“Nowadays, you kind of just go in the studio, make a record and it’s whatever, spend a bunch of money to make people think it’s good when don’t nobody know what the f**k you talking about. “Even though we didn’t understand totally when we first started, people made sure we became marquee artists and they gave us lifetime records,” Nokio told The Source in April. Unbeknownst to them, their ideas would frame fantasies of love we’ve never knew existed. Unlike the rest of the millions of black teens growing up in America, the guys were forming their stance on love, sex and relationships on wax. If you could actually sing to a girl while selling fudge in an all-white uniform, that was a challenge.” Nokio’s urge for the group to take control of their sound would be heard on their self-titled album, Dru Hill. “If you could make that cool, and we did, it was the first lesson in show business. “Dude, selling fudge is not the coolest thing in the world,” Sisqo told Rolling Stone in 2014. Before leaping into the spotlight, the teens used their gigs as fudge sales boys to flip lyrics about the delicious treats into serenading ballads. ![]() The quartet known as Dru Hill might have had a similar come up as New Edition (gospel singers tempted by the chords of secular sounds) founder Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin with Mark “Sisqó” Andrews, Larry “Jazz” Anthony, and James “Woody Rock” Green knew they had voices, but unlike their peers, they were true creatives. In 2017 they reunited on the seductive holiday EP Christmas in Baltimore, following that up three years later with a new single and tour.Blast From The Past: Sisqo Talks Dru Hill Then & Now ![]() They released occasional singles and EPs and were coaxed back together for various tours during their hiatus. ![]() But despite a revolving cast of members and some breaks, Dru Hill continued to record albums until 2010. Key member Sisqó broke out on his own with the 1999 solo hit “Thong Song,” and the group’s stability wavered. Their seductive harmonies-bolstered by serious dance moves-made them solid contenders in the crowded field of late-’90s R&B, and the album went platinum on the strength of muscular, emotional singles like “In My Bed.” Their 1998 release, Enter the Dru, supplied the film Rush Hour with the hit song “How Deep Is Your Love,” and it opened with guest vocals from none other than Method Man. Pretty soon those lighthearted shows got serious, and the group-named for Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park neighborhood-signed with Island Records and released their self-titled debut in 1996. Their ease with each other was genuine the original members had known one another since they were teenagers working at a fudge factory, where they would put on impromptu performances to entertain customers. That playfulness has helped the group weather the ups and downs of the music industry. ![]() Baltimore R&B legends Dru Hill never met a pun they didn’t like: Witness the R&B group’s album titles, from Enter the Dru (1998) to Dru World Order (2002) to InDRUpendence Day (2010).
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