Dru Hill

Although "I Should Be..." was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top 10 R&B hit, its follow-up "I Love You" failed to make a strong impression, and Dru World Order became the slowest Dru Hill album to reach gold selling status. He thought that the title was too risque, so he had it changed to "Come Softly to Me," and he also thought that "Two Girls and a Guy" didn't sound commercial enough. Most of the album's songs featured a concious effort to balance the group dynamics, with Sisqó, Jazz, Woody, and Scola frequently all sharing leads on the same song, including the lead single "I Should Be...". Bob Reisdorf, the owner of Dolphin Records, was responsible for the name changes. Nearly all of the album's tracks were produced by Nokio, who was spotlighted on the tracks "She Said" and "Men Always Regret", with producers such as Brian Michael Cox and Kwame also making contributions. They sang it a capella, then dubbed the instrumental accompaniment, consisting only of Latin-styled acoustic guitar and the rhythmic shaking of Troxel's car keys. Dru World Order was finally issued on November 26, 2002, exactly two years after its original planned release date. After six months, they got the song recorded.

During the recording of Dru World Order, Jazz re-thought his decision and returned to the group, making it a quintet. They performed the song twice at school functions and their classmated wanted recordings of it so they could learn the song. Dru Hill therefore enlisted Baltimore associate Rufus Waller, who performed under the name "Ruscola", as its new fourth member. The song was at first called "Come Softly" and the group was named "Two Girls and a Guy," but both were changed en route to the song's becoming a hit. Woody was responsive to the idea of re-joining the group, but Jazz decided not to rejoin the group. They started singing and humming a song together, and liked it enough to ask Gretchen's friend and singing partner, Barbara Ellis, to join them as a trio to perform it. By the end of the year, plans were under way to reassemble Dru Hill. Gary Troxel and Gretchen Christopher were two high schoolers waiting for Gretchen's mother to pick them up after school to take them home.

"Without You" would up as an album track on the Sisqó's June 2001 LP Return of Dragon, which failed to find an audience. The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, USA. Dru World Order was placed on hold, and Sisqó began work on a second solo LP. Goodnight My Love - 1963. Sisqó walked out of a November 2000 photo shoot with the band for VIBE magazine, and the group broke apart completely shortly afterward. Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day - 1962. However, the time the group had spent apart created tension and conflict among the members. The Great Imposter - 1962.

A song called "Without Me" was recorded as the lead single. Tragedy - 1961. Dru Hill appeared together on the 2000 remix of Kelly Price's "Love Sets You Free", and after the pop-mania surrounding Sisqó's "Thong Song" died down after the summer of 2000, beganimmediate plans to record the Dru World Order album. The Last One to Know - 1960. The fully-completed Jazz solo LP, on the other hand, was never released, although some of its songs turned up on movie soundtracks and promotional Def Jam mixtapes. Nokio never finished his solo album, but did outside production work for DMX's 1999 and Capone-N-Noreaga. Outside My Window - 1960. Woody sought a release from the label for his solo deal, and would finally release his solo LP, Soul Music, on Kirk Franklin's Gospocentric Records in May 2002. Runaround - 1960.

While the members of Dru Hill made periodic appearances with Sisqo during the "Thong Song" period, the Dru World Order project schedule was continually pushed back, and, by November 2000, none of the other solo albums had been released. You Mean Everything to Me - 1959. His second single, a playful novelty record entitled "Thong Song", became a overwhelming pop sensation, and was practically omnipresent during the spring of 2000. Graduation's Here - 1959. The project started out as planned: Sisqó released his debut Unleash the Dragon LP, and had a minor hit with "Got to Get It". Blue - 1959 (Gold Record). All four members would then reunite and record Dru World Order, a new Dru Hill album to be released in November 2000. Mr.

