More than two decades have passed since Dru Hill released their self-titled 1996 debut LP, and the quartet still evoke the youthful spirit they possessed when they formed the group as teenagers during the ‘90s. The R&B foursome comprised of vocalists Mark “Sisqo” Andrews, Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin, Larry “Jazz” Anthony, Jr. and Antwan “Tao” Simpson laugh hysterically, finish off each other’s responses with their heavy accents, and share a few anecdotes from their yesteryears of garnering hits and platinum plaques left and right. My recent conversation with them reinforces the group’s urgency to recapture and stabilize the magic that made the vivacious Baltimore natives fan favorites.
Last month, Dru Hill released a holiday EP of original material entitled Christmas in Baltimore. The group synonymous with melding together gospel dynamics, soulful harmonies and a hip-hop attitude through memorable singles like “In My Bed,” “Tell Me,” “Never Make a Promise,” “These Are the Times,” “How Deep is Your Love,” “I Should Be,” “Beauty,” “5 Steps,” “You Are Everything” and “We’re Not Making Love No More” returned to the studio last year. Building upon strong momentum from touring and performing on last year’s Soul Train Awards gave them high hopes to make music again. However, securing everyone’s availability made it difficult to pursue the project.
“We weren’t able to get it done with our schedules,” a highly rhythmic-speaking Nokio, the group’s de facto leader during our conversation, says. “We just didn’t want another year to go by where we weren’t able to give something to the fans for supporting us over and over again.”
Christmas in Baltimore, Dru Hill’s fifth studio effort, was recorded in eight days and produced by Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Troy Taylor. A cover of The Temptations’ rendition of “Silent Night” closes out the set, which Sisqo refer to as a family heirloom.
“It’s so our kids can have their version of ‘Silent Night’ with us singing it,” the blond-haired, acrobatic entertainer behind “Thong Song” and “Incomplete” confides with a slight crackle in his voice. “You can’t lose with real singing from real soul singers for the holidays.”
The prequel to their sixth album set for release in 2018, the nine-song Christmas in Baltimore is the group’s first effort via their self-titled recording imprint, Dru Hill Entertainment, with distribution by Empire. Comparing their creative process to “building a machine.” Dru Hill are elated to have more autonomy over their sound, publishing and vision. “We are fortunate to be able to have this opportunity,” Nokio, who has also written and produced for DMX, R. Kelly, Mya, Capone-N-Noreaga and Foxy Brown, admits.
“They gave us a deal that allows us to be owners and to profit but also to learn. It’s everything coming full circle by us being able to bring all of the knowledge we’ve learned and not only propel ourselves forward, but create a situation where we can give some other people who didn’t have the opportunities that we had to see what this business is all about.”
Dru Hill are no strangers to experiencing a few member rotations. Originally coming together around 1992 under the name 14K Harmony, they adopted Dru Hill as a homage to a notable park in their hometown. Sisqo, Jazz, Nokio and James “Woody Rock” Green are the core members. Woody recorded a solo gospel LP in 2002, left the group originally in 1999 but rejoined for the release of Dru World Order in 2002. A fifth member, Rufus “Scola” Waller, was also added to the collective.
Woody left again in 2008 to concentrate solely on nonsecular music; Scola also separated from the group. Tao joined the three original members on their fourth album, InDRUpendence Day, following a talent search.
Then, the music business shifted. As the industry migrates from physical sales to digital streams and MTV/BET video rotation to YouTube, the members of Dru Hill are not concerned about resonating with their core audience or even millennials. The men who sold over 40 million records globally value the good old days of SoundScan metrics, but believe their loyal fans will continue to support them as they did in their heyday.
“If we were new artists, the digital age might seem frustrating,” Sisqo declares, “but we’ve been blessed with so many hit records and to be groomed as performing artists. By us being able to tour every week and be somewhere different, it gives us different leverage. We don’t necessarily have to set up a promo tour. We can just be on the road, hit radio stations and have our product ready to sell to people after the show. It’s about getting onboard and being a part of what’s going on going forward.”
Dru Hill’s next effort, tentatively titled Dru Hill: The Second Coming, is still in the brainstorming stage. Nokio even hints at the possibility of a sequel to Christmas in Baltimore next holiday season if they can each find a happy medium. “With schedules, it’s hard to jump in,” he said.
“We just have to block out time. If all goes well and the stars align, we’ll be able to start introducing the album in the spring. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing, focus, keep the positive energy going with a good mindset, and we’ll be able to do all the stuff we should’ve done all the time we took a million years off.”
Jazz concludes: “We did pretty damn good; we have a nice repertoire of music that’s timeless already. This Christmas album we did is fresh and innovative in its own right, which makes it stand alone. It has its own shelf space. We did our thing, and we’re going to continue to do that. We got it, and it’s a good thing to have.”
Dru Hill’s Favorite Albums of All Time:
Sisqo: Jodeci’s Diary of a Mad Band (1993)
Nokio: Prince & the Revolution’s Around the World in a Day (1985)
Jazz: Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
Tao: J Moss’ The J Moss Project (2004)
BUY Dru Hill’s Christmas in Baltimore EP via Amazon | iTunes
EXPLORE Dru Hill’s discography via Amazon | iTunes
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