Pretty Ricky Biography
Pretty Ricky is a hip-hop band out of Miami,
Florida. The band consists of three rappers, Slick ‘Em, Baby Blue and
Spectacular, and one singer, Pleasure. They are a young group of men all born
between 1984-1986.
The group first began as backup dancers for an
older brother, but they soon wanted to move out of the background and into the
spotlight. Their father, Joe “Blue” Smith (also known as ‘ol Boy) took them
under his wing and became their manager. Blue, a strict disciplinarian was the
father of all four boys, but only Spectacular and Baby Blue have the same
mother. They also have six other brothers and sisters, plus step-siblings.
In 1997 they began to perform locally under the
name Pretty Rickie and the Maverix, getting their name from a character on the
television show Martin. Soon afterwards, the country group The Mavaricks
asked them to change their name. They dropped the Maverix and changed Rickie to
Ricky with a “y” because is sounds more masculine.
They soon met Jim Jonsin of Unusual Suspects, who
became their producer. The group began doing more gigs and with their flashy
clothing began to gain a reputation and a fan base. They were tagged with the
name “glitter boys” because of their wardrobe, but also became known as ladies
men because of their songs and style.
In 2002, they released the song “Flossin’,” which
quickly became a hit in the Miami – Dade County area and through the influence
and connections of Jonsin, they were opening up for other big stars such as Run-DMC,
Lil’ Jon, Trick Daddy, Trina and Pitbull.
They released their second song, “Grind With Me” in
late 2004 and it quickly became a local hit – in fact it became the most
requested song ever on Power 96, Miami’s hip-hop station. The song also gained
national recognition and eventually made it to #9 on Billboards Hot 100 chart.
Some may call it fate or destiny, but Craig Kallman,
Co-Chairman and COO of Atlantic Records was in Miami in December of 2004 and
heard about all the excitement this young group was generating. He wanted to
see what this buzz was for himself and attended their live performance at a
Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Hallandale, Fla. He was impressed and invited
them back to his hotel room (at Loew's Miami Beach). They performed a quick
audition and Kallman offered them a deal right there in the room.
With the backing of Atlantic, the coaching of their
father and the experience of Jonsin, their producer, they went into the studio
to record their first album (in association with their own Blue Star
Entertainment Int’l imprint). Their debut album, Bluestars, was released
in late May of 2005 to great fanfare. The album is hip-hop in nature, but
brings many elements of music into its various tracks. There is club music,
party music, love songs and even some that a bit bluesy. They do not want to be
categorized into any one type of music and want to be thought of as unique, as
Baby Blue has said "You can’t compare us because what we’re doing ain’t never
been done before." One thing remains true for all of their songs, they focus in
on the ladies.
With their recent success, they have become
entrepreneurial in their own right, marketing themselves. They have even
developed their own clothing line called Marco De Bleu.
They are currently out on tour promoting their
album.
Influences of the band: The Jackson 5, *NSYNC,
Immature, Nelly, Tupac, and The Notorious B.I.G.;
Influences of Pleasure: - Immature, Usher,
Keith Sweat, Stevie Wonder, and Gerald Levert
Biography by Ian Ripley,
PopStarsPlus.com, Sr. Staff Writer
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