Teams are the theme this week. Nationally it’s almost impossible to escape Team USA’s exploits in the 2016 Olympic games. Big ups to Simon Biles, Christian Taylor, Michelle Carter and Simone Manuel thus far. Now all eyes on KD, Melo and Kyrie for the men and Tina, Britney and Maya for the women to get it done in basketball.
Locally, we just lamented the 1996 World Series Champion New York Yankees, the team that started the last real dynasty in baseball. To put it in perspective, we’ll be celebrating the two-decade anniversary’s in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Keeping with the same line of thought, although outside the realm of sports, another strong team is making their presence felt nationally, with a tour that will affect us locally when it stops here in the city at B.B. King’s, Friday, Aug. 21 for their 20th anniversary tour is Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin Mark “Sisqó” Andrews, Larry “Jazz” Anthony and their newest member, Antwuan “Tao” Simpson, known collectively as Dru Hill.
When time like that has elapsed, it’s the norm to think that it’s a night of nostalgia. Far from it in this case. These ain’t old heads trying to recapture former glory. Sisqó stated simply, “We came straight from high school into the music industry. We’re more soul school, than old school.” These ain’t cats who are bitter that the game has past them by and forgotten their accomplishments. Nokio countered that belief by stating, “It’s not about the accolades. It’s all about being true artist, being true to the fans and true to the music. That’s the cloth that we’re cut from.”
If anyone who spent any time in their native Baltimore, they know of that cloth. When they were in their formative years, their geographical proximity to Washington gave them access to at least five major radio stations. Each station intended to be different and to serve the soul music connoisseurs within their broadcast radius. That means, the hits of the day, plus golden oldies, kinda assured that stations wouldn’t overlap playlists. That makes for a healthy gumbo of R&B, soul, gospel, hip-hop and rap, with maybe some jazz and go-go mixed in. Harmonies, melodies and heat combined for what Nokio described as ‘hard drums with pretty stuff on top.’ That provided a sound that paid homage to the past, as their covers of Con Funk Shun’s “Love Train,” on their debut self-titled album and “The Love We Had Stays (Stays on My Mind)” from their multi-platinum sophomore album, “Enter the Dru,” attest, but their original material had eyes on their own musical legacy.
Their catalogue, combined with fearless showmanship, is perhaps the reason their hunger remains intact. Performance is one of the components that separated them from a fiercely competitive and talented pack of singing groups of the 1990s. “We wanted to produce timeless music that people could pinpoint and capture a certain point in their life that people felt good about,” said Nokio. That alone wouldn’t do it for the group however. They had to be able to execute them in front of an audience. Sisqó added, “With true R&B music performed live is gonna have people looking in your face to see if you mean what you’re saying. Once you get that stamp, and they see that you mean it, they’ll stick with you for life.”
The group cautions that this tour is not to bow out. They feel they have another 20 years in them. “We just want to make the right decisions so whatever we do next last as long as the music,” concluded Nokio.
The Dru Hill performance marks a stellar soul music weekend at the B.B. King venue as Eric Roberson follows suit Saturday, Aug. 20 and commences with Joe Sunday. Aug. 21.
Over and out. Holla next week with some highlights. Til then enjoy the night life.