Pretty Ricky is a Miami-based group with a lot of sex appeal to the
young ladies. As well as their music they have their own clothing line,
Marco De Bleu, and an upcoming MTV reality show, "Living With the Blue
Stars." Influenced by The Jackson 5 (with whom they have been compared),
NSYNC, Tupac, Nelly, and The Notorious B.I.G., they want to become
trendsetters, attempting to do it differently even to re-inventing the
head-to-toe outfit which had them called the "glitter boys." Hitting
their stride in their early 20's, the boys of Pretty Ricky began to
sample success in 2002 with "Flossin." Picked up by Miami radio
stations, it became a most requested song by their steadily increasing
female fans. In late-2004, the Miami radio stations began playing "Grind
With Me," which soon became the most requested song in a local station's
history.
The name of the group came from a sitcom. As the boys had always been
snappy dressers, the girls at school called them "pretty". Then an
episode aired from the Martin Lawrence show which introduced Pretty
Ricky Fontaine, and the name was borrowed and applied to them by their
schoolmates.
Eldest in the foursome is Marcus Cooper, known as Pleasure, who was born
December 27th, 1984 in Miami. The only crooner of the four, Marcus has
been described as the smooth one. Influenced by the Jackson Five,
Immature, and Boyz II Men, he aims to make the fans happy with feel-good
music that everyone, young and old, can relate to. In the beginning it
was Marcus who sought success as a solo artist with his half-brothers
helping in the show by providing the background dances. When the
audience accepted them as a group, the result was "Pretty Ricky." They
were encouraged and influenced by their father, Blue Smith [who has been
equated to Joe Jackson, the ambitious and tyrannical father of the
Jackson Five]. They always emphasize their differences, having the one
singer and three rappers. But the the flashy costumes and onstage
acrobatics is reminiscent of the Jackson Five. They played to audiences
throughout Florida and the southeast, starting in 1997. It wasn't until
the early 2000s that hit singles grabbed the attention of the girls and
the local radio stations, inspiring Atlantic Records to sign them up.
Their debut album, Bluestars, was released to the public in May 2005.
The second member of the group is Spectacular Smith, biological brother
to Diamond Blue, and one of the three rappers. Spectacular is both his
real name and his stage name. He was born September 7th, 1985, in Miami
Florida. "I bring the sex appeal to the group," says Spectacular. "I'm
always the one dancing and basically just bringing a lot of energy to
our performances. Our motto is that we are not gonna make a song
unless it's a single. No filler on an album ... We are putting all of
the good stuff on one album." His favorite artists when growing up were
Keith Sweat, Jodeci, and H-Town.
Third member is Diamond Blue Smith, known as "Baby Blue".
Born August 13th, 1986, this biological brother of Spectacular is a fan
of Brad Pitt movies and Italian food, who was influenced by his favorite
artists, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Outkast. He likes to keep
it down-to-earth for his fans, always ready to interact with audience
and give an autograph. None of the boys want to forget their fans and
who launched them into their increasingly successful career. According
to Diamond, "You can't compare us because what we're doing ain't never
been done before. We hit every aspect of music. We do club music, party
music, and love songs. Our main focus is toward the ladies. Everything we
do is for the ladies."
The final member of the foursome, is likely the most talented and least
showcased. Slick 'em, was born Cory Mathis on June 3rd, 1985. The
Gemini of the group, Slick is the "crazy one" with a penchant for pizza
and hamburgers. According to Slick 'em: "Our Dad, Ol' Boy, has about
fiftyeleven kids and all of them are stars. He's got kids that
are football players, basketball players and even some who are going to
Ivy League schools. Being that his name is Blue, we decided to call
[our first] album, Bluestars." Numbered among Slick Em's favorite
artists are Trick Daddy, Outkast, 8-Ball, and Pitbull. Lately the group
has been touring with Bow Wow, Marques Houston, Omarion, B5, and Bobby
Valentino, but earlier they were an opening act for industry notables
including Run-DMC.
The group is still brand new, and despite negative criticisms about their
image, lyrics and origins, the ultimate test of time, is their growing
fan base. And the girls are just crazy about them.
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