Along with Ronnie and Michael, Ricky formed the spinoff group Bell Biv DeVoe. The group released four studio albums between 1990 and 2017, but they’re best known for their debut album "Poison," which went quadruple-Platinum.

After the 2017 BET miniseries The New Edition Story delved into Ricky’s drug use, the singer explained in a VladTV.com interview that he started using drugs after the band reunited for their 1996 "Home Again" album and tour.

“I was just experiencing a level of anxiety that I never experienced before,” he told DJ Vlad at the time. “This particular tour, there was not one run-through of rehearsal. We just winged everything. So my anxiety was like, ‘Oh my god. How are we going to do this?’ And then on top of it, there’s six tour buses, so I’m looking at the budget, and I’m like, ‘We’re not making any money off of this. This is insane.’”