Dru Hill is an American R&B

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

, whose repertoire included

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

hip hop soul Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which had ...

and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

. The group was founded in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hits, and is best known for the R&B number-one hits " In My Bed", " Never Make a Promise" and " How Deep Is Your Love". Its original members were lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, Larry "Jazz" Anthony and James "Woody" Green. The group achieved popularity in the late 1990s. Signing to

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

through

A. Haqq Islam A. Haqq Islam is an American music executive and businessman. He is founder and former CEO of University Music Entertainment and University Records, which is home to award-winning, multi-platinum-selling artists, Dru Hill, Sisqo, and Mýa. Musi ...

's University Records imprint, the group released two successful albums, ''

Dru Hill Dru Hill is an American R&B boy band, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven top 40 ...

'' and ''

Enter the Dru ''Enter the Dru'' is the second studio album from American R&B group Dru Hill. Released on October 27, 1998, it was the group's second and final album for Island Black Music, the urban music division of Island Records; Island was merged with Def ...

'', before separating for a period from late 1999 to 2002, during which time Sisqó and Woody released solo albums. Dru Hill was influenced by the Dragon and Asian culture, as displayed in their wardrobe and logo. While Woody's album, ''Soul Music'', was a moderate success in the gospel music industry, Sisqó's debut album, ''

Unleash the Dragon ''Unleash the Dragon'' is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Sisqó of Dru Hill, released on November 30, 1999, on Def Soul Records. Sisqó recorded the album during Dru Hill's hiatus. It includes the hit songs "Got to Get It", " ...

'', and its hit singles, "

Thong Song "Thong Song" is a song recorded by American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Sisqó. It was released on February 15, 2000, as the second single from his solo debut studio album, ''Unleash the Dragon'' (1999). "Thong Song" garnered four Grammy nomina ...

" and "

Incomplete Incomplete may refer to: * Unfinished creative work * An incomplete formal system, see Completeness (logic) * Gödel's incompleteness theorems, a specification of logic * Incomplete (Bad Religion song), "Incomplete" (Bad Religion song), 1994 * Inco ...

", were major pop successes, and established Sisqó as a household name outside of Dru Hill. Sisqó's second album, ''

Return of Dragon ''Return of Dragon'' is the second solo studio album by American R&B music, R&B recording artist Sisqó of the group Dru Hill. It was released on June 19, 2001 on Def Soul, Def Soul Recordings. The album did very well on the charts but its single ...

'', did not perform as well. In 2002, by then part of the

Def Soul Def Soul Records was an R&B-based division of American multinational record label Def Jam Recordings. It was formed in 1996 by Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles to expand R&B and soul music through Def Jam's said genre-related roster following the ...

record label, following a merger between Island, sister label

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

, the group reunited and added fifth member Scola to the lineup for their third album, ''

Dru World Order ''Dru World Order'' is the third studio album by American R&B group Dru Hill, released on November 26, 2002. It is Dru Hill's first and only album to be released under Def Soul, an R&B division of Universal Music's Def Jam Recordings. It was a ...

''; after that album underperformed the group met with Island Def Jam president

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...

about a follow-up. When the group failed to develop their fourth album, Def Jam cited the group as non-productive and destructive, having dropped the group from Def Soul in 2004. In 2009, the group signed to Kedar Entertainment Group and released their fourth album, ''

InDRUpendence Day ''InDRUpendence Day'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B group Dru Hill Dru Hill is an American R&B boy band, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio ...

'', the following year, with new member Tao taking the place of the again departed Woody.

History

Early career

The members of Dru Hill are natives of Baltimore. The group became known getting jobs at The Fudgery, a local

fudge ''Fudge'' is a generic role-playing game system for use in freeform role-playing games. The name "''FUDGE''" was once an acronym for ''Freeform Universal Donated'' (later, ''Do-it-yourself'') ''Gaming Engine'' and, though the acronym has since b ...

factory at

Harborplace Harborplace is a shopping and dining complex on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Description The property consists of two pavilions, each two stories in height; one along Pratt Street, the other on Light Street. The pavilions house a ...

at Baltimore's

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The Inner Harbo ...

, beginning a store tradition of singing and performing to entertain guests while making fudge. The group's name comes from Baltimore's

Druid Hill Park Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive (north), Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road (west and south), and the Jones Falls Expressway / Interstate 83 (east).local vernacular to "Dru Hill".

Self-titled debut album (1996)

After scoring a deal with Island Black Music, an urban, "Black market-targeted" division of

in 1994, two years later, on November 19, 1996, the group released their eponymous debut album. It peaked at number twenty-three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went on to sell over one million copies by the summer of 1997. It scored major hits like " In My Bed", "

Tell Me Tell Me may refer to: * ''Tell Me...'', a 1979 album by Jimmy Knepper * Tell me (advertisement), a 2005 Chinese-language newspaper ad calling for universal suffrage in Hong Kong * Tell Me (TV series), ''Tell Me'' (TV series), a 2019 South Korean qu ...

