The Real Housewives of Atlanta's got all already successful people there. And here's Kandi Burruss-Tucker, an already established musician. In fact, you rarely get a Grammy-winning songwriter in the Real Housewives franchise. She's been bold enough to pursue entrepreneurship as well, so don't be appalled by her massive net worth.
Born Kandi Lenice Burruss on May 17, 1976 (age 44), in College Park, Georgia, to the Reverend Titus Burruss Jr. and Joyce Jones, she suffered an early tragedy in her life as she lost her older brother, Patrick Riley, aged 22 in 1992, when she was just a teenager. He just missed seeing his little sister on the way to stardom as her music career took off the next year.
Kandi Burrus is a singer, songwriter, TV personality, actress, and businesswoman.
Photo Source: Kandi Burruss, Instagram
For someone who's been on the show as long as she has, she obviously knows how to make her mark. Aside from the budding friendship with Cynthia Bailey, when Kenya Moore gossiped about Kandi earning the highest-salary of the cast, it was not something she could swallow. But that doesn't hide away the fact that she still earns pretty for her decade long association with RHOA.
With a Net Worth of $32 Million, Kandi Burruss Is the Richest Atlanta Housewife
As of April 2020, Kandi Burruss controls a multi-millionaire net worth of $32 million. The testimony to such a fortune is her two-decade + music career as well as an acting/producing career and all-in-all influencer as a TV personality. But hey, seven-plus ventures have it rolling piles of green on her way. The RHOA salary doesn't matter too much to her growing income, and she isn't afraid of rolling out some of it to meet the desire of her flashy life.
One of Kandi's Business Ventures is an adult-toy company.
Photo Source: Morriside Photography
Burruss's ventures include Bedroom Kandi, Kandi Koated Beauty, Old Lady Gang, Raising Ace and TAGS Boutique, all with their own distinct, characteristic flair. For example, Bedroom Kandi offers people looking for consulting positions to join her team in promoting her brand (over 2,500 consultants right now). Old Lady Gang is a Southern eatery established with her mother and aunts. And TAGS Boutique is a luxury women’s apparel.
'Xscape' Broke Up Because LaTocha Scott Wanted to Go Solo, & Burruss Claims It Was Not Because of the Allegations Against Her
Burruss was introduced into the glam world when she was in the ninth grade, aged 14 [1990]. The sister, Tamika Scott, of LaTocha Scott, a former member of Precise, met Burruss when they were attending Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia, together. They started performing together, with a fourth member in Tamera Coggins-Wynn who wanted out after a short while.
The band Xscape was officially formed when Tameka "Tiny" Cottle was asked to audition. The group's first-ever TV performance was in the BET series, Teen Summit, in 1992, as they sang a cover of En Vogue’s Hold On. Burruss was 15, and it was a group of five as Tamera was still with them at the time.
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They were thus introduced to record executive Ian Burke and managed by him. In 11th grade, Jermaine Dupri discovered the female R&B quartet in Atlanta (yes, Tamera had left the group by then) and signed Xscape to his recording label So So Def Recordings. Thus, before attending school for 12th grade in the summer of '93, they released their first single, Just Kickin' It, which was an instant hit.
The group then started working on their first album together throughout 12th grade and came up with a full studio album by October 1993. On October 12, 1993, Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha was released which went RIAA Platinum within a year, apart from peaking at #17 on the U.S. Billboard 200 list and #3 on the Top R&B Albums chart. They were releasing singles for the album afterward as well.
Burruss graduated high school in 1994 with Tamika as they started working on a second studio album. Another Platinum hit, Off the Hook, was released on July 18, 1995, under So So Def Recordings. But around the time, LaTocha expressed her desire to go solo. Burruss had bought her first house at 19 and was trying to figure out how she could make a living once the band splits.
There were some allegations on the relationship between Burruss and Dupri.
Photo Credit: Moses Robinson, WireImage
Xscape did release a third studio album, Traces of My Lipstick, on May 12, 1998, which did well sales-wise, as it went Platinum too, but failed to garner similar success as the previous album. It topped #28 on Billboard 200 list and #6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart. And soon, LaTocha went on her pursuit of a solo career and the band finally disbanded. According to reports, all three albums added $1 million each for Burruss's net worth.
