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A. Haqq Islam is an American music executive, 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, [1] and Mya. [2]
As the company's CEO, Mr. Islam negotiated multi-million dollar deals with Fortune 500 companies and steering the careers of a roster talent that included artists, producers and songwriters that accounted for over $50 million record sales worldwide, while producing ten number one songs.
Islam began his career learning the fundamentals of R&B music, artist development and the music business in recording studios of New York City. First starting as a show promoter in Washington, DC., Islam subsequently formed his own label – University Records, and landed signings of soon to become platinum artists Dru Hill, Mya and Sisqo.
Through joint venture deals with Interscope and Def Jam, University Records went on to produced ten Number 1 singles and twenty Top Ten singles. University Records artists have been nominated for and have won every major music award, including: The American Music Awards, Billboard Awards, Soul Train Awards and The Grammys.
In 2019, Islam founded CONTRA WORLDWIDE RECORDINGS. CONTRA produced music for a series of films broadcast on the BET network including Tyler Perry's "Sistas" in December 2019 and has been nominated for a 2020 NAACP Award. [3] CONTRA’s first artist is Casey808, a Hip Hop artist out of Hawaii.
Islam has taught Entertainment Business Education at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC where he created the Business of Music Visiting Lecture Series to train students about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the entertainment business. The lecture series also traveled to several colleges and universities, featured guests included Rockafella Records Co-founder Damon Dash, Legendary R&B Group Earth Wind & Fire, R&B artist, Ledesi, Film Producer; Lisa Cortez, Legendary Music Producer Kenny Gamble of Gamble and Huff.
Islam is co-founder and CEO of The Rucker Park Prep summer basketball league for young men 8–16 years of age which take place in the historic Holcomb Rucker Park in Harlem, [4] NY. Still working in entertainment with current film and television projects in development with his company Jegna Filmworks.
Islam is also a Real Estate Developer with several projects underway in Newark, NJ. As a partner in the Davidson, Abraham & Associates Company (DAA), Mr. Islam works as a liaison between city governments to move projects forward.
A native of Queens, NY, Islam is a graduate of Howard University with a BA in Political Science and completed coursework at Howard towards a Master’s Degree in International Relations. [5]
Mark Althavan Andrews, known professionally as Sisqó, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Following his tenure as the lead performer of R&B group Dru Hill, he quickly reached success as a solo act with his debut album Unleash the Dragon (1999), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Its singles, "Incomplete" and "Thong Song" peaked at number one and number three respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, Return of Dragon (2001) trailed commercially, as did his subsequent releases.
Mya Marie Harrison is an American actress, dancer, record producer, singer, and songwriter. Classified as a "triple threat entertainer," she has become a staple in pop cultural zeitgeist for her work in contemporary R&B. Born and raised in Washington D.C., as a child she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance. She began her career as a television personality and dance posse member, performing on BET's Teen Summit. After developing an interest in music and nurturing her craft, she was discovered by record executive A. Haqq Islam. In April 1998, she released her eponymous debut album, a song cycle which explored romance and coming-of-age scenarios. A critical and commercial success, the album spawned her first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single, "It's All About Me". Her collaborative efforts – "Girls Dem Sugar", "Ghetto Supastar ", and "Take Me There" — were met with concurrent success.
Dru Hill is an American R&B group, 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 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 mid 1990s.
"Thong Song" is a song recorded by American 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 nominations and numerous other awards. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Rhythmic top 40 chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, Sisqó's second highest-peaking hit behind "Incomplete". It was a major success worldwide as well, reaching the top ten throughout European charts and reaching number three in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Denmark. The song also topped the charts in New Zealand.
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. Sisqó recorded the album during Dru Hill's hiatus. It includes the hit songs "Got to Get It", "Incomplete", and "Thong Song". Previously, Sisqo had been the lead singer of the group Dru Hill. Recorded under Island Records, the group released two multi-platinum albums to date: Dru Hill (1996) and Enter the Dru (1998). In 2003, the album was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies in the United States.
Return of Dragon is the second solo studio album by American R&B recording artist Sisqó of Dru Hill, released on June 19, 2001 on Def Soul Records. The album did very well on the charts but its singles, "Can I Live" and "Dance for Me", were commercial disappointments compared to his debut album, Unleash the Dragon (1999). Despite the fact that Sisqó announced a third single, "Dream", this never materialized due to the commercial failure of the album. The song "Without You" was originally planned to be featured on Dru Hill's third album, Dru World Order but tensions grew between the group while working on the album and it was put on hold. Return of Dragon was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for excess of one million copies. Return of Dragon would be Sisqó's last album until Last Dragon (2015).
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 successes of Montell Jordan and Case.
'It's All About Me' is a song by American singer Mýa. It served as her debut single from her self-titled debut studio album and recorded as a duet with R&B singer Sisqó. A psychedelic R&B slow jam, "It's All About Me" was written and composed by Sisqó and Darryl Pearson, while the latter served as producer. It interpolates the composition "Moments in Love" by Art of Noise.
