#BackFromHonduras

Just 4 tattoos was NOT in Lisa’s handbook. She wanted more and planned on getting a back tattoo as quoted from her website Eyenetics, where she communicated with her fans:



"I am commemorating the Death of something old, and the Beginning of something New. There is a female Knight involved for Victory. There is the number 10 involved for Perfection. There is a Red Panther involved for Perseverance. There are Dove Wings involved for Peace. There is a Sun involved for Power. "



In a contest, she wanted her vision, her next tattoo sketched by her fans, and the winner will have their sketch tattooed on her back. The contest didn't have a due date. It just carried until whenever she saw what she liked. Unfortunately, it was never brought to light whether she found what she was looking for or not.

Releasing books was one of the next things on Lisa’s agenda, and she had three she was working on under her belt.

Lisa loved the kids! She truly believed they hold the key. That they needed all the nurturing and teaching as possible! Besides wanting to make a book about her life, being able to draw, she was able to draw an outline of a book for children to either read or draw on and to learn from that’s untitled. It's pretty much drawings of her childhood. The drawings released were only of her, her siblings Ronald and Raina, and her mother Wanda. Wanda stated she was going to finish this for Lisa. and release it during the Left Eye Music Festival in 2014/2015. No other word on it has been released since.



Left Eye cared about what people digested spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and, of course, physically. She loved to throw down in the kitchen! Making food, creating new recipes was another thing of hers. One of her favorite places in her house. Left Eye was a woman who can make meals & sauces from scratch and loved feeding people. Seafood Gumbo and Upside-Down Pineapple Cake is some of her best recipes. Instead of that route, she came up with an idea to take a lot of her best & HEALTHIEST recipes and form a cookbook entitled ‘Cheft Eye’.



And what's food sometimes without anything else to read to take your mind off of things and feeding your mind at the same time with something more serious that provides wisdom and knowledge? Lisa was writing a 3rd book as well called ‘Open’ with the legendary film director Hype Williams. The book was to be about how she saw herself, as quoted by Cyber TLC World “one part truth-teller, one part fairytale.” it was not to be about Usha Villege, but it’s affects on her. Not a biography, but her transition into becoming more of a woman, a person, a human being, a being — mind, body, and soul! This was something more dear and personal out of the 3.


Nothing else was said about 'Cheft Eye' much after her passing. The book 'Open' is halfway done, but her passing caused it to be shelved. She did a photo shoot for the book that she took in Honduras in 2000. Hype Williams took the photos. Merchandise was in the process of being made to promote it.

(Left Eye pictured on her white couch in the white room of her house in Stone Mountain, GA back in 2000 for an unknown photo shoot)

Left Eye was always known for baring herself to the public… in other ways such as in articles, live performances, and, of course, music. However, in 1999, after the “No Scrubs” music video came out, Lisa was approached by Hugh Hefner to do some risque photos for one of his upcoming issues to his magazine 'Playboy'. Lisa sat on this idea for a minute... She wanted to do it. Already doing some risky yet mild photo shoots, she was ready to show herself in that light, but the #1 person she thought of was her mother, and how she’d respond... She was even scared to have the conversation with her, hoping her uncle Kyle Young (Fashion Designer) would do it for her.



Lisa grew up in a strict Christian family. She was pushing the envelope with some when making music like “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” with TLC, and, to some, wearing condoms, rapping, and taking secular music to a new all time high! Wanda was fine with it all, but Playboy was a “No!”. But Lisa still sat on this idea until she decided to curb what her mother thinks about the idea. However, she decided if she wanted to take naked photos, she decided she would first do it for herself. For her book ‘Open’, she decided to do an artsy nude photo shoot with Hype Williams. After so, in 2002, she decided to take the offer. Kyle and herself decided to do a Tinkerbell inspired photo shoot that was going to be done and shown to the world! Sketches of her outfit was made by her Uncle Kyle, but the sketch ended up getting locked in the vault after she passed.

