Dru Hill is linking with members of fellow 90s RnB group Playa for their upcoming album The Second Coming. Jawann “Smoke” Peacock and Benjamin “Black” Bush have been welcomed into the group shortly after the departure of Larry “Jazz” Anthony, who has chosen to focus on his solo career. Although both groups have their own legacy, they will release the project under the Dru Hill moniker.
The group, now comprised of Smoke, Black, Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin, Mark “Sisqo” Andrews and Antwuan “Tao” Simpson, shared their enthusiasm for their new formation in a statement.
“While Jazz is working on solo endeavors, it only made sense to come together with our brothers. Not many people know this, but we met way back in 1998 when we all played the Ladies Night Out tour and Playa was a trio. We’ve been family ever since. When we stepped on that stage with Dru Hill for the first time this year, it was instant magic. We knew right away that this was where we all belonged.”
Smoke says the supergroup will blend their respective sounds to create a new vibe.
“We are bringing our churchy, soulful vocals— which is the foundation of Playa’s legacy— and adding them to the legacy of Dru Hill. I feel like we bring a whole other concept of harmonies and melodies to the table. And not only that, we’re writers, producers, and arrangers. The vocals that Aaliyah came within the 90s, the overall feel of Drake’s Take Care album, we were a big part of making that happen and we’re only going to keep innovating with Dru Hill on this next project. For me, The Second Coming is definitely the resurrection of real R&B. Fans should get ready because as of this fall, R&B is no longer dead.”