| Rico Suave | |
| Cover: | Rico Suave single.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Gerardo |
| Album: | Mo' Ritmo |
| Released: | December 1990 |
| Recorded: | 1990 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 4:09 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Michael Sembello |
| Next Title: | We Want the Funk |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
"Rico Suave" is a 1990 single by Ecuadorian-born American rapper and singer Gerardo. It appeared on his 1991 album Mo' Ritmo. The track peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of April 13, 1991,[1] and reached number 2 on the Hot Rap Singles chart a week earlier.[2] In the song, the narrator tells of his luck with women and his lady-loving lifestyle.
The song ranks number 100 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s"[3] and number 9 on VH1's "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders".[4] It also ranked at number 37 on Blenders list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".[5] [6]
The song contains samples of "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" by James Brown and "Chamo Candela" by Venezuelan tropical/dance pop group Daiquiri.[7]
In 1992, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of the song titled "Taco Grande" on his album Off the Deep End.[8]
The video for the single features Gerardo and several male back-up dancers. Gerardo wears an open leather jacket. The backup dancers wear white T-shirts under their oversized suit jackets. The video's intro consists of the singer and two back-up dancers squatting in front of a skyscraper with their backs to the camera. Near the end of the video, Gerardo takes his jacket off. The bilingual version of the video also details Gerardo's encounter with his date's parents, who appear less than thrilled with Gerardo.
The video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Male Video and Best New Artist.[9]
| Chart (1991)[10] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Charts)[11] | 87 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot Rap Tracks | 2 |