WITH the giant success of “Thong Song” – one of the hottest novelty songs in rotation on MTV – some might think Mark “Sisqo” Andrews, the vocal king of Dru Hill, is another one-hit wonder.
Yet a close listen to his recent release “Unleash the Dragon” reveals an artist who has a terrific sense of traditional R&B and has been able to take it to a new level – much in the way his colleague D’Angelo has.
Talking to Sisqo sure feels like talking to a star – he’s confident and aggressive, yet somehow relaxing to be around.
He’s also very funny. When asked, “Who should not wear a thong?” he quickly replies, “You know if you should or shouldn’t wear a thong. If you put one on and look in the mirror and have any doubt, take that thing off – fast.”
The platinum-haired singer spoke to The Post about his days as a young thug in Baltimore, how his popular “Thong Song” came into being and where he feels he fits into the world of contemporary music.
This week, Sisqo played VH1’s “Men Strike Back” concert along with Sting and the Backstreet Boys at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Tomorrow he’ll command the coveted slot as musical entertainment on “Saturday Night Live.”
Post: How important is playing “Saturday Night Live” to a young performer?
Sisqo: I don’t think everybody knows this, but “Saturday Night Live” is the one you wait for. So when they called, I knew I made it.
Post: Tomorrow you’re on national TV, and a lot of your songs are risque. Did “SNL” censors tell you what you could and couldn’t do?
Sisqo: I disguise a few things in my songs. You know, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. There are things in my songs that are edgy, but the way I say them sneaks me past the censors. But, getting back to the question, I didn’t get any do’s or don’t’s.
Post: Are you doing the “Thong Song”?
Sisqo: Definitely.
Post: What was the genesis of that tune?
Sisqo: It was funny the way we came up with it. I was sitting in my house with a couple of my doggs, and one was telling me about a date he had with a girl who was wearing a thong, and he sang: “Thong, tha, thong tha, THONG” [to the “Dragnet” melody]. We all laughed pretty hard, and for the next couple of days whenever we saw a girl who might possibly be wearing a thong, we’d all sing out, “Thong, tha, thong, tha THONG.”
Post: How can you tell if a girl is wearing a thong?
Sisqo: It’s easiest if she’s wearing stretch pants, but sometimes you have to just rely on male intuition. Anyway, so we’re all doing the thong thing, and I think, “This is a unanimously positive reaction.” So I knew this needed a song written about it.
Post: Is there any truth to rumors of a Sisqo Thong line of lingerie with Victoria’s Secret?
Sisqo: I have to jump hard on this. Hopefully I will be working something out and get a collaboration with them. They are selling lots more thongs because of my song.
Post: Not to be hard on you, but in the video it would have been nice to have had a few more thongs.
Sisqo: I did that purposely. That’s why the video was called “The Thong Song: Censored.” I figured if I put all the thongs in the first video, people would think the remix was just a rip-off. In the remix, I hope to have enough thongs to satisfy everyone.
Post: Is Dru Hill a dead band?
Sisqo: No, it’s not. I made this solo album, but we’re working on a group album that should be out early 2001.
Post: The president of Def Jam – Kevin Liles – said, “Only time will tell if Sisqo will reach the level of Michael Jackson or Prince. But what you remember about those artists is that there are no others like them. There is no other like Sisqo.” Do you feel that you are unique?
Sisqo: Wow, I didn’t hear that. That’s pretty cool. I do think I’m unique. No matter how many times people say I’m like this or that artist, it never sticks. Slowly but surely people are going to start to say, “He’s something new,” and I hope they also say I’m something good, too.
Post: Street credibility is important in hip-hop. You’ve been a thug and you’ve been arrested. What did you do?
Sisqo: The whole thug thing was something from my youth. It isn’t about being or not being a thug. It’s about being real. I think that is how street respect is earned. Unfortunately for me, the immediate clique I was in you had to do something derogatory to gain the respect.
Post: What did you do specifically?
Sisqo: We banged people.
Post: What?
Sisqo: If you came into our neighborhood and we didn’t know you, we’d jump you. And my job was to be the first one to hit the guy. I liked that, because if I was the first one to hit him the next day everyone would be talking about it.
Post: How do you feel about those days?
Sisqo: It was b – – – – – – -. It was stupid. I did all that just to make people think I was tough.
Post: Has the street fighter found his way into your music?
Sisqo: Yes, but in a positive way.