Dru Hill life and biography

Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", and "How Deep Is Your Love". Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin was the group's founder; his bandmates included main lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, and James "Woody Rock" Green.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, the group relay a positive message, focusing their lyrics on life and love, rather than the harsh street grit of most hip-hop and rap. This, combined with their four-part vocal harmonies, have led to a hugely successful first single, "Tell Me," and their first debut album, Dru Hill. With several hit singles following, a series of tours, and a hit follow-up album Enter the Dru, released in 1998, they have established themselves as leading musical artists in R&B and hip-hop, as well as a crossover success in the mainstream. They have indeed put their hometown on the map.

The four members of Dru Hill-Mark "Sisqo" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, James "Woody" Green, and Larry "Jazz" Anthony-were still in high school when they met in 1994, as summer employees at Baltimore Harbor's Fudgery. The quartet soon began singing together, offering the patrons of the Inner Harbor free performances of their gospel-influenced harmonizing. All Baltimore natives, they named themselves after Druid Hill Park, what they affectionately refer to as "the spot." Soon they were gaining popularity and entering competitions and talent contests. They won first place twice in the local Apollo Theater's Amateur Night, and went on to place third at the Apollo Theater's National Competition in New York.

Building on their first taste of stardom in 1995, they performed at a pool party for Black Entertainment Television's "Rap City." Island Black Music President Hiriam Hicks saw their show and arranged a meeting with them. The timing was right, and Dru Hill was in the studio later that afternoon, recording the song "Tell Me" for the Eddie soundtrack, which was in mid-production at the time. "Tell Me" became the group's first hit single, peaking at number five on the Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, drawing national acclaim for the quartet, and becoming the biggest hit on the soundtrack. Dru Hill's debut album, Dru Hill, debuted in 1996, peaking at number five on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart and at number 23 on the Billboard 200, and selling more than 1.5 million copies.

But none of their success could have been possible without the group's varied talents and interests. Jazz, as his name suggests, is a jazz fan. With a passion for the blues and his roots in the church, his music has the heart of gospel and the edge of improvisation. He fills the role of Dru Hill's second tenor vocals, as well as contributing keyboards, trumpet and piano to the mix. Sisqo spent most of his childhood in the church singing gospel, but has since developed a love for popular music. His appreciation ranges from classical to hip-hop, but he admits to always being a fan of what's hip. He sings lead vocals for the group, plays keyboards and bass, and assists in arrangement and production. Nokio, an acronym for Nasty On Key In Octave, has his heart in production and the business side of music, feeling most at home in the studio. He is Dru Hill's baritone, singing lyrics he himself often writes and sometimes accompanies with classical trumpet, keyboard and piano. Woody is the melody-maker and the spirited father figure of the group. His roots are also in gospel, as evidenced by his soulful lyrics. He, like the rest, is not just a singer, but also a drummer and keyboardist.

Contributing to the success of their first multiplatinum effort, Dru Hill released hit singles off the album, "In My Bed" and "Never Make a Promise," both of which reached number one on the Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart. "We're Not Making Love No More," written by singer Babyface, reached number two. By the time they were ready to release a second LP, Dru Hill had established a substantial and loyal fan base.

But since it had been some time since their first full-length release, Island Records released their single "How Deep Is Your Love," from the "Rush Hour" soundtrack on Def Jam Records in September of 1998. Follow-up album Enter the Dru was released the following month, a testament to the slight image and style changes made by the group. "We owe it to our fans to give them something different," said Andrews in an interview with Billboard magazine for their October 3, 1998 issue. "I watch Michael and Janet [Jackson] and how they alter their images slightly [each time they have a new album]. When we perform, we never do the same show twice." The album features songs written by each member of the group, as well as co-production credit to Andrews and Ruffin.

The first single off the album, "These Are The Times," continued to garner fans for the now nationally famous quartet. Despite the huge number of new groups, Dru Hill has risen above as something unique. According to Angela Thomas, senior VP of Island Black Music, in an interview with Billboard magazine in the October 3, 1998 issue, "Dru Hill set the standard ... This group has original songs with no sampling," an important distinction between the group and their contemporaries.

Supplementing their success in the recording studio with live appearances, Dru Hill toured with Mary J. Blige, joined Puff Daddy's "No Way Out" Tour, performed for the pay-per-view special "Breaking Out-The Concert" and opened up for Boyz II Men on their tour. But the quartet was brought down to a trio when Woody decided to leave in March of 1999 to pursue a solo career in gospel. The band mates remained on amicable terms. "He's always been the one that pulled us together [with] the prayer, you know," Nokio told MTV News in an article on March 19, 1999. "[He] prayed for everybody when we had hard times. And I don't know, it's just that when you get a calling like that, you just got to go with it." The remaining Dru Hill members headlined their own tour of North America for the first time in the spring of 1999. As their sophomore effort continues to make its way up the charts, the only sentiment that comes to mind is that "These Are The Times" indeed.

Dru World Order was released on November 26, 2002, two years after its original planned release date. 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 and Kwamé 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 30 pop hit and a Top 10 R&B hit, while its follow-up "I Love You" failed to make a strong impression.

In early 2008, the original quartet version of Dru Hill began touring alongside fellow 1990s R&B acts Tony! Toni! Toné!, Bell Biv Devoe, and their former producer Keith Sweat. On March 6, the group appeared on WERQ, a Baltimore radio station, to promote their reunion. In the midst of their interview, however, Woody announced he was quitting the group again to dedicate himself to his gospel ministry. A YouTube video shows Sisqó walking out on the interview as a result, and Woody and Nokio fighting while Jazz and the manager Kevin Peck tries to break it up.

The group held a contest in their native Baltimore for a replacement for Woody, 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 [mess] up the money." toured with group as new act from Nashvile Tn http://www.twitter.com/cboyd28 christopher Boyd 1996- 1997

InDRUpendence Day is Dru Hill's fourth album, released on July 27, 2010. It features the group's new member, Tao, who was Woody's replacement. The album has released three singles, "Love MD", "Remain Silent" and "Back to the Future" . It is under the label Kedar Entertainment.

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