With their debut album Bluestars, Pretty Ricky seeks to fill the urban boy band void left by the breakup of B2K and other groups. However, they put a twist on the boy band formula by having more rappers than singers.
Pretty Ricky is made up of the sons of Joseph Blue Smith, an entrepreneur who came up with the idea for the group and signed them to his Blue Star Entertainment International label. Corey "Slick 'Em" Mathis, Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith, and Spectacular Smith are the rappers while Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper is the group's lone singer. Like most boy bands, Pretty Ricky's music is aimed directly at the young female audience. Unfortunately, that's probably the only audience who will really enjoy it.
Pretty Ricky takes the boy band formula of sweet sentiments and adds a healthy dose of raciness. This results in songs that go from borderline sappy to borderline nasty, sometimes in mid-verse. The lyrics are simplistic and silly. The only song that uses the silliness to its advantage is "Grill 'Em," one of the few songs that doesn't deal with sex. You can't help but laugh as the rappers rattle off everything they have that is blue. Also, some songs are still appealing despite their flaws, such as "Call Me," "Juicy," (with its I-can't-believe-they-said-that chorus) and "Grind With Me," the group's current hit single.
Another problem with this album is the way the group sounds. The rappers sound too similar to each other. Sometimes, the only way to tell them apart is to wait for one of them to say his name in a verse. All of their voices get annoying after a while and the album is probably a little longer than it should be. It also doesn't help that Pleasure sings on every song on the album. It would've been nice to hear one song without singing (or even one song without rapping).
Overall, Bluestars will probably be a hit with its target audience. Those who are not part of the group's audience will find a few decent songs and that's it. I don't see Pretty Ricky becoming the next B2K but one never knows. These brothers do have some ambitions beyond music and this is just their first album. Time will tell if the group will stick around, fade into the woodwork, or spawn successful solo artists.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Confidential
Before begin, I would like to start by saying that I am a complete fan of Pretty Ricky, and in that matter, I see myself as a representative of the group. So as a representaive, I will state my comments as follows like a lady and not cursing you out like I could. FIRST OF ALL,I know for a fact that Pretty Ricky is not trying to fill any boyband void left by anybody. They're trying to shy away from the typical boyband stereotypes.And the lyrics are not simplistic and silly. They appeal to exactly who Pretty Ricky wanted to appeal to, and that's the ladies.And as for the song "Grill 'Em", ;Well its a southern thang Boo Boo, one which you probably wouldn't know anything about! And I don't know what the hell you were talkin about when you said that all the rappers sound alike. I don't know what's wrong with your hearing but I can tell the difference between the voice of each artist just fine! And you say u have a problem with Pleasure singing on every song. Well for your imformation I happen to like his singing and it doesn't get boring. He adds a whole different flavor to the album and his singing makes it even more appealing. I mean really, what gurl doesn't want to be sang to by a good looking boy? It makes us feel special and sexy and if you have a problem with it then don't listen to to the album.They're freakyness, rapping, singing, dancing, and performing abilities all appeal to me. I think Pretty Ricky is the best thing going right now and will be for avery long time,and if you feel differently then I seriously feel sorry for you and I promise to pray for you.....I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE WHOLE PRETTY RICKY CLICK AND EVERYBODY WHO MADE PRETTY RICKY POSSIBLE. I REALLY ENJOYED THE ALBUM AND YALL KEEP DOIN THE DAMN THANG. DON'T LET HATERS PUT YOU DOWN. YALL JUST KEEP RISING TO THE TOP!! HOLLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 - lachaundra
I LOVE PRETTY RICKY THEM I AM UP 12:37 AM LOOKING UP THINGS ABOUT THEM I JUST LISTEN TO THERE CD OVER IN OVER AGAIN I AM FROM MIAMI I LIVE IN BROWNSUB I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNEW THEM BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE MADE ONE OF THEM MY BABY DADDY WITH OR WITHOUT THE MONEY I LOVE THEM SO IHOPE THEY KEEP THIER HEADS UP CAUSE GOD HAS ALOT IN STORE FOR THEM THIS PRETTY RICKY WIFE.
3 - brandy
hey hey hey this yo girl brandy from hamilton i just went to the pretty rickys concert at kings island and they so hot and i love them so much i would do anything for them i just want the chance to just meet them once or just meet one of them...Spectacular if possible....please just make this one dream come true for me please
please just let this one thing happen for me please love you pretty ricky!!!!!!!yo number 1 fan foreal
4 - T-1
i just want you to know i rep yall. keep doing the dame thang and rep the dale while yall at it.
dis be yall girl t-1 from the dale.
