City High was an American
R&B/
hip hop trio consisting of
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
s/singers Ryan Toby, Robbie Pardlo, and
Claudette Ortiz
Claudette Ortiz (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer, model and television personality, best known as a member of the R&B trio City High. Ortiz also was a castmate in TV One's reality series '' R&B Divas: Los Angeles''.
Biography
Early lif ...
. City High is best known for their song "
What Would You Do?", which earned a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination.
Career
In 2001, City High released "
What Would You Do?" from their self-titled album. Their follow-up single was "
Caramel
Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.
The process of caramelizatio ...
", with a remix featuring rapper
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
. 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.
[Dimewars.com](_blank)
After meeting and performing for
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
, 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.
Following her breakup with Pardlo, Ortiz went on to date Toby. Ortiz and Toby married in 2004, but later divorced in 2007.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
{{Authority control
East Coast hip hop groups
Musical groups established in 1999
Musical groups disestablished in 2003
Musical groups from New Jersey
Hip hop groups from Philadelphia
Musical groups from Philadelphia
American musical trios
People from Willingboro Township, New Jersey
1999 establishments in New Jersey
Interscope Records artists