However, they did later regroup for appearances on the Big Momma's House [2000] & Hardball [2001] soundtracks and performances on Lil Bow Wow's Bounce with Me [2000] & Jermaine Dupri's Rock with Me [2001]. They went apart after that, but when their comeback attempt was announced in 2005, it wasn't as exciting as it used to be. They did release a single, What's Up, that year.
Xscape: Still Kickin’ It was announced when Burruss learned of TV One planning a movie in 2017, and she wanted positivity around the group which might not have happened if TV One had released the movie instead. The group thus released a 4-episode mini-series, as they regrouped again. But before joining again, Burruss wanted an apology from Tamika.
Xscape's second hit single was called 'Understanding'.
Photo Source: Bravo TV via Kandi Burruss.
It turns out in a 2007 interview, the latter had claimed that Xscape broke up because of Kandi sleeping with Jermaine Dupri and his father, Michael Mauldin. Kandi did confirm the relationship with Dupri but insisted it was not why the group broke up at all. She did get the apology from Tamika, and they are still best friends. Xscape also released an Extended Play, Here for It, on March 2, 2018, under RedZone Entertainment.
The Solo Career — Coincidental Credit for Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You'
It was not all over for Kandi after the group disbanded in 1998/99. She focused on production and songwriting, grouping up with Tamika, aka Tiny, in 1999 for their project: demo songs to record labels. Their first manager, Burke, introduced them to record producer, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs. And they created what Kandi calls "the biggest song of my career."
Burruss and Harris are still BFFs.
Photo Source: Kandi Online
When Briggs played Kandi & Tamika "this track", they asked him for it to rewrite the words which thus became 'No Scrubs'. Someone had played in for L.A. Reid, who wanted it for TLC, telling them he would make it the biggest hit in the world during a meeting at a party. And so it did, it became the international number one hit. A modest Kandi Burruss tells Forbes,
I took for granted what he was saying. He was right, though. It ended up being the biggest song of my career. It was a blessing. It just kind of fell into my lap.
Since then, it was an okay career for her in the solo path. She released her first album, Hey Kandi..., under Columbia Records on September 19, 2000, which didn't do too well in the charts (#72 on Billboard 200), but the single, Don't Think I'm Not, did peak 24 on Billboard Hot 100. But that wasn't the whole point of her solo career. From then on, she became a successful songwriter. She's already written the debut for P!nk, There You Go, and Bills, Bills, Bills for Destiny's Child.
She became the first African-American woman to win the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Songwriter of the Year award in the Rhythm & Soul category in 2000. She released an EP, Fly Above, October 29, 2009, after a hiatus and a full-album, Kandi Koated, under Asylum Records, which she signed with in December 2009 after the deal with Capitol Records fell through, on December 14, 2010. She once teamed up with Atlanta rapper Rasheeda and formed Peach Candy, releasing PeachCandy EP with a five-track lineup on iTunes. Oh, she'd also launched her own independent label, Kandi Coated Entertainment, in line with her Kandi Coated Cosmetics line.
Rasheeda Frost is Burruss's longtime "sister/friend".
Photo Source: BET
Her writing-credited list includes other songs for Ariana Grande, TLC, Alicia Keys, Sam Salter, Whitney Houston, Ed Sheeran, and Mariah Carey, among others. Interestingly, her credits for Sheeran's Shape of You was given after the pre-chorus line from his song was compared over and over again to TLC's No Scrubs. Kandi, She'kspere and Tameka got the credits.
Another incident came when she wrote and produced a song for former The Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann called Tardy for the Party. She and collaborating songwriter/producer Rodney "Don Vito" Richard filed a lawsuit against Zolciak for the profits earned from the song. Another RHOA castmate Phaedra Parks was her lawyers, but the lawsuit was dismissed after there was not enough evidence of copyright infringement.
Spending on Houses More Often?