Can not ever forget this! Especially after ‘The Cut’!



Talent Show searches and competitions TRULY became a thing on TV from ‘American Idol’ to ‘The Voice’ to ‘America’s Got Talent’ to 'X-Factor'. Before these shows existed, MTV had been trying for years to get another season of their show ‘The Cut!’ to happen and with Left Eye again! Lisa was down to do another season, however, TLC had finally dropped ‘FanMail’, and she had to put the show on the back burner. It helped the show’s process slow down to an end (besides the Talent Executive of the show named Edna Bruce, who chose Lisa, got booted from the roster sometime after).



Acting was on her list as well doing skits on ‘All That’ with TLC as well as ‘House Party 3’ and ‘Living Single’, an episode of ‘Cousin Skeeter’, and a was-to-be her first solo movie appearance co-starring as Valerie in the live action kids movie ‘Jose and the Pussycats’. Obviously Comedy was in Lisa’s blood and it could have been something fun for her to do every now and then becoming more as an Actress. Also as a director as she was shooting footage of her girl group Ejypt in Honduras April 2002 to show off not only Usha Villege, but a new form of Artist Development with the girls and crew. It, however, became more personal on Lisa’s note. So personal that it turned into her famous documentary ‘Last Days of Left Eye’ released with VH1. Imagine it being the opposite, her making it back, and releasing this video...Curious as to what it would have been called, marketed, or even released... IF she released it... She did want to make a kids TV cooking show named after her book 'Cheft Eye' showcasing how to cook tasty and healthier foods. She shot a pilot for the show in 2001, but it never got picked up, nor has it been released.



Her sister Reigndrop picked up on the idea in 2010. She released photos of her with 3 other children, including Ronald's 2 sons. In a later interview in 2017, Reigndrop announced she is, instead, working on a cooking show where she goes into people's home and help eliminate the foods that are bad for you and introduce you to newer healthier foods. She does however teaches a cooking class in an orphanage in Georgia and uploaded a video of one of her classes on YouTube. A video from the original idea of the cooking show is online too. Chilli ended up picking up on this idea as well in 2018, calling it 'Fix My Plate' but doing it with her celebrity friends, swapping out their favorite meals with a healthier alternative she believes that would match. She shot the pilot for her show too. Snippets have been released, and shared even on TMZ who interviewed her, but an episode hasn't been released yet.

Lisa was always on the move for new talent, whether it be on TV, or somewhere off stage. Left Eye Productions was still around, housing artists like Nandi, Jena-Si-Qua, Silhouette, Rush, Bad Moon (Andre Rison), Cha Sang Gu, D.R.I.P. da Gumph (previously known as Drip Drop), Face Man, Sky Keeton, Ejypt, and the one and only Blaque!



In January 2002, Blaque had completed their sophomore album ‘Blaque Out!’ and planned on releasing it on the 15th. Due to the late Natina Reed being pregnant with her and Kurupt (of Tha Row)'s son Tren, it helped cause some problems, especially since Brandi and Shamari didn't want to encourage her to abort her baby, and stood beside her like sisters should. According to Natina, Columbia Records didn't want anything to do with Blaque if she wasn't apart of it. So with Natina not being able to be active, and other things, Blaque was dropped from Columbia Records that year and was in limbo as to what to do next. Lisa wished them much more success as she was already in the mist of Artist Development for her new girl group Egypt, giving them the same amount of attention needed for THEIR debut! She already set up work for them, recorded their debut single with them called “Crush on You” for their upcoming album under Dreamworks Records. Lisa did want Natina to experiment with Tha Row with her and hopefully become Queen N.I.N.A. and Princess Natina of Tha Row…. Depending on how everything was going there (keep listening!). Lisa was also pushing her solo male R&B artist who is now named Cha Sang Gu and also another male singer by the name of Louise Cartagena.



