City High
OriginWillingboro Township, New Jersey, United States
GenresHip hop, R&B
Years active1999–2003
LabelsInterscope Records, Booga Basement Records, Trackmasters Entertainment
Past membersRyan Toby
Robbie Pardlo
Claudette Ortiz

City High was an American R&B/hip hop trio consisting of Ryan Toby, Robbie Pardlo, and Claudette Ortiz. The group's sole studio album City High (2001), was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their biggest hit, the Wyclef Jean-produced single "What Would You Do?", was a MTV staple, and earned them a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.[1][2] Their 2001 single "Caramel" featuring rapper Eve peaked within the top twenty on the US Billboard Hot 100. City High disbanded shortly after.[3]

Career

In 2001, City High released "What Would You Do?" from their self-titled album. Their follow-up single was "Caramel", with a remix featuring rapper Eve.[4] The final single from the group's debut and only album was "City High Anthem".

Prior to the creation of City High, bandmates Claudette Ortiz and Robbie Pardlo dated throughout their high school years.[5] After meeting and performing for Wyclef Jean, they were signed to his Booga Basement recording label. As Wooga Booga already had a duo, they invited Ryan Toby and became the City High trio instead.[5] Following her breakup with Pardlo, Ortiz went on to date Toby. Ortiz and Toby married in 2004, but later divorced in 2007.[6][7]

About the disbandment, Toby said: “We did a second album, it wasn’t as good as the first album, it was a little rushed. There was some turmoil in the group, the vibe and chemistry was off. We decided to walk away.“[8]

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[9] 		US
R&B
[10] 		CAN
[11] 		GER
[12] 		NZ
[13] 		UK
[14] 		UK
R&B
[14]
City High 34 23 55 82 11 89 14

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[16] 		US
R&B
[17] 		US
Rhyth.
[18] 		AUS
[19] 		CAN
Digital
[20] 		GER
[12] 		NZ
[13] 		SWI
[21] 		UK
[14]
"What Would You Do?" 2001 8 13 2 2 19 24 20 7 3 City High
"Caramel"
(featuring Eve) 		18 9 3 47 — 70 — 72 9
"City High Anthem" 2002 — — 36 — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. ^ www.grammy.com https://www.grammy.com/artists/city-high/7137. Retrieved 6 April 2023. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Sfetcu, Nicolae (7 May 2014). The Music Sound. Nicolae Sfetcu.
  3. ^ Billboard.com
  4. ^ MTV's City High artist page Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Dimewars.com Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ "Ryan Toby Interview". Randb.about.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Ryan Toby Talks Solo Career, City High Debut Album, Writing Behind The Scenes (Exclusive) - YouKnowIGotSoul.com". 5 June 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Billboard 200 – Week of June 9, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of June 9, 2001". Billboard. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. 12 July 2001. Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Discographie von City High". GfK Entertainment (in German). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Discography City High". charts.nz. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "City High". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  15. ^ "American certifications – City High". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  16. ^ "City High – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  17. ^ "City High – Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  18. ^ "City High – Chart History: Rhythmic Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Discography City High". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  20. ^ "City High – Chart History: Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Discographie City High". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  23. ^ "British certifications – City High". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 January 2024. Type City High in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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