Main Article: Kandi Burruss House & Real Estate Details
More Than Just a Housewife
For the second season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2009, it was announced that Kandi Burrus was joining the crew as DeShawn Snow made way for her. She was already a mother to Riley Burruss [born August 22, 2002] with ex-boyfriend Russell "Block" Spencer of Block Entertainment. But when joining the crew, she'd been dating Ashley "A.J." Jewell since late 2008 and engaged since January 2009.
A.J. was not approved by Burruss's mother, Joyce.
Photo Credit: Prince Williams, Getty Images
Burruss's mother disproved of the relationship as he often made appearances on the Bravo TV reality series. But on October 2, 2009, his death left her stunned and speechless. It turned out he'd sustained a devastating head injury from a brawl with one Fredrick Richardson in the parking lot of an Atlanta strip club, the Body Tap Club.
Almost two years later in 2011, she started dating again but in secret. The relationship became known when Burruss announced on Twitter on January 15, 2013, that she was engaged to Todd Tucker, a former line producer for RHOA. She'd been dating him when filming the fourth season.
Burruss also adds up her net worth by creating brands for her own kids; this one is 'Raising Ace' for son Ace.
Photo Source: Raising Ace
The two got married on April 4, 2014, in a small ceremony in Atlanta. The five-part wedding mini-series, Kandi's Wedding, aired since July 1, 2014, on the Bravo cable network. Again, interestingly, it was the fourth RHOA spin-off, with Don't Be Tardy (for the Wedding) for Zolciak's wedding being the first one. The second one, The Kandi Factory, starred Kandi, following the lives of her and her record producers in launching the careers of undiscovered artists. It was canceled after one season. The third spin-off was for NeNe Leakes' [net worth: $14 million] wedding, called I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding. The ratings for Kandi's Wedding topped the success for all other spin-offs.
A three-part special, Kandi's Ski Trip, was also released after RHOA Season 7. In addition, she's also made guest appearances for Single Ladies, Let's Stay Together, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and Celebrity Big Brother.
Family Life at its best for Kandi Burruss.
Photo Source: Kandi Burruss, Instagram
Burruss and husband, Tucker, announced her pregnancy on July 22, 2015, as they welcomed son, Ace Wells Tucker, who has his own YouTube channel, on January 6, 2016. Their second child, daughter, Blaze Tucker, was born via a surrogate on November 22, 2019. The family now lives in the Atlanta mansion that she bought for $512,000, back in 2012.
RHOA Salary Variation and Other Ventures
It's not strange that she's isn't afraid to drop some dough on luxuries, but the earnings from several different paths than just music will provide you with the luxury to do so. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she earns a salary of $450,000 per season and was, at one point, the highest paid housewife across the Bravo TV franchise with $550,000 per season. It's still greater than what newer housewives get paid.
Despite being the richest RHOA housewife in Net Worth, her salary is still less than NeNe Leakes.
Photo Source: Kandi Burruss, Instagram
Meanwhile, many gossip sites have claimed she earned more than just $450,000 per season. The claims reach as high as $2.3 million for Season 12, up from $2.2 million for Season 11, which is still less than what Leakes was claimed to have made. The salary increment may have been calculations, including the earnings the stars get after several other endorsement and sponsorship deals they get following their appearance every year. In fact, with 7.5 million followers, she makes around $20,000 per post through sponsorships on Instagram alone. And she's posted over 8000 times.
It's worth mentioning that she appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in February 2010 as a celebrity partner and helped a housewife win $1 million. But that wasn't the biggest thing she took out of being a celebrity housewife. She capitalized on her RHOA fame to start her first business venture ever. She is the owner of the sex toy company called Bedroom Kandi.
Kandi Burruss represented 'RHOA' on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'.
Photo Source: Straight from the A
The success of Bedroom Kandi subsequently helped her launch her other companies. Her beauty brand, Kandi Coated Beauty became a partner for her "sex and relationship" web series on Ustream called Kandi Coated Nights with four other friends in 2018.
In terms of the music side of things, she's reported to have earned big from all her albums, but the success lies on the time she was with Xscape in the '90s.
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