5 - erica
hey yall some freaks and yall keep that shit up cuz u know us texas gurls likes they men fiesty baby. holla love them texas gals
6 - Excel and tasha
y is there name pretty ricky anyway. who the hell is ricky!! and where u get pretty from they alll ugly. except spectacular cuz he is soooo sexy o0o0o yea he make me wet.slick'em is ugly.pleasure is ok.babyblue is fat lol jk.they aite tho they aint b2k. there much crapper than that. B5 is better cya bitches!!
7 - Phileesha
Pretty Rickey is off the chain
they are very talented
my favorite one is Spectacular because he is so fine and he has a sexy voice.
8 - marissa rogers
wuz up this ya girl marissa. i luuuuuuuuuuuuuuv pretty ricky. People be saying that some of y'all is ugly, but i think different. I think all y'all is soooo fine. pleasure is extra extra extra fine. speccy is extra extra sexy. slick'em looks extra fun and wild and cute. baby blue wooah he is fine, but most most favorite is pleasure he looks so fine ,sexy and fun so i luuuuuuuuuuuuuv all y'all.
i was hoping to be the next blue star girl for your group cause i can sang. i'm gonna have to addition for y'all one day. call me if you need directions to my house. okay. and pleasure call me when it's time turn off all the lights.
9 - Pleasurez Wifey
Oh Hell Nah Wdf @ Dis Bitch Sayin >>> y is there name pretty ricky anyway. who the hell is ricky!! and where u get pretty from they alll ugly. except spectacular cuz he is soooo sexy o0o0o yea he make me wet. slick'em is ugly.pleasure is ok.babyblue is fat lol jk. they aite tho they aint b2k. there much crapper than that. B5 is better cya bitches!! <<< .. Bitch You Jus Mad.. Dey Dont Want Yo Ugly Crab Infested Ass.. Stop Hatin.. Dumb Broad.. Anyways =] I Loveee Pretty Ricky.. I Jus Went To Dey Concert @ Kings Island & Dey Rocked Dat Shit.. It Was Hella Hyper N Everythang Mayn.. I Had 2nd Row Seat`s SHITTT.. I Jus Wanna Say Big Up`z To Pleasure &Spectac &Slick &BabyBlue Doin They Thang Out There.. It Was Hella Hot.. Well Anyways.. I Jus Wish They Could Come Back To Cincinnati.. =] Im Goin To Their Concert In Michigan&Alabama
10 - Concerned
Ladies, Leaving your personal phone #'s and your home addresses up here on the internet is probably not the smartest thing you ever did.
There are some FU'd peoples out there in the digital shadowswaiting for info like that. Y'allshould take 'em down and repost if you are smart.
11 - Pleasure's wife
Pretty Ricky is off da chains! I love em all! Especially my man Pleasure he is soooo sexy! I live in VA and I'm going to the Scream 4 tour to see them! P.S. i WANNA PLAY HOUSE!
12 - Eric Olsen
Concerned is exactly right: do not leave your phone number or address on the Internet - it is extremely unwise for about 50 different reasons
13 - Esther
(to excel tasha)I would like ta say u need ta stop all that haten on Pretty Ricky u must have drunk that haterade or something. Pretty Ricky is a very good group u said everybody in the group are ugly so that makes spectacular ugly too. So get ur mind right they representing MIAMI ta da fullest so trick quick haten. All of them are good lookin female stop haten u said B5 looks good gurl get ur eyes check fa real. Thank you in have a bless day
14 - Pleasure`z 1 & Onlii Wifey!!..
Umm.. To Da Bitch Sayin Pleasure Yo Hubbi.. Nigga Pls.. Bes Get Outta Here With That Shit.. Bes Get On Sum Real Shit.. He Dont Want Yo Musty Pussy.. Or Play House With Yo Ass.. So Be Gone Ho.. &Big Up`z To Esher.. Or W/e.. You Go Guh.. &To The Hatin Ass Ho Who Sayin b5 Look Betta Then Pretty Ricky.. Df You Smokin Whore?.. LMFAO! Good Lawd.. White Ass Children These Days Get To Mah Head Yo..
15 - Labrenia
I really licke all of u guys, but my favorite's are Slick Em & Spectacular.I don;t know if I'm going to go to the Scream 4 Tour because I got WWE tickets. And if I go to the concert I gotta go with a parent.
