Ashanti, Dru Hill Provided the R&B Summer Grooves Despite the Heavy Rain in Dallas

Ashanti, Dru Hill and Mario hit the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie on Saturday, July 12, a particularly stormy night with heavy rain and a flash flood warning. Inside the venue, however, the R&B legends gave a night full of nostalgia and quiet storm bops. This show was designed with MTV, BET, and '90s and '00s Soul Train watchers in mind, from the singing to the “steelo,” and the night had concertgoers on their feet and singing along to R&B classics, with everyone’s mic on.

Mario began his set running through songs from his debut self-titled album, including the upbeat classics “C’Mon,” mixing with Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).” He then transitioned to the mix that only makes sense, merging Biz Markie's “Just a Friend” and his rendition “Just a Friend 2002” that had the crowd of every age on their feet singing along. As he moved onto songs from his 2007 album Go, the graphics on screen displayed his name “Mario” in a heart monitor frequencies. This was fitting since the album alluded to love and heartache in the songs he performed, such as “How Do I Breathe,” “Skippin',” “Music for Love” and “Crying Out for Me,” which had the entire building belting out the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

With the finale track being “Let Me Love You,” Mario stayed true to his lover boy persona throughout his set, throwing roses, serenading single ladies in the crowd while holding their hands and kneeling on the stage. While he’s the youngest on the bill, he is still a veteran in the music business after over 20 years and it showed from his staying power.

Next on stage was Dru Hill. Their set began with a Sisqo solo performance, hitting the stage to do “How Deep Is Your Love” from the original Rush Hour soundtrack, Lil Kim’s “How Many Licks” and the song that still has us asking “What These Bitches Want?” with bandmate Nokio reciting the late DMX’s verse.

After the solo performance, two members of the original Dru Hill, Nokio and Sisqo, were accompanied by two new members from the '90s group Playa —Smoke and Black. The four began to perform the song “Tell Me” with the iconic hopping dance now named “Dru Hill” by the internet. As the group sang, the crowd bounced along with them as soon as the beat dropped without hesitation. 
After an introduction of the new members, the group performed Playa’s “Cheers 2 U,” allowing the newest members to have their moment. It was noticeable that there were missing members of the original Dru Hill; however, we learned that every member is still intact, with an introduction of OG bandmate Jazz for his legendary vocal performance in “Never Make a Promise” and 2000s group addition Scola for the 2002 “Dru World Order” album songs. Ending with a total of six members, the group with 30 years in the game had harmonies that were smooth as butter and still moved with ease, hitting their original choreography effortlessly, with their videos behind them on the screen. While we were given a heads up that the “singing” would be “singing” for this portion, Sisqo threw some slight shade at younger performers. “Younger people in here saying, ‘what are they doing?’ It’s called singing,” he says.

No classic from their catalogue went unsung. As the performance came to a close, Sisqo had more to say. “I think I forgot something,” he says, before the violin from the 2000s anthem “Thong Song” begins while the crowd hops to its feet. We were instantly taken back to the 2000 song of the summer, and he slid and angled across the stage. He even did his one-handed flip and stuck the landing.

Despite having had hiccups with rotating group members in the past, Dru Hill still takes the stage, captivates the crowd and supports each other. As they allowed each member to shine and sing lead, these legends are always worth seeing.

A video with Mary J. Blige’s “Be Happy” had a series of clips showcasing Ashanti’s career highs flash on the screen, and we are taken on a musical journey of the awards, magazine covers, movie roles and so much more. She and her husband Nelly have a son, Kareem Kenkaide “KK,” who is turning one on July 18. Although the actress, author and mother is a busy woman these days, she is back performing her hits like she never left.

Starting with the summer smash hit, “Rock Wit U (Aww Baby),” she went on to add in the bridge of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and other feel-good tracks like “Happy” and her duet with Ja Rule, “Mesmerize.” Throughout her and Ja's songs, the Grammy Award-winning songstress showered us with her infectious laugh and energy, making it clear that her pen is not to be played with. “I happen to be a spirit that writes all of my records,” she says. That led us into her R&B ballads and slower tracks.
Her performance of the song “Rain On Me” ended with a message of how gracious she is to still be performing and able to see another day, as well as extending condolences to the people of Kerr County affected by last week's devastating flood, saying, “My heart goes out to the victims in Texas.” The song ended with images of Black women leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement like Tamir Rice, Esaw Garner, Sybrina Fulton and victims of police brutality like Sandra Bland. The message was showcasing the strength of Black women despite the rain they face. Images of Maya Angelou and Michelle Obama were also added.

While we transitioned to the more sensual songs like “Baby” and Nelly's “Body on Me,” Ashanti says, “As y'all know, he def out his body on me, I got a whole baby,” with images of their new NBC Peacock show Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together being promoted on the screen. Ashanti’s gratitude throughout the show reinforced her love of her career, but also her love of family. Her mother and “momager” Tina Douglas sat on stage to the side throughout the performance; however, she was surprised by Ashanti with a cake, and the crowd sang her Happy Birthday for an early July 13 birthday celebration.

Her finale was the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Foolish.” “Thank you for making this a number one request,” she says. She reminded us that the song sat No. 1 for 11 weeks on the charts and earned her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for best-selling debut album in the U.S. in one week by a female, and is still there 23 years later. According to Guinness World Records, “Ashanti's (USA) eponymous debut album sold 503,000 copies in its first week on release in the U.S. in April 2002. In the same week, she became the first female performer to simultaneously hold the top two places on the Hot 100 singles chart with 'Foolish' and 'What's Luv' (with Fat Joe).”
The show was full of summer smash hits and the whole theater couldn't get enough of it. From singing to dancing, Ashanti, Dru Hill and Mario have cemented their legacies as R&B legends and made us miss songs tailored for the summer.

For more best Dallas summer concerts, read our story and check out our full concert calendar.