What kind of trouble can a guy find in Las Vegas when he’s barely legal and exceptionally handsome? Don’t bother asking Sin City native Castro of R&B trio i15. He’s no help at all.
“I don’t do the casinos, man,” says Richard Castro Jr., 21 (above middle). “Members of my family got caught up in the Vegas life. I don’t want to go down the same path.”
Instead of getting hemmed up in Vegas vice, Castro developed a compulsion for music that only intensified after he met Daen “Das” Simmons, 21 (above right), at Mojave High School. Once the pair started singing together, their manager suggested they meet rapper Glenn “Flash” Lott Jr., 23, of Compton, Calif. A four-hour ride down the highway from which the group borrowed its name, and i15 was complete. They soon recorded their debut single, “Lost in Love,” (no relation to New Edition’s 1985 hit of the same name), which caught the attention of Atlanta hitmaker Polow Da Don.
“He was the only one who really got our vision,” says Castro, on the phone from an Atlanta studio where the group is refining their live show.
That vision, judging by the group’s precocious lyrics and bad-boy-next-door image, is to fill a role in R&B that has been empty since B2K imploded in 2004.
“A lot of times group members end up hating on each other because somebody thinks they’re more talented than the others,” says Flash, insisting ego clashing isn’t an issue. “But we all respect each other as solo artists, so that’s not going to kill our vibe.”
The only thing that could dampen their enthusiasm is all the time spent away from home as they build up to the release of their as-yet-untitled Zone 4/Interscope debut. None of the trio say they have ladies they’re tethered to, but Das and Flash have infants at home, a daughter and a son, respectively. “It’s hard being away from our kids, but hopefully it’ll pay off,” says Das. It’s a safe bet when you’re holding three kings.
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