16 - Ki&Bri
dis bri and my girl ki we just here ta say we luv Pretty Ricky and we think they music fly and I (bri) won't to let them know that I wrote reply to they song "Grind With Me" (when I wrote it I was just playin' and I wouldn't really do the things that I wrote in the hook cause I'm a lil bit to young to me and I ain't gon do that fo real):
[Hook]
I wanna grind with you; do all the things you wanna do; I got no problem wit whatever we do; baby don't stop cause I'm in the mood;I wanna grind with you; Grind wit you; do all the things you wanna do; I got no problem wit whatever we do; baby don't stop cause I'm in the mood;I wanna grind with you; Baby Blue is so sweet, he fulfillin all my needs; Make me feel alright, all through the night; Spec make me scream, he the man of my dreams; I get weak in my knees ever time I see him; Pleasure give me pleasure in any kind of weather; When it�s stormin outside he always hold me tight; Slik-em so slik make me wanna be his chick; I thought I'll let ya'll know that I think ya'll tight and that ya'll do this right; that I'm a real big fan and I wan't Spect to be my man even though I'm probably to young I geuss I get this done; I just thought it be fun. (I know the end a little corny but here Ki.)Hey I just wanted to say hey to my boys spectacular, pleasure, baby blu,& slick 'em, I love ya'll.
17 - tag101
u guys are a great groups and i see great things in the future for you guys and spectaular you are so fine and so is slick and pleasure my friend loves you .and baby blue my other freind loves you too .but we"re probably alittle too young but we love yall and keep up the fantastic work i and many more hope for 8 more cd"s thats how great you are. your one of many true fans . taylor.a. glenn
18 - Desrita Sutton
i just want to say that i love pretty ricky and their album. To pleasure i love you the most and you are so fine. i hope to see pretty ricky in person
19 - $LlLSpectac$
Yea dis be ya gurl lil spectac holdin it down who ever don't like pretty Ricky can go somewhere with dat cuz ya'll just haten on my boyz cuz dey doin bigger and better thangs so all ya'll hataz need to get on ya job and cop dey album "BlueStars" 4 sho big out to all dem females who love pleasure,spectacular and slickem and yea i can't leave out my boy Baby blue 4 da realist cuz dey stay holden it down
in da 305 miami 4sho!!!!!!!!!!!!!
20 - Pleasure's Babygirl
Critics always got somethin' to say bout somebody,they just hatin'. I love Pretty Ricky especially Pleasure that's my baby,yall are doin' real good continue to do yall thing and don't break up,show everybody what yall bout represent and I'm gone represent with yall,too.Keep doin' yall thing keep ya headup and F these critics out here they aint doin' nothin' but playa hatin' cause yall got that bread an the don't. I love yall...This Pleasure's Babygirl leavin'!!!
21 - noneofnobodybusinesswhoIam
Let me be the one who bring the truth to ya'll immature people and you should know who you are.If you black and hateing on Pretty Ricky then you need to be slapped in the face, if you don't know why then go read some history books because you won't learn it in school.If Pretty Ricky were out doing something wrong ya'll and every other person would be complaining about it.Now they trying to make a living and have and do something with their lives ya'll still want to complain.I see now where the phrase can't please NIGGERS (ignorant people)come in at.I'm feeling Pretty Ricky and so are alot of other people so all ya'll haters out there they don't need ya'll because they have me and any other person who backs me up on this.
22 - ladywarrior
Pretty Ricky, years from now i
m making a show and hope to put you all on there as guest stars. it's a cartoon and it'll probably be on adult swim. the shit gon' be true and ya'll representing so i'm gonna represent to. i'm singing and i sing for the show too. i might be famous and plan on signing onto atlantic records with yall. i got big dreams and i'm gon' make them reality. Pretty Ricky you all the best. keep doing the damn thang!
23 - angel
wad up pretty rickey i just want to say dat ya'll ae the hottest group around since b2k and dat i really love yo song age aint nothin but a # and i want to say pleasure you are so damn sexy.
luv ya'll
angel
24 - Baby D
First I'd like to congradulate Pretty Ricky because they are really doin it big, they
have a hot album that has a sexy feel to it. And I think they should
continue to do what they do... make music for the ladies. And I love
how the group distinguishes themselves from the others. They're not
just the sing it group or just the rappin group, they mixed both. And
for all of yall out there who dosn't know how Pretty Ricky Bluestars
got their name, well I'm gonna tell you. When they were in school,
since they were all brothers, they would dress alike and the girls
would be like aww yall so pretty and then there was also a
there was an episode of Martin with Pretty Ricky Fontaine on it, and
Pretty Ricky is what they called them from the show. And the Bluestars
part is because their dad's name is Blue and all his kids are
considered stars. And if you want more information like the stuff that
I got about them just go to yahoo.com and type in, information on
Pretty Ricky. And Pretty Ricky keep doin yall thang, I love all yall(especially Spectacular). And I think that yall should come visit the Miltown sometime.
25 - Ariel
i just wanted to say, fuck all yall who hatin on pretty ricky, they are all cute in their own way and especially pleasure who is so damn fine!! pretty ricky keep doin what u do and forget them haters cuz yall got it goin on fo real!!
~*Ariel*~