Xscape still ‘Just Kickin’ It’ with mothers on Mother’s Day

For more than three decades, Xscape has been the soundtrack to love, heartbreak, and every emotion in between. With anthems like “Just Kickin It,” “Who Can I Run To,” and “Understanding,” the Atlanta quartet carved out a permanent place in R&B history. Now, Tiny and Tamika are channeling that same undeniable energy into a night made for the women who deserve it most.

On May 10, Xscape headlines the Mother’s Day Love Affair Tour at Atlanta’s iconic Fox Theater, joined by K. Michelle and Donell Jones. The show isn’t just a concert — it’s a full celebration of mothers, their sacrifices, and the music that has followed them through every chapter of life. In a candid conversation, Tiny and Tamika open up about performing at legendary venues, the staying power of their catalog, and what Mother’s Day truly means to them.

How does it feel to perform at a historic venue like the Fox Theater?

Tiny: It feels great to be performing at theaters like the Fox. I mean, it’s very personable because we’re up and close, not so far away like in the arenas. And to be home also is just another added bonus to it. So yeah, it just feels good.

When you perform songs like “Just Kickin It” and “Who Can I Run To,” how do you connect those past moments to who you are today as women and performers?

Tamika: We doing “Just Kickin It.” It’s funny because the people in the audience be doing the dance routine. I’m like, “Wait a minute. Everybody doing the dance routine. It’s time to change up. Baby, everybody know it.” So, when they hear “Just Kickin It,” everybody know to kick their feet out. We be feeling so good for everyone to be along with us as we do the songs.

And I think the songs also still resonate with us today. Like even though we were young singing those songs, our songs still resonate like understanding. We still need understanding. And we still kick it. So, I feel like they are just timeless songs.

The message of the show is that Atlanta’s mothers deserve more than brunch. What is one thing that all mothers should be celebrated for?

Tamika: Mothers should be celebrated for their love that they give, the time they give, the patience that they have with us, even when we were younger, the patience our parents had with us. Just who they are and what they give. They give so much and sometimes they give so much to others that they lack for themselves. So, mothers, it’s more than just a brunch. It is definitely the love and the respect and a show to come see Xscape serenade you with K. Michelle and Donell Jones. You want to serenade and love on everybody. So, make sure y’all come out to this show May 10th at the Fox Theater, the historical Fox Theater, because it is a show you do not want to miss.

With K. Michelle and Donell Jones joining the lineup, how did the lineup come together to capture the essence of the golden era of R&B while still feeling fresh today?

Tamika: Well, actually, we didn’t have nothing to do with the lineup. They just called us and said, “We want y’all to do this show.” And then when we heard K. Michelle was on and Donell Jones, we was like, “Hey,” because we love their music. So, we like, “Okay, this is going to be a nice show.”

Tiny: We’re big fans of both of the artists. So, I felt like it was a great show, so we accepted this show.

What do you think today’s artists can learn from the emotional storytelling that defined your era in R&B?

Tiny: Just real lyrics. I feel like these songs that we sung in the ’90s have real lyrics of love and relationships and going through things, hurt, and today’s music is changing for the time but these songs are still everlasting because people still deal with the same type of things that we were singing about.

How do you tend to receive Mother’s Day as mothers?

Tiny: Hopefully, I receive Mother’s Day with some nice gifts ’cause I got a lot of kids and I deserve it. I mean, just celebrating with my kids, just being there and also celebrating with the moms cuz we’ll be working. We decided to work because we felt like Mother’s Day is a special day and as long as we could be home with our kids and then still give back to other mothers and have something for them to come out to and enjoy, you know, great day.

’90s R&B is having a resurgence. Why do you think Xscape’s music continues to connect across generations?

Tamika: Xscape music is definitely connecting generations after generation. People are sampling our music. A lot of people sampling from “Understanding” to “Who Can I Run To.” So, the younger generation who may not know Xscape, now they know us because the music is being sampled.

Tiny: I even heard Extra Pluggins sampled a couple songs. I think he sampled “Tonight” and I want to say “My Little Secret.” I don’t know another song. But I love Extra Pluggins. Yeah.

Tiny, your kids are also in the business. As a mother, could you think of anything else you could be more proud of when it comes to them?

Tiny: As a mother, watching my kids grow in their own light and just love their talents to show. I just like watching them because they’re all so different. They have different lanes and different paths and it’s just fun to see how they come into their own light. And I’m just proud of all of them.

Tamika, your fan base now includes women who grew up on you and their daughters. Where has the time gone?

Tamika: I don’t know where the time has gone. I don’t know. One minute, next minute you see a gray hair. I’m like, wait a minute. What’s going on here? We’re making sure we take advantage of every second with our kids, with each other, with our families and with our fans.

Kick off your shoes and relax your feet. Come on down to the Fox Theater May the 10th, Mother’s Day. We will see you there. So, if you want to be sung down, come on down to the Fox Theater. You never know who we may have on stage.