Kandi Burruss Recalls Music Feud With Sporty Thievz

Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss recently opened up about a music dispute that ultimately worked in her favor. Speaking on the “Question Everything” podcast, the former girl group member detailed how she and bandmate Tiny Harris turned lemons into lemonade.

In addition to being a notable reality TV personality, Burruss is also a talented songwriter, most known for her work with Ed Sheeran, Destiny’s Child, NSYNC, and TLC.

Burruss’s work on TLC’s “No Scrubs” earned the mother of three a No. 1 record and worldwide fame. But the notoriety also came with some unexpected challenges when the song later became the center of a legal battle over its melody.

Burruss revealed during the podcast interview that other musicians often want to sample songs she’s written for different artists. However, they must go through the proper channels to secure the rights.

That didn’t happen with the rap group Sporty Thievz, who used the melody and concept from “No Scrubs” to make their parody single, “No Pigeons.”

“I had a situation years ago,” Burruss said on the show, adding that the group didn’t ask for permission and she and her co-writer, Tiny Harris, “got all the money from it.”

Burruss said Sporty Thievz failed to “clear” the track before releasing it, and because it was essentially a carbon copy of the original, she and Harris were able to take legal action.

Burruss isn’t holding any grudges, though. She explained how “thankful” she was for Sporty Thievz’s work, adding that it “gave me another No. 1 and another check.”

This isn’t the first time Burruss has opened up about her work being sampled by other artists.

During an interview with NFL alum Shannon Sharpe, Burruss said it’s a “blessing” whenever other performers want to use her work.

She then discussed her business dealings with popular singer Ed Sheeran, who used a sample of “No Scrubs” in his global track “Shape of You.”

According to Burruss, before Sheeran released the single, his team connected with her to work out the percentages for him using the music.

After going back and forth, Burruss said she didn’t hear anything else from Sheeran’s team, so she believed they were moving in another direction.

“Then the song came out, it was on the radio, and people were doing their ‘No Scrubs’ and ‘Shape of You’ mashups online,” she said. “And we were like, ‘Oh, OK. Well, then we need to have a conversation about what the splits are about to be.’”

According to a previous report from The Blast, during her appearance on the “Question Everything” podcast, Burruss discussed her decision to continue supporting “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” after leaving the iconic reality series.

“I think it’s important to continue to support the franchise even though I’m not there because I was there for 14 seasons, and I want them to be successful,” she said. “I want ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ to continue on another 15 years.”

Indeed, Burruss spent 14 years on the Bravo series, first joining the cast in 2009 before exiting in 2024. During her run on the network, Burruss starred in numerous spinoffs, including “Kandi’s Ski Trip,” “Kandi’s Wedding,” “Xscape and SWV: The Queens of R&B,” and “Kandi & The Gang.”

While announcing her exit, Burruss explained why she was leaving the show in her rearview after 14 years.

“It’s been 14 seasons, and they allowed us to sit around for a little too long, but during that time I had started working on a lot of other things, and I got some nice big projects coming soon, so I’m super excited about those things,” Burruss said at the time of her departure.

Even more change came after leaving “RHOA.” Following her appearance at BravoCon 2025, Burruss told the Bravoverse that she had filed for divorce from her husband of 11 years, Todd Tucker.

“I’m stepping into a new chapter pouring into my work, my family, and my own growth. I’m grateful to everyone who supported us throughout the years, and I ask for privacy, grace, and understanding as we navigate this transition with our family,” she said.