City High

by Kerry L. Smith
If three's a charm, than Toby Ryan and Robby Pardlo of City High must have known immediately that their group was complete when they were introduced to 18-year-old rapper and singer Claudette Ortiz. The hip-hop/R&B group was originally intended to be a two-man group, until Wyclef Jean asked Ortiz to join the group. The three young rappers (all hailing from Willingboro, NJ) have all dabbled in acting and producing in addition to their songwriting and rapping talents. The group released their first album, the self-titled City High, on Booga Basement/Interscope Records in 2001. Robby Pardlo, the first member of the group, also plays the piano, writes lyrics, and arranges songs. City High was the first group to be signed to the Booga Basement record label -- a joint venture with Interscope Records. Ryan Toby appeared in the movie Sister Act 2 when he was eight years old, and his producing credits include Will Smith's hit "Miami." Their songs tend to have deep, provocative lyrics about everyday issues that many teenagers face. The rap trio wrote and co-produced most of their debut album.