Now as for Wish Records, a record company she co-founded with TLC co-founder Ia Burke? That ended during the process of ‘Supernova’ as Lisa had WAY too many obligations on her hands. Who can blame her? When you’re creative juices are flowing to maximum on a regular who can stop you? I can't imagine how stressful it could have been to Ian Burke though. Not sure how it all went down specifically, but hopefully they would have reignited the label at some point and revamped everything, giving it another chance.

When Lisa went to Honduras, she was protesting the new TLC album ‘3D’. Once again, it didn’t have anything to do with T-Boz and Chilli. It was to directly gut L.A. Reid for jipping her of her advance money he never gave her for doing her solo debut album ‘Supernova’. She was going to leave the album up to T-Boz and Chilli to finish, but after some thinking and talking to T-Boz she ended her strike and was going to focus more on recording for the album again when she got back, pushing her beef with L.A. Reid to the side or at least try to resolve something with him else with him.



Of course singles would have dropped, possibly a ‘TLC 3D World Tour’, however, probably a hiatus anyways right after. Not only was Lisa working on her solo stuff but Chilli planned on dropping her own debut solo album right after the ‘3D’ era was over with. It would help give T-Boz and Lisa some time to explore in other areas as well. Their Greatest Hits album was coming next anyways (may or may have not been called ‘Now & Forever: The Hits’) and of course they would have reunited for a 5th album that would have probably helped ended their contract with Arista Records if not one more album all before the label shut down. Who knows? It would have been their last album though with them and probably would have to find a new home to make their music...

Lisa dropped ‘Supernova’ in 2001, and planned on dropping her sophomore album, still signed to Arista Records, but experimenting with Tha Row Records, hyping herself as a potential new artist under Suge Knight’s roster in 2002 as N.I.N.A. (New Identity Non-Applicable) with producer Darren Vegas. She also decided to remix her album ‘Supernova’, giving it a brand new sound – west coast style with the help of artists such as David Bowie, Missy Elliott, *NSYNC, and more!



This was NOT Left Eye's first time dealing the label. Lisa goes way back with them back to when she first met Tupac around 1992. Death Row was cool with her, her family, her friends, even with her ex-boyfriend Andre Rison. It was alleged that Tha Row was planning on a tour as well and N.I.N.A. was intended to join their tour. Not sure how that would have happened since Suge Knight and Lisa were low-key seeing each other, but stopped after him shortening her advance money for her 2 albums (jipping her like L.A. Reid did). According to her uncle Kyle, she calmly approached Suge Knight about it, and he started choking her. It became clear in her eyes that this is NOT the best place to stay and Suge Knight is NOT the man she thought he truly was! It was stated by her sister Reigndrop that Lisa may had gained regrets being involved with him and Tha Row like that. Jamie Foster Brown of Sister 2 Sister Magazine told everyone that Lisa planned on stepping away from Tha Row Records.



Also TLC was still recording for ‘3D’. Even though it was stated that Lisa was going to put more focus into TLC, allegedly, Lisa wanted to drop one of her albums later that year. Unless the tour would have been only for a few months, or she abandons ship with Tha Row in whole, taking her music with her, it would have gained more conflict with TLC and their fourth album, maybe reigniting their old drama from the ‘FanMail’ era all over again - mainly because this time Lisa outstretching herself more than possible. Promoting Ejypt as their manager, press from 'Playboy', her books, we haven't even got into her features and clothing line yet - she would have now not only have to promote her new solo album but have to promote with TLC which would have probably been tough depending on how everything played out. Also more drama with Arista Records. Not only for dropping 2 new albums with the help of another label, but because promo was around the corner for TLC. If it wasn’t Lisa’s albums though, it would have been due to the poor direction Arista Records took after L.A. Reid took over.



