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Dru Hill: Group
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Stylistically, Dru Hill was the middle-ground between the smooth, gentlemen-like Boyz II Men and the self-proclaimed "bad boys of R&B", Jodeci. Dru Hill received a lot of criticism, especially from the members of Jodeci, for what was perceived was a direct appropriation of Jodeci's style, particularly in frontman Sisqó's K-Ci Hailey-esque lead vocals. Other major influences for the group included Stevie Wonder and 1980s boy band New Edition.
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In 1999, Dru Hill collaborated on the title song of the Wild Wild West soundtrack with rapper and actor Will Smith, who would become a huge influence on Sisqó. During shooting of the "Wild Wild West" video, the group realized that after four years together, each of the members needed to follow his own path in music. As a result, the members of Dru Hill decided to split, each to record his own solo record, though the foursome had plans to reconvene later to record another Dru Hill album.
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Founded in Baltimore, Maryland and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits. Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin was the group's founder and leader; his bandmates included main lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, and James "Woody" Green. A Fifth member Rufus "Scola" Waller joined the quartet in 2002
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By 2005, Dru Hill had been released from their Def Soul contract and had disappeared from public view. As of current, Sisqó, Jazz, and Scola have returned to their solo careers as independent artists, while ... working on Dru Hill material with Nokio and Woody in the meantime. The group plans to release a Christmas album independently in late 2007.
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After Sisqó's solo debut pushed two big hits ("Thong Song," "Incomplete") to the top of the charts, it appeared Dru Hill was going to have to recruit a replacement for its best-known name. When the group finally returned in 2002, though, it not only welcomed Sisqó back to the fold but added a member (Skola) to make the group a quintet. The third album, Dru World Order, proves the group possesses as much talent as any of their contemporaries in the R&B world. First of all, it's largely self-contained; Nokio produced over half the album, and much of the songwriting was kept in-house as well. And with the gospel fervor of new addition Skola, Dru Hill sounds stronger and smoother than it has in the past. The single "I Should Be..."
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High school friends Jazz, Sisqo, Nokio, and Woody formed Dru Hill in 1995, named in honor of their Baltimore neighborhood, Druid Hill Park. The rappers performed at the music-industry convention Impact '96 and were signed by Island not long after. By late 1996, Dru Hill had released its self-titled debut album, produced by Keith Sweat, Stanley Brown, and Tim "Dawg" Patterson. The single "Tell Me" -- culled from the soundtrack to the film Eddie -- became a Top Five R&B hit and later went gold. Enter the Dru followed in 1998, peaking at number two on the Billboard album chart. Despite Sisqo's solo success with "Thong Song," the group continued intact -- along with new member Skola -- and issued Dru World Order in 2002, two years after it was initially slated for release.
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