of our heart, and before I even had a list I prayed and asked God to show me what exactly it is that I need. God’s plan will always be the bigger plan,” she says.
Chilli has also been linked to boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr, but despite “really good qualities” (and she stresses that they are REALLY good), she insists that they are not romantic. “We’re friends and not the type of friends that sleep together or have seen each others’ body parts. We are truly friends,” Thomas admits. “I’m comfortable in that area, I don’t want to ruin a great friendship. Yes, there’s an attraction you can’t deny, but if we cross that line we can’t come back to where we are right now.”
This list of hers keeps expanding as the years go by because according to the singer, “I know what I bring to the table.” However, it seems as though she’s opened up her options a bit. She once again spoke with ESSENCE to promote an eight-part Netflix music documentary series Once In A Lifetime Sessions which featured TLC to share where she was with her dating life at the time and give some dating advice to her fellow Black women.
Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas Says She Is Currently Dating Outside Her Race, Encourages Other Black Women to Do the Same https://t.co/83LQetp3uU pic.twitter.com/XJ4755YMDs
— Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) August 20, 2018
“I want for women, especially women of color, to not be so closed-minded when it comes to love,” she said in the 2018 interview. “God made all of us and you may not find your husband because you’re trying to stick to one group. You’ve got to be open. You want the person who’s the best person for you, no matter what color he is.” It was then that she revealed she had been “testing the waters”, dating someone who she says “is not Black.”
It doesn’t seem as though she is still dating this man, as it has been reported that she is romantically involved with Chris Brown’s manager, Anthony Wilson. However, as the subject of interracial relationships may still be touchy for some in the Black community, more and more we are seeing folks becoming more open and finding love in other communities. Like rapper Eve, who found love in Maximillion Cooper, and Serena Williams, who is married to husband Alexis Ohanian.