After Clive Davis left, the success of some of it’s current artists under Arista Records in 2002 started to flake from OutKast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003) to P!nk (Try This, 2003) to Toni Braxton (More Than a Woman, 2002) to Whitney Houston (Just Whitney…., 2002). Their sales may been still high, but was reported to NOT match the success of their previous albums. ‘3D’ falls in the same category with the rest, but can we REALLY put it on the fact that T-Boz and Chilli were still mourning over the passing of Lisa that ‘3D’ didn’t really reach it’s full potential? Arista was already falling short anyways. The girls were obviously gonna need more time to heal and to see if this 4th album was worth finishing right now, but Arista told them to either go back and finish the album now or it will be shelved following a Greatest Hits album with only maybe 3 songs from the shelved album featured in that release. If Lisa was still alive, '3D' probably would have different music but probably the same turn out since L.A. Reid did NOT have his head on as straight as Clive Davis, already shitting on Lisa for 'Supernova', he probably was bound to do it to the rest of the girls collectively. Imagine 'Supernova' being released with Clive Davis still in position. That album would have had a different turn out...



Note this Eyenetics/TLC Army/#DemTLCFans (whomever you want to address yourself as): Label mate Toni Braxton may have been pregnant with her second child, Diesel, when recording ‘More Than a Woman’ in 2002, but it doesn’t mean that, by itself, affected the music and success of the album. Arista and Barry Hankerson (Aaliyah’s Uncle/Toni’s then manager) was forcing Toni to work with new producers (sounds familiar?), forcing her to adapt to the new popular Hip-Hop swag of 2002. Even though she made it clear that it’s totally NOT up her lane, she still did what she could. The album didn’t come out as great in her eyes, becoming her '3D' album too. When finished, Toni requested to at least push her album back so she could focus more on her pregnancy, delivering a healthy child, and being more able to give her BEST on everything by the time the album dropped. Just like with TLC, Arista said no and dropped the album anyways when she wasn’t ready to promote it. Still pregnant, Toni went against Arista’s requests and decided to stay under the radar for the sake of her baby and herself, doing very little promo for the album. Her relationship with the label was already strained after suing them (for further details on that, please watch her biopic 'Un-Break My Heart'). Toni couldn’t do it anymore and decided to cut ties with Arista after 10 years.



Point is: If anything, all 3 of the girls would have probably grown frustrated like Toni because of the album process with not just with Lisa focusing on more than one thing but also with Arista not giving them the correct treatment as previous. The girls would have probably left as well if not forced to leave due to Arista shutting down sometime later, making them free agents again. The funny thing is is that Toni was the first lady of LaFace Records. L.A. Reid and Babyface's Whitney Houston. You'd think he'd look after her a little more after the hell they've gone through and him help grooming her to become the legend she is today. He treated her with little respect around that time according to Toni along with others.Lisa probably would have signed herself under her own label so she could do ANYTHING she wanted with NO MORE DISTRACTIONS or interferences when doing her next solo
albums. She would have been more able to release more records not just for herself but for other artists as well who she worked with who haven’t got signed yet. Maybe TLC would have signed to her label? You know how Lisa looked out for her people! Imagine TLC’s next albums being under Left Eye’s label. Also, Lisa leaving Tha Row Records alone after the drama with Suge and moving on with her life. She probably would have signed Blaque to her new label and fought to drop ‘Blaque Out’ while recording future albums. Life man.... It's crazy! and we're about half way in!

"I WAS INVITED TO DINNER AND A CONCERT BY MY EX…AND HE’S PUTTING HIS MACK DOWN HARD! WELL, I PLAN TO HAVE FUN AND I HOPE YOU ALL FIND A WAY TO DO THA SAME THING!!! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! BY THA WAY…ANDRE ISN’T MY ONLY EX… THAT’S A PUZZLE TO BE FIGURED OUT. AND THE CONCERT IS THA SAME MAN IN THA SIGGY THAT SOMEBODY ELSE IS GONNA SEE ON SUNDAY. KEEP YA HEAD TO THA SKY!!! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO THE ENTIRE GALAXY!"
-2/02



