Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/hip hop group which originated from Miami, Florida. The group originally consisted of brothers Ala Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith and "Spectacular" Blue Smith, cousin Corey "Slick em" Mathis, and family friend Marcus "Pleasure P" Cooper. Cooper is the group's only singer; the others take roles as rappers.
The band's name was taken from a character in Martin Lawrence's comedy series, Martin. "We all used to dress alike, really different to everyone else. We wore fur in the summer when everyone else was in t-shirts," Pleasure explained. "On the show was a character called 'Pretty Ricky.' He was slick and always dressed different to everyone else, so all the girls at school started calling us 'Pretty Ricky'."
The group had great success with singles such as "Grind With Me" and "On The Hotline", and albums such as Late Night Special and Bluestars.
Pleasure P left the group in 2007 to embark on a solo career. Since then, Pretty Ricky has replaced the lead singer numerous times with ex-members 4Play, Mowet, and Lingerie. Since 2015, Pleasure P has reunited with the group, releasing their latest single, "Puddles", and preparing a final album and tour for 2017.
Video Pretty Ricky
Early years
1997-2003: Beginnings
In 1997 while performing together in Miami, Florida Pretty Ricky was signed to Bluestar Entertainment by CEO Joseph "Blue" Smith. Supported by their father, Joseph "Blue" Smith Sr., who also served as the band's manager, these four boys, also was joined by their older brother, Joseph "J.Long" Smith Jr., set out to develop their music career in 1997 under the name of "Pretty Rickie and The Maverix". According to a 1999 story in The Miami Herald, at first, it was J.Long who was called "Pretty Rickie" while the other four brothers were "The Maverix". Upon his departure from the group, and with the objection of the country band The Mavericks regarding the name, the remaining personnel decided to reapply their original idea of the band's identity, using the name "Pretty Ricky". The remaining four brothers decided to change "ie" to "y" as it sounded "more masculine".
With the help from producer Jim Jonsin of the Unusual Suspects production team, Pretty Ricky began to gain a desirable attention through their local performances. However, it was not until 2002 that the group encountered their initial success as their song "Flossin'" became a huge hit on Miami radio station Power 96. Their career almost ended in 2007 when the singer Pleasure P left the group. They released their second single "So Fresh So Clean" in June 2004. Both were set to be the first singles on their original debut studio, What They Call Me, which was scheduled for 2003. The album was never released.
Maps Pretty Ricky
2004-05: Bluestars
In 2004, inspired by the writing and poetry of independent south Orange County, California-based rappers Yung Motif and Status Quo, Pretty Ricky released their first single "Grind With Me". It went on to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at #7, and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
The single made its way to popularity on Power 96, and the station's Program Director, Tony the Tiger (Ira Wolf), sent the single to Craig Kallman, Co-Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Atlantic Records. Upon his arrival in Florida in December, he was amazed by the commotion the band had ignited at a Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in Hallandale. "It was complete pandemonium," Kallman said. "Hundreds & hundreds of screaming, shrieking girls basically stormed the stage & bum rushed the guys as they came off, chasing them down the field, jumping on the van, trying to climb on the van." Invited by Kallman to have an audition with Wolf looking on in his hotel room at Loew's Miami Beach, Pretty Ricky was offered a record deal on the spot.
On May 17, 2005, Pretty Ricky released their debut album titled Bluestars. It debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 56,000 copies in the first week, and within several months, was certified Gold by RIAA. On June 15, 2005, Pretty Ricky released their second single from the album, "Your Body", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #12.
In the summer of 2005 the group toured with Omarion, Bow Wow, Chris Brown, Bobby V, and other acts in the Scream Tour IV concert series.
2006-07: Pleasure P's departure and Late Night Special
On November 9, 2006, Pretty Ricky released their first single co-produced by Newport Coast-based producer and mixer DJ Bougie Charlemagne, originally of Oceanwind Records, titled "On the Hotline", from their second album. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #97, and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
On January 23, 2007, Pretty Ricky released their second album, Late Night Special, which sold over 132,000 copies in the first week, topping the Billboard 200 album charts. That March they released their second single, "Push It Baby", featuring reggae artist Sean Paul.
In 2007, after the release of Late Night Special, the group's lead vocalist Pleasure P left the group. The group later revealed in a statement posted to their website "...we did kick him out of the group, he did not leave on his own free will." Pleasure P moved on to begin a successful solo career. He was replaced by up-and-coming singer 4Play, who wrote most of Pretty Ricky's songs.
2008: 4Play's arrival/departure and Eighties Babies
In 2008, after replacing lead vocalist Pleasure P with singer 4Play, Pretty Ricky started working on a new album titled Eighties Babies. Its release date was set for October 14, 2008, but due to leaking and creative differences among the members, Pretty Ricky shelved the album, and 4Play left the group the following year.
2009: Lingerie's arrival and Pretty Ricky
In 2009 the band replaced lead vocalist 4Play with singer Lingerie.
On August 26, 2009, it was announced that Pretty Ricky had departed from Atlantic Records due to an ongoing feud with DJ Bougie Charlemagne, and had signed with independent Atlanta-based record company Big Cat Records.
Their new album, released on November 17, 2009, was titled Pretty Ricky. It debuted at #97 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling over 10,000 copies in the first week. Only two singles were released from the album: "Tipsy (In Dis Club)" and "Say a Command".
2010-2011: Lingerie's departure, J.Long's arrival, mixtapes and Bluestars 2
On June 12, 2010, Pretty Ricky released their single "Personal Freak", and on July 27, released "Cookie Cutter". On August 10, 2010, they released an extended play titled Topless.
On December 27, 2010, in an interview Pretty Ricky announced that they were working on their fourth album, to be titled Bluestars 2, a sequel to their critically acclaimed album Bluestars.
On August 12, 2011, Pretty Ricky released a mixtape titled Sex Music Vol. 1: Streets N The Sheets featuring Irvine-based rapper and producer Status Quo.
2015-present: Pleasure P's return and reunion album
After a three-year hiatus, on February 16, 2015, Pretty Ricky released a promotional reunion single titled "Puddles". This marked the return of former lead vocalist Pleasure P to the group. "Puddles" was the most requested song on South Florida's major radio station, 99JAMZ, in the days following its release.
On February 25, 2015, during an interview, Pretty Ricky announced that they were working on a new album to be released on their newly founded record label Pretty Ricky Records. In November 2016, Rico Love announced that he would be the executive producer for the new album, which will be released in 2017.
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Mixtapes
Singles
References
External links
What They Call Em|http://www.allmusic.com/album/what-they-call-em-mw0000037385
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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