BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976 in College Park, Georgia)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, actress, record producer, and television personality. She is a former member of the group Xscape. Burruss currently stars as one of six members in the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta since its second season premiere on July 30, 2009.
Early life
Kandi Burruss was born in College Park,[1] Georgia to her father Reverend Titus Burruss Jr.,[3] and mother Joyce Burruss.[4] Kandi had an older brother, Patrick, who died when she was younger.[3] She first appeared on the BET series, Teen Summit, at age 15. Kandi attended Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia.[5]
Career
Songwriting
After the disbanding of Xscape, Burruss began to focus on production and songwriting. In 1999, Burruss teamed with bandmate Tameka "Tiny" Cottle to score the international number one hit "No Scrubs" for TLC.[6] That same year, Burruss wrote another song, "Bills, Bills, Bills".[7] Kandi would go on to work with Pink by co-writing her debut single "There You Go".[7]
Burruss was the first African-American woman ever to win the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers's Songwriter of the Year award in 2000. She won for Songwriter of the year in the Rhythm & Soul category.[8][9][10][11] She won for songwriting credits such as Destiny Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and TLC's "No Scrubs."[12]
Kandi rewrote and executive produced "Tardy for the Party" for Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Kim Zolciak.[13]
Kandi Koated and reality television
Burruss teamed with Atlanta female rapper Rasheeda to form the duo Peach Candy.[14] In March 2009, Entertainment Weekly reported that Burruss would replace DeShawn Snow in the second season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.[15] She also announced her second album, originally titled "B.L.O.G.". Her debut EP, the Fly Above EP, was released on October 29, 2009.[16] By December 2009, Burruss announced she had signed a deal with Asylum Records after her deal with Capitol Records fell through.[17] Her second album,Kandi Koated, was released in December 2010.[18] Kandi has made several cameo appearances on series such as Single Ladies, Thicker Than Water: The Tankards, Chef Roblé & Co., and Let's Stay Together.[19] Burruss received her own spin-off series, The Kandi Factory,[20] and owns a sex toy company called Bedroom Kandi.[21]
Personal life
Burruss and ex-boyfriend Russell "Block" Spencer of Block Entertainment had a daughter named Riley Burruss[22] on August 22, 2002.[23] In late 2008, Kandi began a relationship with Ashley "A.J." Jewell and after dating several months, the couple became engaged to be married in January 2009. But on October 22, 2009, after sustaining head injuries in a brawl, Jewell died.[24] Kandi and three of her friends started a "sex and relationship" web series on Ustream titled Kandi Koated Nights. The show began to air on television beginning in 2011.[25] On January 15, 2013, Kandi announced via Twitter that she was engaged to Todd Tucker, a former line producer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta, whom she has been dating since 2011 while filming for the fourth season.[26] On April 4, 2014, the couple married.[27]
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