This was Left Eye's last online post before she died... She announced that before her passing that Lisa was thinking about getting back together with an Ex-Boyfriend… No, still not Andre…. But Shawn Newman per her Uncle Kyle to her fanbase The Eye is Right. Imagine Lisa being with Shawn while T-Boz was married to Mack 10 and Chilli dating Usher. Also still working with Tha Row, getting work done and maybe battling with Suge. Andre was still in the picture as well with her family. A whole new heap of drama cause we all know Lisa had a flame for Andre that seemed to never die sometimes. I could see a possible messy break up there with Shawn cause she couldn’t get Andre out her system, maybe FINALLY having Andre’s kids and married to the man unless she decided to stick to why she called it off with him and kept her distance from him too, along with Tha Row.

Lisa has always been known for doing features from either little named artists to BIG named artists! From DeDe O’Neil to Donnell Jones. From Latrelle to Lil’ Kim. From Bootleg to Method Man. Next on her list was to do a Philly Pride Anthem with Eve and P!nk, fellow Philly Natives. She also was to feature on a song with David Bowie on his 2002 album ‘Heathen’ that came out in June 2002. She probably would have featured on the ‘Stripped’ album with Xtina, maybe a song with Ashanti, join Toni Braxton on her ‘More Than a Woman’ album since she was going in a Hip-Hop direction, maybe a song with Usher since he was BIG fan of TLC and loved Lisa like a sister like Chilli did. P!nk probably would have had Lisa on her ‘Try This’ album. Lisa was supposed to recorded with Prince for her ‘Supernova’ album. The 2 became good friends and they wanted to make music together was well. Left Eye made a song called "Nasty Girl", her own rendition of Prince's song for Vanity 6 that went unreleased because he didn't clear it but he asked her to perform it for him when he saw her and her best friend Trena. According to her Uncle Kyle, Madonna wanted to work with her too when Melanie C. and Lisa toured Europe and was hanging with her. Since it didn’t happen with ‘Supernova’ she probably would have been on their next albums listing her as a feature. Lil’ Kim considered Lisa as one of her best friends and considered going to Honduras with Lisa. Imagine Kim coming back on a level near Lisa’s spiritually, giving her third album ‘La Bella Mafia’ a cute spiritual spin with Lisa on it. Either both spitting on a soft uplifting track or spitting a new flare of intense heavy influential Hip-Hop music.

Fashion: Styling and designing Lisa's always part-taken in. Her mother being an interior designer and her uncle Kyle Young being a Fashion Designer, Lisa would come up with looks with him as his Assistant when she was in High School. After High School, Lisa went to Atlanta, GA and later was in TLC coming up with looks for the group. T-Boz and Chilli would soon join and add more of their ideas as well. Lisa went so far as to start coming up with her own looks like on the show 'The Cut' with some assistance from her uncle again. Before her passing, Lisa was working with her uncle to FINALLY come up with a clothing line to give the fans more to take home with them. Her sister Reigndrop did fulfill this but with her by creating a clothing line for her called 'Eye Legacy Wear' which you can find at www.reigndropmusic.net. Left Eye and Reigndrop merchandise sold together from clothing to accessories.

Left Eye TRULY wanted people to see what she saw in life after meeting Dr. Sebi and brought them down to Usha Village aka 'The Bush' from persuasion to trickery (Shah Wonders.... lmao!). When Lisa said if she could get everyone in The Bush to clean their filthy habits and dirty minds she would and she was in the works of it. She had a condo in New Jersey but ended up living with Suge Knight later when they were together. After Natina had her baby and moved out, she left Suge and moved back into her place in Stone Mountain, GA of 5 years back in February 2002. Her location until her house was finally built in Honduras that her uncle Anthony (on her Dad side) watched over for her for about 2 months after her death because of his death. She bought acres of land there next to Usha Villege and planned on housing people down there including friends and family. She wanted to build a recording studio as well and youth center called Camp Y.A.C.She saw it as not only a chance to be more involved with the community down there and closer to Usha Village but also as a new key to Artist Development like with Ejypt down there and shopping them around at the same time getting them right mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for the music industry.