" and " Never Make a Promise".

Success, guest appearances and Island Records dispute

Between their first and second albums, Dru Hill contributed "

We're Not Making Love No More "We're Not Making Love No More" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Dru Hill, released as a single from the soundtrack to the film ''Soul Food''. The song peaked at #13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at #2 on the ''Billboard' ...

", a number 2 R&B and number 13 pop hit, to the ''

Soul Food Soul food is the ethnic cuisine of African Americans. Originating in the Southern United States, American South from the cuisines of Slavery in the United States, enslaved Africans transported from Africa through the Atlantic slave trade, sou ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

. "We're Not Making Love No More" was written and produced by producer

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

. Dru Hill and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Foxy Brown recorded "Big Bad Mama", a remake of

Carl Carlton Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953) is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits " Everlasting Love" and " She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". Background Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, an ...

'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 1997

Bill Bellamy William Bellamy (born April 7, 1965) is an American actor and stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he is credited for creating or coining the phrase "bo ...

film ''

Def Jam's How to Be a Player ''Def Jam's How to Be a Player'' is a 1997 American sex comedy film, starring Bill Bellamy, Natalie Desselle and Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and written by Mark Brown and Demetria Johnson. The '' How to Be a Player ...

''. The group was also instrumental in writing and producing for new University artist

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

, whose first two singles "

It's All About Me 'It's All About Me' is a song by American singer Mya (singer), Mýa. It served as her debut single from her Mya (album), self-titled debut studio album and recorded as a duet with contemporary R&B, R&B singer Sisqó. A psychedelic R&B slow jam, "I ...

" and " Movin' On", were co-written by Sisqó, who also performs guest vocals on "It's All About Me". In 1997, Dru Hill filed a lawsuit against Island Records, seeking a release from its contract, after an Island employee hit one of the group's managers, Keith Ingram, over the head with a

pool cue A cue stick (or simply cue, more specifically billiards cue, pool cue, or snooker cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the . Cues are tapered stic ...

.Brown, Ann (March 1998)
"Taking stocks of the Wall Street Project: Jackson-led group marks King holiday with three-day conference – Jesse Jackson's project to monitor racism in corporate US holds gala on January 15, 1998, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday"
''

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' (stylized in all caps) is an American multimedia company. A Black-owned business since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African American businesses with a readership of 3.7 mil ...

''. Retrieved November 5, 2006. It was discovered that the employee in question had a criminal record. At an October 1997 deposition hearing, Eric Kronfeld, president and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

of Island's parent company PolyGram, was asked why he had hired such an individual. His response was that if he were not to hire African-Americans with criminal records, then "there would be virtually no African-Americans employees in our society or in our industry." Kronfield's remarks set off a wave of controversy when word of them reached the media in November. The Reverend

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

became personally involved, publicly stating that the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

-based PolyGram had "a pattern of race and sex exclusion." Jackson met with PolyGram chairman

Alain Levy Alain Levy is an entertainment industry executive. He was born in Metz, France, on 19 December 1946. Biography He graduated from the Ecole des Mines with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1970. He received his MBA from Wharton Business Sc ...

and several other executives, who issued a public apology for Kronfield's statement, and replaced Kronfield as president with

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

' chairman Clarence Avant. By the end of the month, Dru Hill had settled with Island Records, and issued a joint statement with the label, stating in the agreement that they would remain on the label.

''Enter the Dru'' (1998), Island Def Jam merger, Woody's departure and Sisqó's solo success

Dru Hill's third top 20 pop hit came in the form of 1998's "How Deep Is Your Love" (Pop #3), which was included on the soundtrack to the

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

and

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990 ...

film ''

Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...

''. The single "This Is What We Do", featuring a guest rap from

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

, set the tone for the group's second album, ''

''. The album featured several other mid-tempo tracks in the vein of "How Deep Is Your Love", as well as the R&B top 5 single "These are the Times" (Pop #21), co-written and co-produced by Babyface, and featuring guitar work from Atlanta-based session guitarist and former

Earth Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling b ...

member Dick Smith. The album was released on October 27, 1998. It peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and eventually sold two million copies by May 1999.RIAA certifications for Dru Hill. Retrieved fro
Recording Industry Association of America
website by way of database search, on May 24, 2007. After PolyGram (parent company of Island) was acquired by

Seagram The Seagram Company Ltd. (which trade name, traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational beverage and during the last few years of its existence, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. ...

on December 10, 1998, thus PolyGram's music division was later merged with

in 1999. Then, on New Year's Eve, Island Records' operations as a label was combined with sister labels

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

and

to become

The Island Def Jam Music Group Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...

