Sisqo 'Return of Dragon' album

As sophomore albums go Sisqo (that's Mark Andrews to his parents) has a lot riding on his latest endeavor, "Return Of Dragon" (the 'the' is strangely omitted). His debut solo effort sold an unexpected 5 million copies fueled by the first booty shaking anthem of the millennium, the undeniable "Thong Song".

"I've gotta apologize to the fans because I called the last
album unleashed ("Unleash The Dragon") says Sisqo with a deadpan
expression "but I didn't unleash anything but the "Thong Song". This new
album is gonna blow everything out the water."

The heart- string tugging ballad "Incomplete" merely sweetened the deal, hitting top spot in the pop charts. The former body poppin', back flippin', lead singer of Dru Hill, with all Y2K compliant accoutrements - platinum crop, tattoos and piercings - was well on his way to becoming a TRL certified mega star. In fact, such was his pull with his new legion of middle American youth that his MTV show, 'Sisqo's Shakedown' became the station's highest rated show for the summer and fall of 2000. As if that wasn't enough Sisqo made a credible acting debut in the teen comedy 'Get Over It' and secured his own sitcom in the process. All in all not a bad year's work.

And if proof was needed that the 25 year-old native of East Baltimore is now living the good life a recent MTV Cribs episode profiled him chillin' in his brand spankling new Hollywood Hills mansion with a fleet of high class sports cars parked outside. Needless to say if his new album was to go the way of Hanson's last project, a lot of people would stop making a lot of money. So did the pressure get to him?

"I just went in and did it" he says flatly. "We had hot producers, hot songs and I went in and laid it down, simple as that. I basically recorded a song a night. I loved the music and enjoyed doing it so pressure didn't come into it. I'll leave the pressure to other people. I'm too busy having fun. Not to sound conceited or anything but I've been in the game for minute now and I didn't have eight platinum singles in a row for nothing. It didn't just happen. How many other people you know did that? From the jump I came out of nowhere from Baltimore and I've been doing my thing ever since."

Helping Sisqo do his thing was a slew of urban beat technician's, old and new. Sound guru Teddy Riley is responsible for the first single, the driving, gritty R&B/street outing "Can I Live". Elsewhere the production conglomerate of One Up Entertainment handle very "Thong Song" like "Dance For Me" and Warren Campbell (Mary Mary, Brandy, Usher) helms the classically soulful ballad "Dream". Al West produces Sisqo's own
composition "I'm Not Afraid". Meshing the whole thing together is
Sisqo's own firey brand of defiant, gospel rooted soul. For a dancer he's one hell of a singer and for a singer he's one hell of a dancer.

"The songs on this album really don't sound like anything you've heard before" says Sisqo confidently. "That was always important
to me to create my own sound. I mean we did that with Dru Hill but I think it was important for me to come out with something different this time. A lot of people who just know me from the "Thong Song" think I'm just a one hit wonder. How can I be a one hit wonder when this is like my eighth one. I just laugh and say 'okay, watch me do it again'.

The youngest of three children (two older sisters), Sisqo's initial show-biz aspirations were not met favorably by his hard working electrician father.

"He told me to get a real job" Sisqo laughs. "so I did as he wished and got a few. I worked at a place called The Fudgery, at a pizza joint and at a movie theatre. My mom told me, 'follow your heart, baby'. Now my dad's my biggest fan.

Dru Hill, named after a region in their Baltimore neighborhood, made their debut in 1996 with "Tell Me" from the 'Eddie' soundtrack. It was the start of a streak of platinum singles including notable smashes "In My Bed" and "How Deep Is Your Love" from two platinum albums. However, behind the scenes, the four Baltimore buddies were experiencing the rough end of the R&B world.

