Pretty Ricky History

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.

The guys learned at an early age the value of a hard work ethic. The boys had their very own Joe Jackson in their father, Blue Smith, whom they affectionately call "'ol boy." Blue was the staunch disciplinarian, ensuring that his boys were developing and perfecting their craft. Humbly beginning as pre-teen dancers for an older brother who was on the verge of his own solo career, the troop performed Miami-based hood dances in the background of his show. Their high-paced antics propelled them into the foreground in the eyes of the audience and not long after, the boys began to contemplate becoming students in the school of hip-hop.

Spectacular, Slick 'Em, and Baby Blue were influenced by The Jackson 5, *NSYNC, Immature, Nelly, Tupac, and The Notorious B.I.G., while the group's lone resident crooner, Pleasure, was honing in on Immature, Usher, Keith Sweat, Stevie Wonder, and Gerald Levert. But influences can only take you so far - what they needed was to find their own voice. They teamed up with producer Jim Jonsin of Unusual Suspects production team fame (responsible for Trick Daddy's recent smash, "Let's Go"), and history was in the making.

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.

By 2002, Pretty Ricky began tasting greater success with their song "Flossin'," which began buzzing on Miami radio station Power 96. With its infectious Miami bass beat and hook - "me and you, and you and me/y'all ridin' on some 22's and 23's/we ridin' on some 24's down on the beach/no one flosses better/we flossin' forever" - it was an instant hit with their rapidly growing female fan base. The ladies began to request the song on the radio, helping to rapidly increase the momentum and popularity of the group. Pretty Ricky continued grinding and hustling - writing songs, building relationships with their fans, and doing lots of shows. They have opened for some of hip-hop's heavyweights, including Run-DMC, Lil Jon, Trick Daddy, Trina, and newcomer, fellow Miami comrade Pitbull, whom they cite as someone who has "opened doors, shown us a lot of love, and taught us a lot," announces Spectacular.

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.

"Grind On Me" began to get heavy airplay on Miami radio, which lead to a deal with Atlantic Records and national exposure. The band specializes in synthesizer-heavy R&B that appeals to female listeners; "Grind With Me," a sanitized version of their hit single, powered their debut album Bluestars.

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.

In 2005 the band toured with Omarion and other pop-friendly R&B acts in the Scream Tour IV concert series. Their second release, Late Night Special (2007), included the hit singles "On the Hotline" and "(I Wanna See You) Push It, Baby."

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.

Sources: biggeststars.com, popstarsplus.com, infoplease.com.