Mark Althavan Andrews, known professionally as Sisqó, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. He is most prominently known for "Thong Song", his membership in Dru Hill, and has also released solo material. Sisqo's successful debut solo album, Unleash the Dragon (1999), included the hit singles "Thong Song" and "Incomplete".
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 and 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 1990s.
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, the country single was released in 1974. The song was a commercial success for Parton, twice reaching the top spot of Billboard Hot Country Songs: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982, with a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
Def Soul 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.
"Car Wash" is a song by the American soul and R&B band Rose Royce. Written and arranged by the ex-Motown producer Norman Whitfield, the song was the group's first single and one of the most notable successes of the 1970s disco era. "Car Wash", the theme of the 1976 film Car Wash, was Rose Royce's most successful single and the lead single from their first studio album, the Car Wash soundtrack. Reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts, "Car Wash" also peaked at number three on the National Disco Action Top 30 chart and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 1977. The song was covered in 2004 by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott, who released their version as the single for the Shark Tale soundtrack.
"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album Masterjam was released in late 1979.
Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack for the film of the same name, released on November 14, 1995, by Arista Records. Written and produced by Babyface, the soundtrack features appearances by several prominent R&B artists, including Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, TLC, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Faith Evans, Patti LaBelle, SWV and Mary J. Blige. The album remained at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart for five weeks and Top R&B Albums chart for ten weeks, going 7× platinum, on September 4, 1996. It spawned two number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart; "Exhale " and "Let It Flow", and three top-ten hits, "Sittin' Up in My Room", "Not Gon' Cry" and "Count on Me". "Exhale ", "Let It Flow" and "Not Gon' Cry" also topped the R&B hits chart. All songs were written and produced by Babyface, except for "My Funny Valentine". The album also includes songs by lesser-known artists like Shanna and Sonja Marie.
"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.
"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.
Mýa is the debut studio album by American singer Mýa. 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 Haaq Islam after he signed the singer when she was at the age of 15. Production on Mýa was primarily handled by Swing Mob member Darryl "Day" Pearson with additional contributions from Daryl Simmons, Alex "Cat" Cantrall, Joey Priolo, and Nokio the N-Tity. Guest appearances include Dru Hill frontman Sisqó, No Limit rapper Silkk the Shocker, and rapper Missy Elliott.
"How Deep Is Your Love" is an R&B single by group Dru Hill. It is the first single from the group's second album, Enter the Dru. The song was released on September 22, 1998. It spent three weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, in its single version with rapper Redman, was also used in the end credits and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Rush Hour. To date, this is Dru Hill's highest charting hit.
"A Song for Mama" is a number-one R&B single by the American R&B group Boyz II Men. The tune, which was written and produced by Babyface, served as the theme song to the 1997 motion picture Soul Food, and spent two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart. To date, it is their last top 10 pop hit, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also appears on the group's fourth album, Evolution (1997).
"Never Make A Promise" is a number-one R&B song by group Dru Hill, released in 1997. It is the third single from their eponymous debut album. With a lead by Larry "Jazz" Anthony, the single spent four weeks at number one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number seven on the US pop chart. Although it was a hit, sales of the "Never Make A Promise" single were mainly driven by the popular So So Def Remix of their previous hit "In My Bed" only being available on its B-side.
"Last Night" is a song by American R&B group Az Yet, produced by Babyface and Mervyn Warren, and released as the first single from the group's debut album, Az Yet (1996). The song became the group's first hit, reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and number four on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart. Additionally, it reached number two in Australia, number six in New Zealand, and number eight in the Netherlands. The song was also included on The Nutty Professor soundtrack.
"Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 fourth studio album of the same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream success until 1978, after being included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, when a re-release hit number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Big Bad Mama" is a single by American rapper Foxy Brown and American R&B group Dru Hill from the soundtrack to the 1997 film, How to Be a Player. The song also appeared on the European re-issue of Foxy Brown's debut album, Ill Na Na.
"What These Bitches Want" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the third single from his third album ... And Then There Was X (1999). The single features Def Soul singer Sisqó from Dru Hill. The subject matter in the song is past women in DMX's life. Nokio the N-Tity, Sisqó's fellow Dru Hill bandmate, produced "What These Bitches Want" and provides additional vocals.
Soul Food is the soundtrack to the 1997 film of the same name. It was released on September 16, 1997, through LaFace Records and mainly consisted of R&B music with some hip hop music. The soundtrack was a success, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified double Multi-Platinum on February 17, 1998. Four singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "I Care 'Bout You", "What About Us?" by Total, "We're Not Making Love No More" by Dru Hill, and "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men, the latter of which was a number 1 R&B single. The soundtrack was also noted for the fictional quintet group Milestone, consisting of K-Ci & JoJo, Babyface and his brothers, Kevon and Melvin Edmonds, who all came together once for their single and cameo appearance in the film.
"Tell Me" is the debut single by Dru Hill. In the US, the song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the R&B chart. It sold 600,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the RIAA. It reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is also the first single from the group's eponymous debut album.
Paul Boutin is a French-born American music mixer, audio engineer and a long-time collaborator with producer/songwriter/artist Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