After Island merged with Def Jam to become The Island Def Jam Music Group, all four members--Woody included--signed new contracts with Def Jam's R&B imprint Def Soul in the summer of 1999, creating what was termed the "Dru World Order" project. Between November 1999 and November 2000, each member would release a solo album that defined their personal style: Sisqó a pop album, Jazz a traditional R&B/soul album, Nokio a hip hop album, and Woody his gospel album. Come Softly to Me - 1959 (Gold Record). Then, Def Jam artist Case was enlisted to sing backgrounds on a remix of "Beauty" from Enter the Dru, whose video was shot, but not released. At first, Island decided to keep Dru Hill a trio, and shot a video for a hip-hop-styled remix of Enter the Dru's "You are Everything" with just Sisqó, Jazz, and Nokio, who performs a rap with Def Jam artist Ja Rule. During the "Wild Wild West" video shoot in March 1999, Woody quit the group and walked off the set, feeling a need to return to his gospel music roots.

Many uninformed pop fans thought Sisqó was "Dru Hill" by himself, as both the song and its video prominently featured Sisqó alongside Smith, but relegated the other three members to the background. When Dru Hill made a high-profile guest appearance on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West", the lead single from the soundtrack to Smith's 1999 film of the same name, it made a star out of Sisqó, but not the group. While all four members continued to contribute equally to the group's music, the press had by this point singled Sisqó out as a de-facto solo act, and reguarded the other three members as sidemen. At the top of their success, the Dru Hill hit machine began to crumble.

A number of similar groups, including Jagged Edge, Next, Ideal, and Profyle, surfaced during this period, and were all based upon Dru Hill's balance of Boyz II Men's smoothness and Jodeci's grittiness. The members of Dru Hill performed at Nelson Mandela's 80th birthday celebration in 1998, were the stars of their own two-hour special on BET in early 1999, and recorded a verison of "Enchantment Passing Through" for the soundtrack to the Broadway play Aida the same year. The Enter the Dru LP sold over two million copies, and paved the way for more success. The steady stream of hit records, collaborations, and soundtrack appearances had made Dru Hill staples of urban radio and household names among R&B listeners.

The now-standard Dru Hill ballads were stll in place, including the R&B Top 5 single "These are the Times", which was co-written and co-produced by Babyface. 1998, featured more of the group's songwriting and production than Dru Hill, and also featured a harder, more upbeat nature on many of its tracks. Enter the Dru, released on October 27. Dru Hill's second Top 5 pop hit came in the form of 1998's "How Deep is Your Love", a hip hop styled track which was included on the soundtrack to the Chris Tucker film Rush Hour, set the tone for the group's second LP, Enter the Dru.

The group was instrumental in writing and producing for new University artist Mya, whose first two singles "It's All About Me" and "Movin' On", where co-written by Sisqó, who also performs on "It's All About Me". Dru Hill and rapper Foxy Brown recorded "Big Bad Mama", a remake of Carl Carlton's 1981 hit "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)", which was the main single for the soundtrack to the 1998 Bill Bellamy film Def Jam's How to Be a Player. "We're Not Making Love No More" was written and produced by star producer Babyface. Between their first and second albums, Dru Hill contributed "We're Not Making Love No More", a #2 R&B hit, to the Soul Food soundtrack.

The 1997 "Never Make a Promise" music video starred Michelle Thomas as Jazz's girlfriend, and was noted for its message against child molestation. The Sisqó-led "In My Bed" was the band's first Top 5 pop hit and first #1 R&B hit, and Jazz took the lead on the third single "Never Make a Promise", another #1 R&B hit. Although all four members took turns singing lead, Sisqó made the bigget impression on audiences with his dynamic dancing style, David Ruffin-style emoting, and bleached-blond hair. Nokio also did some co-production, and would become the group's main producer by 1998.

