Let their promo pics tell it, Pretty Ricky as a collective, is soft.

You imagine their music to be the stale, overly produced mess that R&B has succumbed to in this not so artistic industry. Surprisingly, Pretty Ricky’s every day appearance and/or perceived promotional rep, doesn’t do their music or maturity justice. Their third and newest album, the self-titled Pretty Ricky, shows that, despite their over the top appearance, they’re as dedicated to putting out good music as they are to solidifying an eternal bond with their fans.

Though the day is overcast, cool and rainy, the guys are unexpectedly upbeat. Bearing the innocence of a fourteen year old boy, Spectacular looks up and announces, “I’m tired.” He then sighs before popping up from his chair to grab some food to join the others at a display tailor made just for them.

Given his recent decision to eliminate red meat from his diet, Diamond “Baby Blue” Smith makes his way from the chow line first, effectively prompting a domino effect, beginning with the newest member of the group, Emmanuel “Lingerie” Deanda. Corey “Slick’em” Mathis, easily the most visible with his bright gold teeth and long, flowing dreads, is next. Then, as if it were a predetermined move on all their parts, Spectacular joins the circle, his mood focused, friendly and charming.

Spec’s intelligence is quite clear, as he speaks from his heart and doesn’t shy away from any topic. It’s almost impossible to believe that this is the same guy that challenged other prominent R&B male artists to a grind off, via a video clip that sparked endless controversy. In it, Spectacular wore small red briefs and dancing in a way that was viewed as slightly homoerotic by many. He danced and grinded as if his life or career depended on it, as the group’s then new single “Tipsy In Dis Club” played in the background.

When asked about the video Spectacular remains the portrait of calm, plainly stating, “At the end of the day, I did it for the superstars out there, which is our fans, you feel me?” he asks. “Everybody that I talked to, they loved it. That’s our fans, and that’s what counts.”

Blue then takes a moment to focus on the marketing value of the video, opposed to the spectacle most immediately assumed it was. “I wanna touch on just, the marketing genius behind it,” he proudly boasts. “The amount of publicity we got off of that video would take millions of marketing dollars from a record label to get that press. Pretty Ricky, was in the studio, we wasn’t nowhere on the scene and then BOOM in one day, one hit, in 24 hours, we were everywhere.”

Their government names and polite dispositions suggest that their parents groomed them for stardom since birth. Spectacular explains though, that their early goals never included a foray into R&B. It originally started with their father and brothers – Slicke’em and Baby Blue – launching rap careers.

Even in their twelfth year together as a group, with millions of records sold and hundreds of thousands more fans behind them, Blue explains how great it is to be surrounded by family while at work. His father is the group’s manager and their uncle is their road manager. He feels that people without blood ties will feel no qualms about leaving the group, while family will always be around. One might assume that those feelings were triggered by the recent departure of former member and lead singer, Pleasure P. Blue however, begs to differ.

“It’s business, man,” he says matter of factly. “It was just a business move. He was signed to our label, Blue Star and you know, if we decided to be jerks and say ‘You know what, we don’t want him to have a career.’ We could have kept him from going solo.”

The camaraderie between the group with Lingerie aboard is obviously good and suggests Pretty Ricky has moved on. They’re clearly not focused on the past, only on moving forward. They are also clear in letting it be known that, despite there being no shared bloodline, the former Pittsburgh songbird is considered just as much of a brother as his three other group members.

When asked about the downside of fame, he seems to have none, other than having to be on alert for imminent scrutiny. “You just really gotta watch what you do because everybody’s looking for something, find any piece of dirt up under your nails,” he says.

Without so much as deliberately mouthing the words, “WE ARE A BRAND,” it’s quite clear that Pretty Ricky sees itself as not just a group, but a full-fledged machine. Blue, the most vocal about the subject of international fame and fortune, maintains an unmistakable business mindset, forever plotting Pretty Ricky’s next move. Needless to say, the crown fits him well, despite his young age. Without being obvious, he even manages to plug their independent label, Blue Star, when addressing the Internet rumor of Pretty Ricky signing with G-Unit. “I wouldn’t mind doing a deal with G-Unit,” he offers, “but right now it’s all independent – Blue Star Records.

Next to their business affairs and family ties, Pretty Ricky is all about its fans. The foursome gushes when speaking of how much it admires the people that love and support it as a musical commodity. “At the end of the day, we know that without them, we wouldn’t be nothing,” Spectacular says. “So that’s a big mistake artists make. A lot of stuff we do, we do for the fans.”

They constantly plug their website, PrettyRicky.com and they even have a phone number where their fans can reach out to them – (305) 600-3432. The guys have also plan to wear wedding rings to show that they’re married to their fans, and encourage their most ardent supporters to go to their website to get their own free wedding rings.

Not only does Pretty Ricky make it a point to please their fans, they also us their celebrity status to help make the world a better place. They are actively involved in the “Keep Miami Beautiful” campaign, which urges residents in their hometown to become more civically involved. Additionally, they make it a priority to visit recreation centers, such as the Boys & Girls clubs in every city they visit. PR also prides itself on going to schools encouraging youngsters to avoid drugs and stay in school.

In town to promote their latest project, the guys are visibly excited about Pretty Ricky the album. They even casually talk about watching iTunes to see how it is selling, as today is its release date. Blue, who when not practicing his business acumen, is a producer, states, “What we did do on this album, was arrange it with more harmonies. It’s more melodic, the production is bigger and you know, we’ve just perfected our craft over the years. I think the sound is a grown, more experienced sound.”

Spectacular explains further, “If you’re going out of town, you can just put on the album. You don’t have to push any fast forward. You don’t have to skip anything, Pretty Ricky is that album.”

After a stop at an in store signing to continue this festive day, the guys are off to New York to perform on “106 & Park.” While they are admittedly embarking on a journey to win fans one heart at a time, you get the feeling it won’t be hard.