After her passing, according to her sister Reigndrop Lopes, there was a shooting in the location where Lisa was building the youth center. No one was hurt but they eventually just decided to sell off the land, ending all of what Lisa had in mind there for safety reasons. But before her death, Lisa was telling a lot of her family members, friends, and industry friends about Usha Village. She asked T-Boz and Chilli to come but because there's no electricity in the huts in the village to watch TV, the girls decided to not go (according to her Uncle Kyle, there were hotels near by anyone could have stayed in if not stay in the huts - They MAY or MAY NOT have known that...). Lil' Kim was going to go that year in 2002. Lisa introduced Dr. Sebi to artists at Tha Row Records and introduced them to some of his teachings as well. An editor of VIBE Magazine went and she got a good glimpse as to what Lisa been saying. Lisa was doing her best to get people to not only get to see what she sees but to get to know themselves a lot better and feel much better about themselves using Usha Village as a key. Even though the family sold the land, they still take trips to the village like previous. Dr. Sebi even made it io the eyes of the immortal Michael Jackson before both of their death. His teachings still live on through the village and The Lopes Family.

Left Eye loved her fans. Lisa went online starting around 1997 communicating with the fans, filling them in on the album processes, and responding to fan mail. Before releasing her album 'Supernova', she joined forces with the runner of TLC's #1 fan site CyberChris of Cyber TLC World. She jointed his website with her own solo website called 'Eyenetics.net'. Said by fans, the was a website ahead of its time! With a lot of intergalactic themes, the site hosted games, recipes, and many other things including posts specifically made announcing to the fans via Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. She held contests where she actually wanted fans to design her next tattoo that she wanted on her back and announced that she wanted to have a slumber party with them, gifting them with an exclusive pajama wear from her and Uncle Kyle's clothing line.



After she passed, the family shut down the website. Fans came back together at Cyber TLC World and still helping however to this day as to what we can do to make her legacy shine as bright as ever!

Last, but not ever least, herself. When Lisa got her new home, according to her mother, she kicked her diet to the curb, and indulged back in the unhealthy foods she truly missed so much! She was overall single again and was focusing more on her business at the same time reconnecting with her art and herself. She was sketching, painting, and sculpting, building material from scratch including furniture before leaving to Honduras, getting back on her diet and jumping straight back into full business mode. To imagine what would have happened as she was JUST putting out her new persona N.I.N.A. and still dealing with Suge Knight while recording '3D'. She stated in the documentary that she couldn't wait to finish the album. How that would have happened is a mystery... If paperwork was signed, she'd have to fulfil obligations with Tha Row same time TLC same time with Ejypt same time etc... So Lisa was DEFINITELY preparing herself during those 30 days in the bush because she had a lot on her plate when she got back from Honduras.

Keisha from the girl group Total stated both Left Eye and herself are birthday twins! Left Eye asked her to write some music for her girl group Ejypt and planned on spending their next birthday together in 2002 in a Hot Air Balloon after she got back. She said she JUST talked to Lisa right before the accident happened that morning right before she took off driving.

Another side of herself she had in motion was somewhat of an inventor side. According to her assistant Stephanie Dayton stating because Lisa had time management issues, Lisa created her own solution to by creating her own time management system called 'Eye Time', a practice for people who have procrastinating issues and issues with being on time or early. Also her sister Reigndrop revealed when she was last in Honduras Lisa introduced her to a product she made which women can use to make life easier when using the bathroom. Instead of having to squat to pee, Lisa made something where all the women there can use to stand up and urinate along with the men. Who KNOWS what else she'd come up with to help make life easier for everyone! And remember... This is based on whats been announced. There could be more!




Thank you so much for taking the time out to read this. It is truly appreciated! Stay tuned for our interview with Reigndrop coming soon!



Jordan A. Cooper
#TheEyeisRight



P.S.
Website coming soon!