Here is my written review of LeToya Luckett's Revelation, along with the link to my live video review from my YouTube channel. Please check it out and don't forget to also subscribe to us on YouTube, IG, Facebook, and Twitter. Thank you.
Recently on Monday August 31, 2020, the actress and singer LeToya Luckett gave us another revelation this year. Earlier this year in March she and her husband Tommicus Walker, an entrepreneur, revealed some excited news, which was that LeToya is pregnant with their second child. They welcomed their first daughter Gianna last year, born January 4, 2019, and LeToya is also a stepmom to Tommicus' daughter, Madison. Just a few days ago on her IG Live, LeToya revealed how after being kicked out of her former r&b group Destiny's Child when she was 18 years old, she was broke, homeless, sleeping in her car, living off of water and oodles of noodles, and living in and out of hotels. She said "Those first few years post-DC were rough. “I was about eighteen-years-old,” she said during the IG Live". Also on her IG Live, she went on to say, "I’ve never told these stories before. … I slept in a car in L.A. while I was making my first album. Not a lot of nights, but you know what I’m saying?”
She mentioned as well that sometimes she was allowed to crash at somebody's house. And many people were shocked and saddened when she said with tears in her eyes “I was drinking a gallon of water and buying the microwavable oodles of noodles”. Overtaken by emotions she said she had to cook them "on a coffee pot at the hotel.” After no longer being a part of Destiny's Child after spending approximately 10 close-knit years with them as friends, family and music group members, she didn't even know if she still wanted to pursue singing. She recalled how "The thought of singing made me angry,” She passionately stated “I didn’t believe I had a voice. I didn’t believe I could sing. I didn’t believe I could return to the music industry. To make a long story short, after surrendering and getting to know God on a whole other level — I learned to surrender, get out of my own way, stop living in fear and allow Him to direct my path.”
Listening to Letoya’s IG Live brought me back to when those ladies (the original members) first came out with "No, No, No" which was released as Destiny's Child debut single on November 11, 1997 by Columbia Records. In the United States alone, the song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the ninth best-selling single of the year, selling more than 1.3 million copies. I was so in love with their voices back then, and always wondered were things as bad as they appeared with the ladies separation.
Years ago, you might recall two separate interviews. One of them was with LeToya Luckett and Latavia Roberson, former members of Destiny's Child. In that interview on March 20, 2000, the two had mentioned how the original four had been in each other's lives since they were like 8, 9, 10 years old. They were together for like 10 years. And then just released from the group, just like that! Yes they did mention how it was many conflicts, and disagreements, over management decision making, and allegations of favoritism. Those allegations of favoritism were said to be because Beyonce's father, Matthew Knowles was their manager. But even though they had issues, they seemed to say that they had no idea that they were being released from the group.
And in another interview with Beyoncé, Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, and Farrah Franklin on March 29, 2000 Beyoncé said "that they always tried to communicate with each other and work out their differences". Even still, the year before on December 1, 1999, in an interview with the original members, Beyoncé said they were about to go on tour in Europe. And Kelly mentioned that they are also going to film their new music video, which was then for their hit song "Say My Name" and that it will drop on the December 27, 1999. But a few weeks later when that video came out there were no appearances from LeToya or Latavia. Instead the video premier also premiered the two new members, Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Farrah had actually been an extra in their Bills video, and Michelle was actually touring with Monica when she first made contact with the group.
LeToya and Latavia basically said they were in the dark about this, and had no idea that Beyoncé and Kelly had went ahead and found replacements for them, just because they wanted a separate manager. LeToya and Latavia claimed that they wanted to remain in the group, and said they had no problems with the other members. They just wanted to hire a new manager for themselves. Now some might question if those two new members back then were in the works way before the "Say My Name" video dropped. Because like literally two weeks before the video dropped, LeToya in an interview, was excited to announce that the new video would be out in a few weeks. So, from that time till 2 weeks later Farrah and Michelle had basically moved in on the group, allegedly without LeToya and Latavia knowing. But new member, Farrah, in an interview said "It's taken a lot out of them (Beyonce' and Kelly) to teach us what they've been doing for 10 years in a month". Hmmm
Beyoncé claimed that she called them personally and told them she wanted to be the bigger person and tell them everything that is going on. But on December 14, 1999, LeToya and Latavia wrote a letter effectively ending their relationship with the group’s manager. But per Beyoncé’s father and their manager, he claims that Columbia Records wouldn’t want to deal with a group that had multiple managers. And again LeToya and Latavia said that they didn’t want to leave the group, and never said they were leaving and claimed they didn’t leave the group. They were basically put out of the group because they wanted a new manager.
But anyway, as we saw, the group not only picked up where the old members left off with the newly added members, but they continued to have success, making hit after hit after hit. However, Franklin quit after five months, leaving the group as a trio. Now I had heard she quit and then I also heard she was let go from the group b/c of allegedly missing out on too many shows. Then today somebody told me that they heard that allegedly Farrah had a drinking problem. But you ain't heard that from me.
And then the lawsuits came. LeToya and Latavia both filed a lawsuit against Destiny's Child and management. The suit, filed in February of 2002, accused the group and Sony Music of defamation for the alleged song slight and breach of contract for violating a previous settlement reached when the two singers left the group in 2000. The complaint sought unspecified damages. Now Beyoncé, who cowrote the song "Survivor," said the song wasn't about her ex group members, but instead towards people in their hometown who didn't believe that they would make it big. But LeToya and Latavia believed that the song was a slight diss to them. I know y'all remember the lyrics from "Survivor", "You thought that I'd be stressed without you/But I'm chillin'/You thought I wouldn't sell without you/Sold 9 million."
The two ladies claimed the lyrics caused them irreparable harm and also broke agreement they previously made to not diss one another in the public eye. LeToya and Latavia also accused the current members of Destiny's Child of making "deliberate and disparaging, defamatory factual misrepresentations" about the ex-singers when they were promoting the "Survivor" album in April 2001.
Now approximately 20 years later LeToya, while being transparent during an IG Live told us how difficult it was for her after breaking away from Destiny's Child. I for one can't imagine being in that predicament, after coming from a place of friendship, family, and members of the same r&b group, to being so destitute, and not being able to get some type of assistance from the "surviving" members of Destiny's Child. But LeToya spoke of how she had to really believe in God and look to him for direction, and he did guide her and keep her. She ended up making more music, and appearing in movies and tv shows, opened a chain of clothing stores, and literally survived the pain of no longer being with Destiny's Child. I for one applaud Letoya for being so open, honest and transparent with her viewers and fans. And congratulations and many blessings to you LeToya and your husband on the new addition to your family.
