B2K or Pretty Ricky: Ray J chose Pretty Ricky

While on the set of Love & Hip Hop Hollywood, singer Ray J stirred up a nice debate. He asked cast members their opinion of who was the better boy band, B2K or Pretty Ricky? Ray J proceed to say that Pretty Ricky was the better group, but several others disagreed leaving the debate inconclusive. This is a classic debate of influence/sales versus content. Although both groups have platinum albums and singles which one dominated their era?

B2K (1998-2004)

B2k launched in the late 90s and became an instant success by the year 2000, with their hit single "Uh-Huh." After touring with the young rap sensation Lil Bow Wow, B2k could gain their fans easily, and sky rocket into the mainstream appeal. The RnB hip-hop group became the heartthrobs of every young girl. The group consisted of 4 members: Omarion, Lil Fiz, J-Bug, and Raz B. My personal eye candy was J-Bug although the lead singer was Omarion, who eventually went solo from the group. Songs like "Bump, Bump, Bump" solidifies their place as one of the hottest Boy Bands of all time. Especially since during this time frame they were in competition with pop boy band sensation N'Sync. They were competing with the top heartthrobs, and still could become successful. Once Omarion became a successful solo artist in 2005, a new male group emerged.

Pretty Rick (2005-2007)

Pretty Ricky was a male hip-hop group, originally from Miami. In 2005, the song "Grind With Me" altered male groups forever. The sexually explicit content created a whole new type of audience. Male groups were a woman and kid obsession, but Pretty Ricky made it ok for men to openly enjoy male groups also. Although the group only had 2 successful albums, almost every song on these albums were hits. Pretty Ricky disregards all censorship and relates to human desires. They said what everyone has secretly thought, and because of this their songs were better. Both Bluestars and Late Night Special are albums you can play without skipping a single song, you can't do that with any B2k album.

In conclusion B2k was a mainstream boy band whose focus was to appeal to the younger crowd, and they exceeded expectations. Giving them the title as the better group against Pretty Ricky, because of their influence. However Pretty Ricky overall has the better music without a doubt, because they created timeless classic. Timeless meaning that to appreciate their songs I don't have to be between the ages of 10-16.