Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Laments The "Industry Never Gave Us Our Flowers"

BY Erika Marie 1.9K Views
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Pretty Ricky, Spectacular
He claimed the Pretty Ricky "paved the way for all new artists making sexual music."

Are people sleeping on Pretty Ricky's legacy? There have been several conversations regarding Mt. Rushmore's, greatest of all time lists, and who-should-face-off-with-whom on Verzuz, and Spectacular believes that his group deserves more respect. The Miami R&B-Hip Hop group burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with their classic hit "Grind With Me," later making waves with other favorites including "Your Body" and "On The Hotline."

They even stormed the Millennium Tour stages back in 2019 alongside artists like B2K, Mario, the Ying Yang Twins, and Lloyd. While fans haven't ceased in expressing love for Pretty Ricky, Spectacular took to Instagram to get a few things off of his chest. "The industry never gave us our flowers," he began.

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"We were the first to do a whole r&b and rap album," wrote Spectacular. "We were the first to have three rappers and one singer in a group. We were the first to formate a song with rapping verses, singing hooks with multiple rappers. We were the first to make it cool for guys to eat the box. We were the first to make a girl take their granny panties off and put a thong on. We were the first to put 808 bass on every record. We were the first group to have a #1 album on the r&b and rap charts at the same time for five consecutive weeks. We were the first to make it cool to grind on each other."

He listed off other arguable firsts, including playing their catalog from front to back without skipping and making lanes for sex-oriented music. "We were the first group that helps you get popping in the bedroom. We were the first group that had you grinding on each other on the floor, chairs, walls, and dance floors at parties and clubs," he added. "We made it cool to be sexy and express yourself sexually. We got banned from radio stations because our lyrics were too dirty, we paved the way for all new artists making sexual music."

Regardless of the lack of flowers that Spectacular believes they deserve, he claimed that the group knows their impact. "I haven't seen another band come close to us yet, respectfully." Do you agree with Spectacular? Check out his post in full below.

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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