While Dru Hill's early work relied upon the talents of songwriters/producers such as Daryl Simmons and Keith Sweat, the members, particularly Nokio and Woody, did some of the writing on their first album, including the single "Five Steps". Other major influences for the group included Stevie Wonder and 1980s boy band New Edition. Stylistically, Dru Hill was the middle-ground between the smooth and gentlemen-like Boyz II Men and the self-proclaimed "bad boys of R&B", Jodeci. Dru Hill received a lot of criticism from a number of people, including the members of Jodeci, for what was percieved was a direct rip-off of Jodeci's vocal and visual stylings, particularly frontman Sisqó's K-Ci Hailey-esque lead vocals. The group's first single, "Tell Me", was featured on the soundtrack to the Whoopi Goldberg film Eddie, and was a Top 5 R&B hit in the United States.

The self-titled Dru Hill was released on November 19, 1996, and went on to sell over 500,000 copies, attaining gold status. The group was signed to Island Records shortly afterward through a production deal with Islam's University music and immediately began recording their debut album. Dru Hill's big break came in 1996, when manager Haqq Islam arranged for them to perform at the Impact Convention in May. After the group switched to R&B, Woody's mother pulled him out of the act until the other three convinced her to allow him to remain.

Most of their early repitoire was made up of gospel music, as Woody came from a strict Christian family. The quartet made a name for itself by getting jobs at a local fudge factory, where they sang to entertain guests while making the candy. The group was named "Dru Hill" after Druid Hill Park, a section of Baltimore. The trio added Larry "Jazz" Anthony, an opera student, to compelte their lineup.

Ruffin, nicknamed "Nokio" (an alternate spelling of Nokia, the phone corporation) enlisted Andrews and Green (whose respective nicknames of "Sisqó" and "Woody" came from their early years) to form a singing group. Mark Andrews and James Green met each other in middle school, and both later became acquaintences of Tamir Ruffin when all three began persuing careers in the music industry. All four original members of Dru Hill were natives of Baltimore. The group is currently part of the roster of Def Jam Records' Def Soul imprint, a result of the 1999 Island/Def Jam Merger.

In 2002, the group reunited and added fifth member Rufus "Scola" Waller to the lineup. Signing to Island Records through Haqq Islam's University Records imprint, Dru Hill released two successful LPs before seperating for a period from late 1999 to 2002, during which time Sisqó and Woody released solo albums. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1995, Dru Hill has recorded seven Top 40 hits, and are best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", and "How Deep is Your Love". Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin is the group's founder and leader; his bandmates include main lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Larry "Jazz" Anthony', and James "Woody" Green. Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repitoire includes R&B, soul, and gospel music.

Here and Now: This week on the music beat (http://static.highbeam.com/e/entertainmentweekly/january262001/hereandnowthisweekonthemusicbeatbriefarticle/). Entertainment Weekly. 26 2001). Willman, Chris (Jan. ISBN 031-228199-4.

Martin's Press. New York: St. Sisqo: The Man Behind the Thong. Furman, Leah (2001).

2002: "I Love You" (US #77). 2002: "I Should Be..." (US #25). 1999: "Beauty [Remix]" (featuring Case) (US #89). 1999: "You Are Everything [Remix]" (featuring Ja Rule, original version included on Enter the Dru, remix later included on Sisqó's first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon) (US #84).

1999: "Wild Wild West" (Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee) (US #1). 1999: "These Are The Times" (US #21, UK #4). 1998: "How Deep is Your Love" (the Rush Hour soundtrack version feaures Redman) (US #3, UK #9). 1998: "Big Bad Mama" (Foxy Brown featuring Dru Hill) (US #53).

1997: "We're Not Making Love No More" (US #13). 1997: "Five Steps". 1997: "Never Make a Promise" (US #7). 1996: "In My Bed" (a 1997 remix features Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat) (US #4).

1996: "Tell Me" (US #18). 2002: Dru World Order. 1998: Enter the Dru. 1996: Dru Hill.

Rufus "Scola" Waller (2001- ). Larry "Jazz" Anthony. Mark "Sisqó" Andrews. James "Woody" Green.

Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin.