THE NEW RIDAZ NB Ridaz (formerly Nastyboy Klick) previously released four albums of Latin Hip Hop love songs and party jams such as "So Fly," "Pretty Girl" and "Down For Yours" (the latter a Top 10 Billboard charter featuring the late, great Roger Troutman of Zapp). With each successful radio single release, the group garnered a fiercely loyal following.
Angelina has released three albums as a groundbreaking Latina solo artist, generating an international string of hits such as "Release Me" (an indie label dance phenomenon that peaked at 7 on the Billboard Monitor chart), "Bailando" (nominated for a Latin Grammy) and "Every Time I Think of You (Produced by A.B. Quintanilla).
Now - together as one - the New Ridaz offer up a powerful, creative blend of aural flavors perfectly timed for the crossover marketplace. "The three of us coming together represents evolution," Zig states. "We're reinventing ourselves. We're all good at what we do, but when we get together.it's a party!"
The New Ridaz was created when one of the three NB Ridaz members decided he wanted to do a solo album. Dos and Zig briefly considered doing solo albums, too, but decided they owed it to their fans to stick together. After months of soul searching and set-up work for a fifth NB Ridaz CD, Dos and Zig felt something was missing. Upstairs Records suggested they try their talented female
label mate Angelina - a singer who had been contributing to hits such as "Perfect Man," "Runaway" and "Notice Me" since the second Nastyboy Klick CD. Once the three longtime friends started working on new music together, they clicked! What they were creating was completely fresh and different. So the threesome flipped their name to the New Ridaz.
The cornerstone of the NB Ridaz's biggest hits was love songs featuring the distinctive sound of the vocoder "talkbox," a voice synthesizer made famous in R&B love songs by Roger Troutman.
Describing the changing sound of the New Ridaz, Dos shares, "It still has the NB Ridaz flava, but we stepped it up a notch.
Initially sticking to their successful formula, the New Ridaz's first single from The Future is the mid-tempo love song "Special Girl." But there are also plenty of up tempos.
Dos and Zig grew up in Glendale, Arizona. Dos went to Glendale High, Zig went to Apollo High. Both used to compete as dancers and rappers at their respective schools. After mutual friends kept telling them about each other, they were introduced and hit it off like brothers. They even danced the same! Soon, they started their first groups: OTB (Only the Blunted) and LBN (Lethal Brown Nation). After hooking up with an older singer/producer named Magic, they became Nastyboy Klick, then NB Ridaz, releasing four albums. But that's the past. It's all about The Future and New Ridaz now.
As for Angelina, the Union City, California native nailed an audition when Upstairs Records was looking for a girl to sing their guaranteed smash "Release Me." She became an overnight sensation. Juggling college studies with singing engagements around the globe, Angelina graduated with a double major in Psychology and Biology from Santa Clara College while creating three albums of Latin club/pop gems: Angelina - The Album (1996), Ven a Mi (Come to Me) (1999) and Love Ain't Here No More (2002).
Though Angelina and NB Ridaz shared many stages together in their original incarnations, they did test shows as the New Ridaz to see if fans would accept the new vibe. The response: amazing! "We're on the verge of something really great," Angelina insists. Reflecting on their initial studio sessions, she continues, "Working on what would have been my fourth album, I had a lot of ideas I couldn't complete. But the three of us declaring that we are going to succeed - no matter what - really bonded us. I'm bringing the best of what I was working on. They're bringing the best of what they were working on. And we're creating music we all believe in." Does the dance music diva miss rolling solo? "No, I don't feel stifled at all. We ALL shine."
Commenting on Angelina joining the group, Zig adds, "She has a voice that can carry a song to the next level.a voice that is already very popular in the Latino hip hop realm. She adds flavor to the group and some visual for the men. Instead of us getting dancers to shake their booties, we've got a pretty face with some serious singing talent. She's a beautiful person inside and out." Waxing more philosophical, Zig continues, "In the 90s, high energy dance music was hot. Today it's hip hop/R&B. Angelina's evolution into what's happening now is awesome. Our fans will respect Angelina because she's not some girl we just threw into the group. She balances my party animal and Dos' mellow vibe.and all three of us are sexy as hell!"
NB Ridaz and Angelina learned the nuts and bolts of the music industry separately and have since come a looong way together. Now as they put the finishing touches on their highly anticipated debut album as New Ridaz, Angelina promises that one thing stands at the forefront of their master plan: "We have a responsibility to both sets of fans to come with quality music," she states. United in purpose and dedicated to succeeding, the trio is ready to rock their fans world! We may be underdogs," Dos humbly adds, "but we're gonna make the non-believers believe: The Ridaz are for real
