Barrio Boyz

The Barrio Boyzz are a popular Latino quintet known for their versatility, as can be heard on their 1995 release How We Roll, an English-language album on which they perform everything from R&B and hip-hop to soul. Since their inception, the New York group have had numerous hits on the Latin charts, two platinum albums in Spanish, and have even appeared in a feature film, I Like It Like That. The group members are Angel Ramirez, Jr., David Davilla, Hans Giraldo, Louie Marrero, and Robert Vargas. All of the Boyzz are New York natives and are bilingual in English and Spanish. As youths, they were especially influenced by the soul music of the '70s, R&B of the '80s, and hip-hop of the '90s. The group was formed in 1991 when they were introduced to each other by manager Joe Jacket, who was looking to create a mainstream Latino group. Jacket wanted to make sure the Boyzz could remain together and that they shared the same passion he did and so made them formally pledge allegiance to the group and stay together a year before he allowed them to record. Though they started out making Spanish recordings, the band's ultimate goal has been to crossover into the mainstream market.