. As a result, Island Black Music was folded, soon after Island and Mercury's R&B and hip hop rosters were transferred to Def Jam and thus, Dru Hill was moved to its R&B division of

, having found a new label home. However, after a shooting incident at a concert in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

that almost costed two lives of its entourage, member Woody Rock decided to part ways with the group. Later that year, Dru Hill released a remix of "

You Are Everything "You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The Stylistics version An R&B ballad, it was the sixth track from their debut self-titled album an ...

", featuring rapper

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

, and recorded a version of "Enchantment Passing Through" for the soundtrack to the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'', which was also featured on Sisqó's solo debut album ''

'', which was later released in November 1999. The album had a minor hit with his first single, "Got to Get It" featuring Make It Hot. His second single, "

", became a major hit during the spring of 2000, and his third, "

", became a number-one hit during the summer. The group made the final appearance of that year on the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

to the western comedy film ''

Wild Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on a story conceived by Jim and John Thomas. Loosely ...

'', starring the track's leading performer,

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

''Dru World Order'' (2002) and Def Soul issues

Before the group's third album came into fruition, Dru Hill began having problems internally. Sisqó's success as a solo artist had hampered the group. Def Jam president

Kevin Liles Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive who is the co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism ...

, a fellow Baltimore native, pressured the group for a comeback album and a few solo follow-ups, but it never fully materalized. Jazz was supposed to release a solo debut album in 2001 after having recorded it between 1999 and 2000, but due to issues with

Lyor Cohen Lyor Cohen (born October 3, 1959) is an American music industry executive. He is YouTube's global head of music. He began his career in the 1980s at Rush Management and Def Jam, and later held senior positions at Island Def Jam and Warner M ...

, another top Def Jam executive, the album was shelved and Jazz was dropped from the Def Soul division as a solo artist. Nokio focused on his work as a producer, having produced for DMX (" What These Bitches Want"), Foxy Brown ("Na Na Be Like") and others. In 2000, Sisqó and Nokio formed the label, Dragon Records, and signed a girl group named

LovHer LovHer was an American R&B girl group. The group was the first female group on the Def Soul label. The group was formed in 1999 by Sisqó, lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, who wanted to put together a girl group that would present a raw, "st ...

. Then, on June 19, 2001, Sisqó released his sophomore solo album, ''

'', but it performed poorly, causing Dru Hill's comeback for the year to be postponed. After releasing his solo gospel album, ''Soul Music'', in May, and with a new agreement with Def Jam, Dru Hill decided to invite Woody back into the fold while adding a new member, Rufus "Scola" Waller" to the group as its fifth inductee. ''Dru World Order'' was finished by July and finally released on November 26, 2002, two years after its planned release. Nearly all of the album's tracks were produced by Nokio, who sung lead on the tracks "She Said" and "Men Always Regret". Producers such as

Bryan Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are " Be Without You" fo ...

, Eric "Nealante" Phillips and

Kwamé Kwamé Holland is an American rapper, singer and record producer from East Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Starting as a rapper in the late 1980s, he later saw success as a producer. Biography In 1989, Kwamé released his debut album, '' Kwamé th ...

also made contributions. Most of the album's tracks featured Sisqó, Jazz, Woody, and Scola sharing the leads, including the lead single "I Should Be...". "I Should Be..." was a top thirty pop hit and a top ten R&B hit, respectively. By August 2003, promotion and marketing for the album died down as Def Jam signed another boy band to its Def Soul imprint, 112, helping to support their upcoming fourth album at the time, ''

Hot & Wet ''Hot & Wet'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B group 112. It was released by Bad Boy Records and Def Soul on December 9, 2003 in the United States. Their first album not exclusively associated with Bad Boy, signaling the groups' eventu ...

''. Because of this, Dru Hill felt frustrated and decided to take another hiatus until issues would have been resolved. Throughout 2004, their label situation worsened when Liles and Cohen left Def Jam and were replaced by

. He started pushing the group to record a fourth studio album for the label only to postpone the project to focus on artists of his certainty. Due to the group's failure to produce any new music featuring Sisqó, who chose not to lend his vocals to new recordings as ordered by Reid, he reviewed Dru Hill as a destructive and a self-imploding group that was not fully productive. As a result, the buzz around the album never became a reality and on July 17, 2004, the group was confirmed to have been dropped from Def Soul, ending their five-year relationship with Def Jam. On October 11, 2005, Def Soul released a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation, ''Dru Hill: Hits'', along with a corresponding

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

collection of the group's music videos. Both collections included Sisqó's biggest solo hits, "Thong Song" and "Incomplete", alongside the Dru Hill songs.

