Remember the Group City High?
City High was an R&B and hip-hop trio hailing from Willingboro Township, New Jersey. The group, active from 1999 to 2003, consisted of Ryan Toby, Robbie Pardlo, and Claudette Ortiz. They gained widespread recognition with their 2001 hit single “What Would You Do?” Produced by Wyclef Jean, the track became a staple on MTV and peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.
Their self-titled debut album, released in May 2001, received critical acclaim and moderate commercial success. The album featured other notable tracks, including “Caramel,” which reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 and included a remix featuring rapper Eve. Despite their initial success, City High disbanded shortly after their debut album’s release.
The group’s formation was rooted in personal and professional connections. Ortiz and Pardlo, who dated during high school, joined forces with Toby after being signed by Wyclef Jean’s Booga Basement label. However, internal conflicts and shifting dynamics, including Ortiz’s later marriage to Toby, contributed to the group’s eventual breakup.
City High’s brief but impactful career left a mark on early 2000s R&B and hip-hop, with their socially conscious lyrics and unique sound continuing to resonate with fans.
Robbie Pardlo, the third member of City High, has been struggling since the group disbanded and appeared recently on the A&E original ‘Intervention’.
When Robbie’s mother discovered his music talent, she became a classic stage mother and relentlessly pushed him. Robby formed a group that became an instant success, even earning a Grammy nomination. But Robby indulged in the excesses of fame and fortune, and became an alcoholic. The group fell apart, and Robby became deeply depressed. His family and friends fear that he is intentionally drinking himself to death and believe that an intervention is their last hope (A&E).
Not everything is as it appears…it’s not all glitz, glamour, cash and fun…
This is Before…
This is After….
Caramel Ft. Eve
What Would You Do
