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21 May

Posted at 05:02h in Features, Music, Return To The Classics
Signed as a new act to Island Records back in 1996, Dru Hill were a young and talented vocal foursome with ties to gospel music who pretty much became an international success story overnight. Whether it was their authentic, honest musical delivery or their individuality as far as their image went, the boys from Baltimore sure knew how to bring it. Constantly compared to the bad boys of R&B Jodeci, Dru Hill weren’t the only all male R&B group on their grind at the time. The '90s was a decade that played host to a gang of upcoming male rhythm and blues acts. The likes of Blackstreet, Silk, Shai, Color Me Badd, and Bel Biv Devoe were just some of the groups vying for that top spot. With a Top 20 Billboard charting hit in the form of "Tell Me," the boys went out of their way to prove they were a refreshing alternate to their stiff competition - and it wasn’t long until the world caught on.

23 Jan

Posted at 23:30h in Interviews, Music, Return To The Classics
Enter The Dru was released on October 27, 1998 to a rabid R&B fan base and it garnered critical acclaim by the music writers of the time period. Both female and male groups were dominating the landscape for R&B and Dru Hill was at the zenith of their urban and pop success. Coming off a successful debut album, Dru Hill in 1996, the group returned to the scene in stellar fashion. Despite ongoing issues with their music label and the vacancy left by a group member, they were able to produce their best album to date. After their first album, Dru Hill drew comparisons to Jodeci, but alongside the production talents of producers, Tamir 'Nokio' Ruffin, Dutch, Warryn Campbell, Babyface and Daryl Simmons they crafted a sound of their very own. Their debut album was a far cry from Enter the Dru by featuring more up tempo tracks with a potent mixture of classic ballads, which showed their versatility and growth. The quartet ultimately became one of the more popular groups of the decade behind the powerful vocals of Mark 'Sisqo' Andrews, Larry 'Jazz' Anthony, Jr., James 'Woody Rock' Green and Tamir 'Nokio' Ruffin, the group founder. Natives of Baltimore, Maryland, Dru Hill's musical foundation was built in the church. Dru Hill gained recognition by working and performing for a local business in Baltimore called The Fudgery. They would sign gospel songs while making fudge, but moved to secular music once they saw more of an opportunity in singing R&B music. Their big break would occur in 1996 when their manager Haqq Islam arranged for them to perform at a popular showcase called the Impact Convention. Shortly thereafter, they would be signed to Island Black Records, which later would become Island Def Jam Records and they began their singing careers. In the course of three weeks during the early months of 1998, all 17 songs on Enter The Dru would be recorded in Larabee Studios in Los Angeles, California. Soul Culture recently sat down with Tamir 'Nokio' Ruffin, one of the executive producers of Dru Hill's second album, Enter The Dru to talk about the process of how the album came together.