Family affairs

In the midst of Dru Hill's label issues, in 2003, Sisqó became involved in a relationship with his stylist Elizabeth Pham, whom he later married on August 17, 2018. That same year, on June 12, group founder Nokio fathered a son named

Niko Niko may refer to: People The given name is sometimes a short form of Nikola, Nikolas, Nikolaos or others. * Nikō (1253–1314), Japanese Buddhist disciple of Nichiren * Niko (musician), American musician active from 2002 * NiKo (born 1997 ...

, whose mother is radio personality

Angie Martinez Angela "Angie" Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, podcaster, singer, former rapper and actress. Dubbed "The Voice of New York", Martinez is widely known for her 28-year run at New York City station WQHT, Hot 97 ( ...

Woody and Scola's departure

In early 2008, the original quartet version of Dru Hill began touring alongside fellow 1990s acts

Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American R&B/Soul band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'Wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq (born Char ...

Bell Biv Devoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell (singer), Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut ...

, and Keith Sweat. The group held a contest in their native Baltimore for a replacement for Woody, who left the group again earlier in January, settling upon a new singer, Antwuan "Tao" Simpson. The group never said why they did not keep Scola in the group, although it was later stated by Nokio that "five people essup the money".

''InDRUpendence Day'' (2010)

'' is Dru Hill's fourth album, released on July 27, 2010. It features the group's new member, Tao. The album has released three singles: "Love MD", "Remain Silent" and "Back to the Future". It was released under the label, Kedar Entertainment, which was founded by the album's executive producer,

Kedar Massenburg William Henry "Kedar" Massenburg (born 1963) is an American record producer and music executive who served as president of Motown Records from 1997 to 2004. Massenburg is best known for discovering and cultivating American singer Erykah Badu, as w ...

New lineup and ''The Second Coming''

Jazz left the group in early 2018 to work on his solo album and Tao left in early 2019 to work on a solo project because he did not like the direction Dru Hill was going. He is currently the new lead vocalist for

Intro Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

. In August 2018, a new album, ''The Second Coming'', was announced. It was to feature two new members from the group Playa, Smoke E. Digglera and Digital Black, who started performing with them after Jazz left the group. The first single from the album, "What You Need", was released in February 2020. Later that month, Nokio confirmed on Magic 95.9 that he has left Dru Hill to spend time with his family. A comeback of the band with the new lineup, Sisqo, Smoke, and Black, was hinted in March 2020.

Television appearances

Dru Hill had their own television show titled ''Keith Sweat's Platinum House''. It debuted June 28, 2010, on

Centric Centric may refer to: * BET Her, an American cable channel known as Centric from 2009 until 2017 * Centric Multimedia, Greek company also known as Centric and Centric Holdings S.A * Centric (magazine), free student magazine of the University of ...

. It focused on their fourth album, ''InDRUpendence Day'', and depicted the progress of returning as a full group, and their work to create new music. The original premiere on July 14, 2009, on the main BET Network was postponed, but aired later on

Members

Current members

Sisqó Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known professionally as Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. Following his tenure as lead performer of the R&B group Dru Hill, he quickly reached success as a sol ...

– (1992–present) * Nokio – (1992–2020; 2021–present) * Jazz – (1993–2018; 2021–present) * Scola – (2001–2008; 2021–present) * Smoke – (2018–present) * Black – (2018–present)

Former members

* Woody – (1992; 1994–1999, 2002–2008) * Tao – (2008–2019; 2021–2024)

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2010)

Filmography

Television

* ''

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy children's television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tol ...

'' * ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

'' * ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

TV specials

* ''Breaking Out: The Alcatraz Concert'' * ''24 hours with Dru Hill'' * ''Keith Sweat's Platinum House'' * '' Unsung''

Tours

;Headlining * Enter the Dru Tour ;Featured act * Budweiser Superfest 97 * No Way Out Tour * Budweiser Superfest 98 * Keep the Faith Tour * Luv U Better Tour * Game Changer Tour * The 20th Anniversary Tour * The 25th Anniversary Tour (Sisqo, Nokio, Jazz, Scola, Tao, Smoke, Black) (2022-2023) ;As supporting act * Evolution Tour (supporting Boyz II Men)

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...

, - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2, 1998 , rowspan=4, Dru Hill , Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group , , - , Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist , , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 2000 , Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group , , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 2003 , Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group , , - *

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

, - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2, 1998 , rowspan=1, ''Dru Hill'' , Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo , , - , rowspan=1, ''In My Bed'' , Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo , , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 1999 , rowspan=1, ''Enter the Dru'' , Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo , , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 2000 , rowspan=1, ''Beauty'' , Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band, or Duo , , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 2003 , rowspan=1, ''I Should Be...'' , Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo , *

Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in te ...

, - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1, 1999 , rowspan=1, Dru Hill , Favorite Group ,

References

External links

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{{Authority control African-American musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups Def Jam Recordings artists Island Records artists Musical groups from Baltimore Musical groups established in 1992 American musical septets