It was the year 2000. The era of frosted tips, TRL, and AOL Instant Messenger, when everyone was still laughing about the Y2K scare.
And, it was that summer that a little ditty called “The Thong Song” peaked at number three on the Billboard charts. Baltimore artist Sisqó was the man behind the both infamous and infectious song that showed appreciation for the derriere-revealing women’s underwear, with lyrics that included, “She had dumps like a truck, truck, truck. Thighs like what, what, what.”
Slightly risqué and simplistically catchy—let’s be honest, the song is really only one verse repeated—the song received four Grammy nominations and catapulted Sisqó, born Mark Andrews, who began his career as part of the quartet Dru Hill, into the limelight. (Dru Hill, named for the park, got its start singing at a chocolate shop in Harborplace, by the way.)
Does it feel like that was 15 years ago?
“Not at all,” says Sisqó, also famous for his brightly shaded, frequently changing coif. “When you say it, it’s like, ‘Oh wow. How old am I again?’”
Roles in several movies followed for Sisqó, now 36, as did two more albums, including one released earlier this year. Still, the “Thong Song” remains his most recognizable contribution.
Some artists might not relish such a song following them into infamy, but not Sisqó.
“I’ll be dead and gone and it will be going. My kid’s college fund will be good. It’s awesome,” he says. “As a musical artist, you want to do the best you can to have music that reaches as many people as possible. You should hear the versions they come up with—the jazz version, the a cappella version.”
In fact, local radio station WTMD commissioned Baltimore-area performers to reinvent the song this year in celebration of the 15th anniversary of “the summer of the Thong Song.” Sisqó says he hasn’t heard those versions—ranging from a bouncing, bass-heavy rap to a blistering guitar riff—but asked us to send them to him.
Sisqó now lives in suburban Minnesota, with his girlfriend and 3-year-old son. He continues to performs with Dru Hill, logging trips to China and Jamaica this year. He can’t say much, but he could be coming to TV screens soon in a reality-type show.
And he still feels the sting of disappointment that the “Thong Song” didn’t win a Grammy.
“I thought that was the hallmark of a Grammy song—a song that’s different that reaches people on different levels. I guess I had the wrong definition.”