Goodfellaz

Goodfellaz was an R&B trio based out of New York. The group was comprised of Miami native De Louie Avant Jr., New Yorker Angel Vasquez and Ray Vencier from Sacramento, California.

The group formed when all three men were living in New York. Angel wanted to start a group, and a mutual friend connected him with De Louie. Guy Route and June Entertainment were managing the two.

A big help for the group was The Family Stand. Angel and Guy Route set up an opportunity for De Louie and Angel to approach The Family Stand in the studio. De Louie and Angel performed for The Family Stand and they took the men under their wing. At this point, Guy Route wanted to add a third member to the group. Ray was a friend of Guy's, so Guy approached Ray and asked him to join the group. With Ray added in, the group was complete.

Peter Lord and Jeffrey Smith of The Family Stand served as the main creators on the album, doing most of the writing and producing.

In 1997, the self-titled debut album, Goodfellaz was released on Polygram Records. The album had two singles, "Sugar Honey Ice Tea," and "If You Walk Away." "Sugar Honey Ice Tea" was a moderate hit, reaching #25 on the R&B charts and #64 on the Hot 100. "If You Walk Away" was not able to achieve similar success, peaking at #59 on the R&B charts.

Their biggest hit, "Sugar Honey Ice Tea," was created as a product of brainstorming in the studio. Peter Lord told them that his grandmother wouldn't curse, and would instead say "Sugar Hoeny Ice Tea." From there, brainstorming happened and music was made.

Outside of his role in Goodfellaz, Angel Vasquez is known for his work as a member of the Freestyle group TKA. Prior to joining the group Goodfellaz, he was a member of TKA who had singles like "I Won't Give Up On You" and "Crash." He joined Goodfellaz after TKA broke up, but reunited with TKA in 2001 and continues to perform with the group today.