“Their name speaks for itself. It’s only a matter of time before the world recognizes them”,
– Angie Stone, Singer/Songwriter

In Webster’s Dictionary, the definitive term for “recognition” is the state of being recognized. J-Rod and Rico are R&B sensations that possess a certain level of musical talent that makes recognizing them inevitable. The super group Recognition, comprised of Jerrod “J-Rod” Rankin and Rico “Sivad” Davis, grew up a mere 44.8 miles away from the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi. The duo seemed to possess a notable level of talent and charisma that made them the center of attention. As a result, J-Rod and Rico began crafting their own material with the hopes of sharing it with the masses.

This dynamic duo now find themselves in the same arena of talent with some of the greats they say contributed to their inspiration, which includes the likes of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson. If one were to classify the duo’s sound, you would have to go with the genre the group has coined “edge music,” a category they describe as a healthy mix of soul, pop, Hip Hop, jazz, R&B, and more. This sound is what gives them the edge over the previous leaps and bounds made in the rhythm and blues genre.

Rico “Sivad” Davis weighs in, “Everything is happening and we’ve sacrificed a lot to follow our dreams. The thing that inspires us to do what we do is the smiles we put on our fans’ faces and immense respect we have for the music. Our goal is not short term success but to become legends. We’re going to transcend the current state of R&B music to the next level.” They have served as opening acts for the following artists: KCi and Jo Jo, B2K, Bow Wow, Mario, Bobby Valentino, Avant, Letoya Luckett, Usher, Paster Troy, Eightball and MJG, Eric Benet, Brandy, Yung Joc, Slim Thugg, Lil Flip, Keyshia Cole, Silk, Lil Boosie, Webbie and more.

Recognition also holds many titles including writing, song arrangements, melody compositions, vocal delivery, entertainment, and also college students. R&R Records CEO Romereo Hartfield was excited to sign Recognition, because he had been hearing about their buzz and when he had the opportunity to hear their music, he was blown away. “I was impressed by their vocal range, song arrangement and sound. They are a group of good looking guys with charisma, a tremendous stage presence; they have a mass appeal and possess star qualities like they are already national recording artists.” These are the same qualities that blew Capitol Records executives away that led to them signing the duo and their label to a major recording deal and now the rest is history. When it went for adds, their single “Last Song” was the number one added song in the country at Urban Radio, and their single continues to rise on the Billboard charts. Recognition is looking forward to releasing their debut album “Sound Check” in the Fall of 2010.