"Incomplete" is a song by American R&B singer Sisqó. It was released on June 13, 2000, as the third and final single from his first solo album, Unleash the Dragon (1999). Written by Def Soul artist Montell Jordan and Anthony "Shep" Crawford, and produced by Crawford, the song was Sisqó's biggest solo single and his only number-one hit in the US, topping both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Incomplete" is also Sisqó's third and most recent Hot 100 top-40 hit; within two years of its release, Sisqó would return to his role as Dru Hill's lead singer.
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, "street" appeal. Like Dru Hill, LovHer's members are known by hip hop nicknames:Talia "Chinky" Burgess, Marthea "Buttah" Jackson, Samerrah "Serenade" Terrell, and Kienji Hakeem. LovHer comprised the Baltimore, Maryland, native Chinky who was discovered in a talent show, Kienji from South Central Los Angeles, Serenade and Buttah from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were hosting a public-access television cable TV show before auditioning for the co-founder of Dru Hill.
Dru Hill is the debut studio album from American boy band Dru Hill, released November 19, 1996, on Island Records. The album featured four singles "Tell Me", "In My Bed", "Never Make A Promise" and "5 Steps". All of the singles had music videos released. The album also features the So So Def remix of "In My Bed", which features Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat, as a bonus track, which also had a music video released.
Mya is the debut studio album by American singer Mya. It was released by University Music Entertainment and Interscope Records on April 21, 1998, in the United States. Recording of the contemporary R&B album was overseen by University Records CEO A. Haqq Islam after he signed the singer when she was at the age of 15. Production on Mya was primarily handled by Swing Mob member Darryl Pearson with additional contributions from Daryl Simmons, Alex "Cat" Cantrall, Joey Priolo, and Nokio the N-Tity. Guest appearances include Dru Hill frontman Sisqó, and rappers Silkk the Shocker and Missy Elliott.
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 Jam Recordings following a company merger in December the same year, as Dru Hill would later be transferred to Def Jam's Def Soul subsidiary.
"In My Bed" is a song by American R&B group Dru Hill. It is the second single from their eponymous debut album. The single spent three weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number four on the US pop chart. The song is performed by group leader Mark "Sisqó" Andrews. The music video focuses on Sisqó's girlfriend, who possibly cheats on him with another man, but Sisqó doesn't know anything about it. At the end of the video, Sisqó goes to his house with a bouquet of flowers for his girlfriend when he sees a guy walking out. He goes inside and sadly finds her in bed with a woman and drops the flowers in heartbreak. He leaves the house for a few seconds and goes back in. The remix was released in 1997 and features both Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat. The remix sampled Le Pamplemousse's "Gimme What You Got" (1976). The song appears in 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
Dru World Order is the third studio album by American R&B group Dru Hill, released on November 26, 2002.
"My First Night with You" is a song written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by Canadian singer Deborah Cox for her self-titled debut studio album (1995). In 1998, American singer Mýa covered the song for her self-titled debut studio album, serving as the album's third and final single. The album version was produced by Daryl Simmons, allowing Mýa to put her own spin on the record, while the Ric Wake pop-produced version was marketed at pop and adult contemporary radio. The lyrics of the ballad speak of a non-sexual experience with a man.
"Movin' On" is a song by American singer Mya, released in July 1998 as the second single from her self-titled debut studio album. It was written and composed by Harrison, Mark Andrews and Darryl Pearson. Musically, the album version is a funk and pop song, while the single remix version is a hip hop song. Lyrically, the record speaks of a woman leaving her cheating ex-boyfriend.
InDRUpendence Day is the fourth studio album by American R&B group Dru Hill, released on July 27, 2010 under Kedar Entertainment Group. The album was supposed to be released on June 8, 2010, but it was pushed back. The album is the group's first release with new member, Tao, and is also their first album in eight years since their previous album, Dru World Order. The album released three singles: "Love MD", "Remain Silent" and "Back to the Future". "Love MD" is the only single that had a music video released. Despite the lack of charting singles and the fact that it was their first album in 8 years, the album was still moderately successful, reaching #30 on the Billboard 200.
Last Dragon is the third solo studio album by American R&B recording artist Sisqó of Dru Hill. The album was released on February 10, 2015, via Massenburg Media and Dragon Music. In 2012, during a performance in Doha, Sisqó announced he was working on his third album. On December 10, Sisqó announced on his Twitter account that those who pre-order Last Dragon will be entitled to an instant download of the track "Round & Round". Sisqó expressed an interest in working with R. Kelly on the album
Darryl "Day" Pearson is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for writing and producing "It's All About Me", a Mya/Sisqó single that peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Part Time Lover", as well as "Trippin' ", a collaboration between Total and Missy Elliott that climbed to #7 on the Hot 100 in 1998. As a result, Pearson secured a placement on Billboard's "Hot R&B Producers" 1998 Year-End Chart. Pearson has also produced or written songs for Usher, Beyoncé, and Sam Smith, among others.