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City High Information
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'City High' is an American R&B/hip hop trio consisting of rappers/singers 'Toby Ryan', 'Robby Pardlo' and 'Claudette Ortiz'. Originally signed to Wyclef Jean's Booga Basement imprint as a duo, the group became a trio when Jean realized that the group resembled another group on his roster, The Product G&B, too much. Ortiz was then added to the group after contributing her vocals to the group's first big hit, "What Would You Do" from the Life soundtrack in 1999. City High drew comparisons to their mentor's supergroup, The Fugees for two main reasons: the first being that the make-up of the band was two male members and a superstar female member, and also the fact that the members both sang and rap. Unlike The Fugees, however, City High had more of an R&B slant as opposed to being mostly hip hop.
The band's peak
In 2001, "What Would You Do" was released as part of the band's eponymous debut to radio with a new mix that interpolated Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" into the bridge. The song, a story seen from different perspectives about a young woman who becomes a stripper to feed her child, became a US Pop Top 10 and R&B Top 20 hit. The band's follow-up single, "Caramel," had Ortiz singing lead and Pardlo on the bridge. In the original version, there is also a section where Ortiz sings in Spanish. For radio release, the song was remixed to include to rapper Eve (rapper). "Caramel" was a US Pop Top 20 and R&B Top 10 hit. The final single from the group's debut was "City High Anthem," which failed to make a big impact on urban and top 40 markets. Once again, however, a remix was released, featuring rapper Styles P.
In early 2002, City High shot several mini music video commercials for MTV based on their own songs promoting the 11th season of "Real World," set in Chicago.
Claudette Ortiz's solo projects
Since then, Ortiz has had a child and recorded several songs on her own, and it is rumored that the band split up to pursue solo projects, despite talk in 2002 of work on a sophomore effort. Ortiz appeared on her mentor Wyclef's single "Two Wrongs" in 2002, as well as on his "Dance Like This" from the 2004 movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights soundtrack. Other artists she has worked with include Nas ("Hey Nas," 2002), Loon ("Like A Movie," 2003) and Ja Rule ("Get It Started," 2004). Also in 2004, Ortiz released a song to mixtapes entitled "You Wasn't There" and in 2005, "Run A Little More," rumored to be a teaser for a 2006 solo release.
Discography
Albums
* 2001: City High (US #34)
Singles
* 2001: "What Would You Do" (US #8, R&B #13)
* 2001: "Caramel" (US #18, R&B #9)
777Caramel (Remix featuring Eve (rapper))
* 2002: "City High Anthem"
* 2002: "City High Anthem (Remix featuring Styles P)
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