#Dru Hill

[tha-wrecka-stow]

[auntymurda]

one of many moments where sisqo had that shit on.

[unsungbabe]

Dru Hill | Love's Train (1996)

[blackgirlsreverything]

Dru Hill - We’re Not Making Love No More (1997)

[thechanelmuse]

Lucy Pearl is one of the dopest groups of all-time. 

This is a statement, not a debate. Go argue with someone else lol

Lucy Pearl initially came together as a “one and done” supergroup, but would’ve put out a sophomore project, as this collective, if Raphael didn’t postpone the release of their album for months...withholding Dawn’s coins as an artist on his label. Never go for a verbal agreement. Get the shit in writing, date it, and everybody sign off on it. 

Raphael told Dawn he couldn’t pay her before the project drops. But whatever she needs, he’ll make a way and get it. They go way back to high school days. Fast forward to 5 months of their album’s delay. Dawn came a knocking cause the bank came a knocking about her $1500 mortgage payment for her home. Raphael told her, as his artist, that she gotta go get it somewhere else 🙃. 

Poof goes her house to the bank and down goes her credit.

“Spend yo money baby” Chile... Back in the day, the rumor was Dawn used to break up groups. Tuh. Jus👏🏽 tice👏🏽 for my girl. 

Them damn near slave music contract stories back then smh. I have many of them thumbtacked in my brain. Like Dawn and the members of En Vogue only getting paid 2 pennies each per record sold. Two copper Lincolns. That was the deal for their first two albums... They were signed to a production company signed that was signed to the major. Never mind that Teri was dating the (manipulative) producer, putting her emotions before her and the girls’ business 🤦🏽‍♀️ smh. 

En Vogue’s producers and higher ups got mansions off of them. Meanwhile, Dawn had a $700 apartment she was struggling to pay. Then got evicted and moved back with her parents...while they were one of the biggest girl groups at that time, selling over $20 million. 

They still don’t beat Dry Hill tho. They had to split one penny per record sold. Chile I—...

What Tip said: “Industry rule number four-thousand-and-eighty, record company people are shady.”

[justoneletter]

[geekhead79]

[aaliyahunleashed]

OCTOBER 3RD through OCTOBER 6TH, 1997 AALIYAH HAS BACK TO BACK EVENTS AND SNAPS PHOTOS WITH FANS AT THE ‘97 BUDWEISER SUPERFEST TOUR IN SAN JOSE’, CA.

Other acts at this event are Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige, Bone Thug & Harmony, Wutang, Kid Capri, and Dru Hill.

[culturalappreciator]

Rhythm & Remix!

Original

Dru Hill- In My Bed (1996)

Remix

Dru Hill- In My Bed *So So Def Remix* (1996)

[lookninjas]

Anyway, someone brought up SisQó as part of this whole Kendrick/Drake thing (Drake fucking wishes), and it reminded me of this perfect performance. The horse! KOOL MOE DEE! Dru Hill! Surprise Stevie Wonder at the end! The pageantry! The showmanship! The Janet Jackson reference! The fucking purple suit!

[tha-wrecka-stow]

[auntymurda]

[unsungbabe]

Dru Hill | So Special (1996)

[bopsweneverforgot]

Sisqo - The Star Beyond the Thong

I recently had the pleasure to witness Dru Hill live last summer at their Summer Block Party Tour alongside Jodeci and SWV in Charlotte, NC. Despite the persistent sound issues and the sweltering heat, it was amazing to see Sisqo pushing 50 years old sounding just as he did 20 years ago. Now granted, I did understand this was not a Sisqo concert and not taking away the solo musical work from his accompanying members, but I would’ve loved to hear more of Sisqo’s solo work versus just his “Billboard charting features” such as “What These Bitches Want From Me by DMX” and “How Many Licks by Lil’ Kim”. Sisqo was set up to be the “Beyonce” of Dru Hill and had a successful solo album in his own right, and according to their Unsung special, that fact led to the dissolution of Dru Hill. So why isn’t it highlighted?

Of course, his most iconic solo song was the “Thong Song”, a song inspired by a true story of one of his first sexual encounters with a thong. Now, I’m not surprised by this song reaching this pinnacle of success. With rewriting the string line of “Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles” and investing his money into the visual effects found in his music video, it was bound to turn into a bop. 

Like fickle humans tend to do, we forget. We forget to show the same appreciation for the body of work that one bop encompassed. True R&B connoisseurs respect his additional single “Incomplete” as a beautiful ballad, co-written by another R&B legend Montell Jordan. He also slid in some very sensual bedroom bops with “How Can I Love U 2Nite” and “So Sexual” which shows Sisqo’s range from the up-tempo “Thong Song”. In short, the “Unleash the Dragon” album is home to a lot of bops and underrated ballads.

So, a question I ask so often is, why did the success stop there? He was on track to be the Beyonce of Dru Hill. Initially, I would assume it was due to all of the legal woes like his Victoria's Secret lawsuit, his publishing settlement, and unpaid royalties lawsuit that his most successful single gave him, but that was not the case.  In his own words, he didn’t play the industry game. Instead of utilizing label recommendations, he seemed to always leverage his inner Baltimore circle in the sectors of his musical career which resulted in Sisqo being blackballed and penned as “difficult”. Just like Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv, once said, being labeled “difficult” (especially as a Black woman) is the kiss of death. Nonetheless, the R&B community is thankful for his solo contributions despite it being a short time, it was a good time.