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Pritty Boy A.K.A "Di General" reggae artist Pritty Boy, Worcester is the foundation upon which his career has been built. “We’ve been here for so long,” he says. “Why go anywhere else to start?”

At 27 years old, Ricardo “Pritty Boy” Steele has been performing in Worcester since 2004. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Pritty Boy’s style is a fusion between reggae and modern hip-hop. “It’s different. It’s like a mixture of everything,” he said. “It’s reggae, but I’m not your typical reggae artist. I can rap, I can do a little singing. You’ll definitely get a whole other feel.”

Pritty Boy’s goal is to take reggae to new places — both artistically and geographically.

“A lot of Jamaicans in general, when they hear my stuff, they say it’s not the same as the average artist,” he said. Despite being viewed as an Americanized reggae artist, Pritty Boy has still found success in the nation of his birth.

He has performed overseas in places such as Jamaica, England and Germany. “In Germany, they actually accept reggae a lot,” he said. “In Europe, reggae music is real big. They don’t really accept it like that in America.”

European and American audiences have very different tastes, he says. “(Europeans) don’t really have to know who you are, they’ll give you a chance and listen to your stuff. That’s the thing about Worcester, it’s hard for you to just do a showcase one day and get a good turnout. You have to ask your friends to tell your friends.”

So if the market for reggae is so strong overseas, why choose Worcester? “At the end of the day, this is home,” said Pritty Boy. “There were a few artists from Worcester that got a little attention back in the day, and as soon as they get that experience, all of a sudden they’re not from Worcester no more. They’re from Boston or New York.”

According to Pritty Boy, to make it in the music industry, an artist needs strong hometown support. “I’ve been to a lot of label meetings, and the main thing they ask you is where you’re from,” he said. “At the end of the day, you have to have a home behind you pushing for you.”

For now, Pritty Boy is focused on building his following here in Worcester. To develop that fan base, Pritty Boy has created a promotional company called UPC Entertainment, which stands for Universal Paypa Chaysas. “I’m trying to set it up in a way that when the big contract does come, we’re ready,” he said.

“That’s my family, that’s our team,” Pritty Boy said. The UPC team truly is a family business. The promotion company features Pritty Boy’s brother, Arsones, and his cousin Lequane Scott, who works as his road manager. “I’m proud to be affiliated with him, because I know his heart is in it,” Scott said.

UPC has developed a unique approach to marketing. To promote the artists, UPC throws parties at Homestyle Cuisine, a local Jamaican restaurant. By using Facebook to advertise, UPC can attract partygoers from outside of Worcester. “We’ll throw a party and have, say, 300 people, 100 will be from Hartford, 50 from Springfield, 50 from Boston, and the rest will be from Worcester. Whatever DJ we have playing, we make sure our tracks are spinning. And if I want, I can perform,” Pritty Boy said. “While a lot of artists are trying to find shows, we can have a show whenever we want.”

Pritty Boy’s newest single, “Street Life,” can be found on iTunes, and the music video for it is on YouTube. The single is currently getting radio play in Europe and Jamaica. “The idea behind it was the life I live,” he said. As a gesture to his home city, Pritty Boy filmed the “Street Life” music video here in Worcester. “I shot in a couple different locations. We did one shot by the castle (Bancroft Tower), some driving scenes and a shot on Pleasant Street,” he said. Those from Worcester can easily recognize a shot of a Boston Donuts cup on a table.

Pritty Boy is more than just an up-and-coming local artist. He has established his legitimacy by collaborating with artists such as Vybz Kartel and most notably Nicki Minaj. In 2008, Pritty Boy recorded a song with Minaj titled “Xcellent,” which enjoyed brief success on the iTunes charts. “We didn’t have a contract, so (iTunes) told us to take it off,” he said. According to Pritty Boy, collaborating with other artists leads to complications with the record labels. “They (the record companies) want you to get a buzz off of it in the streets, in mix tapes. Once you start making money off of it, it’s a problem.”

By putting in the groundwork here in Worcester, Pritty Boy hopes to soon reach more mainstream audiences. “I just want to sign a contract. I feel like I’m ready,” he said. At the end of the day, you have to have a home behind you pushing for you. – Ricardo “Pritty Boy” Steele " Credit to Worcester Telegram & Gazzett "