How Sisqo Unleashed a Dragon Called Thong
You recall the Dru Hill group, led by a silver-hair-dyed Mark Andrews. People called him Sisqo.
Dru Hill had some of the best songs in the 90s, and even today, those songs are part of our collective lifestyle. Who can forget "In My Bed" or "How Deep is Your Love."
It was shocking, therefore, when Sisqo announced he would leave a successful band and go solo. At that time, Dru Hill was some of the most highly-paid musicians.
Sisqo was the creative genius behind the group. And it was either Dru Hill reinvented itself or died a natural death. Everyone in the music world waited with bated breath to see what Sisqo would do alone.
And it wasn't long before he Unleashed the Dragon! as I write this, I hear that somg reverberating in my head. This song demonstrated Sisqo's unparalleled artistry, unique abilities, and creative talents.
It was just the beginning. Sisqo's next project took the world by storm.
See, Sisqo never accepted limitations. Every move he made showcased his courage and self-belief. He had no thread of fear in him
When was the last time you touched a thong? It would be best if you felt it tonight.
Before you roll your eyes, I am talking about feeling the song Thong Thong by Sisqo
Let us look at how Sisqo came up with a song that pushed the boundaries, redefined the music beat, and made other musicians rethink their music.
In a documentary aired by Vice on making the song Thong Thong, Sisqo shares what happened.
Let us hear it in his words so that you do not accuse me of adding honey to the story:
"I went on a date with this young lady, and after the date, I'm hanging out; I'm getting to second base. Next thing she takes off whatever clothes she had on. And for the first time in my life, I saw a thong—or what was expressed to me as a thong. I didn't know what it was.
All I knew was that it was glorious. I was at a loss for words. I was like, "what? What is… what is this? What is that? What is this?"
She was like, "you know, like a G-string, a thong," and I was like, "ow! it's called a thong?" I don't even remember what happened for the rest of that night because I could not wait to get back, you know, like around my friends and tell them of this glorious material that I witnessed.
I told my friends, "gather around, I'll tell you a tale." So all my friends leaned in and huddled around. I explained the whole story, and I was like, "oh, and then she showed me this thing that she called a thong," and everyone was like, "oh my goodness."
Everybody went away and, hopefully, saw this thing I was telling them about; this thong. So I went away, and I was working on a song, and then a friend of mine came back. And man, he seemed really enamored—happy about something.
He said, "man, I just went out with this girl, and guess what she gave me." I thought she gave him some kind of present—and he just went, "that thong thong thong thong."
For the next day that little melody just kept ringing in my head, and every time I would sing it, it made me laugh."
In the '90s, two of the important names in the music writing business were Tim and Bob (Funktown). They were working with Sisqo, and before Sisqo had met this girl for the date, the two producers had sent him a 30-second snippet of a beat from the Beatles. Sisqo was happy with what he heard and asked the two producers to stretch it to three minutes.
There was a challenge, though, and some crazy coincidence. The two producers had ambitions of working with Michael Jackson, who was the biggest name and still is.
Isitoshe,
Michael Jackson owned the rights to The Beatles catalog. There was no way Sisqo would sample anything from the Beatles without talking to the King of Pop. And that is where his creativity came in handy.
Bruce Dukov is one of the world's celebrated composers, cellists, and violinists. He has done big projects with Star Wars, and his stellar resume mentions his work with Frank Sinatra. Sisqo reached out to him and asked whether he could add a cinematic flare to the beats from the Beatles to create some separation. Dukov went to work, adding a classical-sounding violin to the beat.
Remember, all this, just as an ode to a woman's little garment, the barrier to fountain of happiness and peace.
When the song Thong Thong was released, it became an instant hit. In places like Kirinyaga, kamisi, and mbaika stopped being fashionable.
When Michael Jackson heard the song, he reached out to the two producers and asked them if they had something heavier-musically speaking-than the Thong song. The two producers had Michael’s attention. Their dream had also come true
The Thong song was immortalized by Billboard as one of the greatest songs of the 21st Century. The song also received four Grammy nominations.
“This thing right here
Is lettin' all the ladies know
What guys talk about
You know, the finer things in life
Haha….
That thong th-thong, thong, thong”