"Man ain't no group these days, done gone through what we been through" Sisqo told me prior to the release of his debut solo album. "We've been so broke, with no per diem, no support, no promotion from our label (Dru Hill were signed to Island before the label was absorbed in the Def Jam/Universal merger). I mean we've been out doing autograph signings at malls, with no label reps. We were pulling out posters of our book bags and signing them. We done toured the chitlin' circuit, performing on dirty stages no bigger than a table. Sometimes we were so broke and
didn't have enough money to buy food that when we visited radio
stations, we'd be eating the food they had there."

Things finally came to a head when Dru Hill settled a lawsuit out of court filed against Island Records, their label at the time. However, even with a million dollar advance for their second album, the group never re-couped, having spent $200,000 before recording any material that made the albums. It was while promoting the album in Paris that they were shot at by a street
gang as they made a get away from a club. At that point, group member Woody, a devout Christian, decided enough was enough and called it a day. We were then faced with the strange prospect of Dru Hill, a trio for their next video to the techy "Everything". Soon after Sisqo declared his intention to do a solo project but vowed to do "a Phil Collins and Genesis" and return after one album for a Dru Hill reunion, with all four members. So what
happened?

"I doubt there will be anymore Dru Hill" Sisqo says now. "I mean we're still all cool but Woody had a death in the family, Jazz is bringing out a solo album and Nokio is producing so it looks like it won't happen." All four members, however, are featured on "Return Of Dragon"on the song "Without You".

In many ways Sisqo's ascendant career shadows that of box office
megastar Will Smith. Both hailed from small cities (Smith is from
Philedelphia), enjoyed musical success within a group/duo before
embarking head first into a solo musical and acting career. Okay, so Smith's rapping is more for novelty value while Sisqo is a serious soul singer. But Smith is no doubt roll model
for Sisqo.

"Will Smith told me to treat every dollar like it's 50c" responds Sisqo of the comparison. "He's a big inspiration to me professionally and businesswise. His stuff is tight. It's together. My people and his people talk and get advice. I'm following the same path as him but on my own. I'll go the road less traveled, like Robert Frost."

Sisqo's first important step to Smith like global domination was his part in the the MTV aimed teen comedy 'Get Over It'.

"I had to do a movie to show that I could act but I was nervous doing it" he admits. "But I did it. I got to wear a skirt - that was funny! It wasn't really a skirt, it was a kilt but it was a skirt to me! I had my shorts on under it, so I was cool. I also had to wear sneakers and
everybody else had to wear sandals. It was a good start for my acting career and by me doing that movie I was able to get another movie for Disney ('Winter Dance' with Cuba Gooding Jnr.) which I just finished. It was a surreal experience because both of the characters I portrayed are nothing like my every day persona. It was a stretch but it's opened a lot of door for bigger and better projects."

One of those is the pilot sitcom Sisqo's currently shooting for a fall debut with veteran TV actor Bob Newheart and Keenan from Nikolodian's Keena and Kal.

"I don't wanna give too much away" he says guardedly. "It's a show within a show. It's definitely autobiographical but there's a twist on it. I'm not Sisqo but I do play a guy from Baltimore."

Sisqo's also tight lipped about his personal life. The video to the "Thong Song" alerted the world to the fact that Sisqo has a daughter but as for possible love interests he refuses to expound, saying only, "I've got a significant other like everybody else but it's in perspective."

He still maintains properties in Baltimore where his family resides ("Even my house in Baltimore's ill. I got an indoor pool in the studio in the basement with a retractable ceiling. I got two properties in Baltimore. I commute between there and LA"). He is more vocal about his charitable contributions, stating proudly that "Ten percent of all my money goes to specific organizations - churches and stuff. I give that to the Lord" adding that his success hasn't changed his relationship with his family: "They just treat me the same because my personality hasn't changed. I've got the personality of my mom but I work hard like my dad."

As parting shot the newly highlighted corn-rowed crooner offer his basis tenet on achieving success.

"Keep moving. When ever there's a problem, instead of sitting around and crying over it I just kept moving. I don't think of myself as being a huge success, though because I'm still not where I want to be. By the end of this album I want to have my own level. That means I've got a lot of work ahead of me."

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Sisqo - Return of Dragon