Latin freestyle (local terms include Miami freestyle) or simply
freestyle music is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in
the New York metropolitan area in the 1980s. It experienced its
greatest popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. A
common theme of freestyle lyricism is heartbreak in the city. The
first freestyle hit is largely attributed to "Let the Music Play" by
Shannon.The music was largely made popular on radio stations such as
WKTU and "pre-hip hop" Hot 97 in New York City, and it became
especially popular among Italian Americans and Puerto Rican Americans
in the New York metro area, Philadelphia metro area, Chicago metro
area, New England, and Baltimore metro area; Cuban Americans in the
Miami area; Hispanic and Latino Americans and Italian Americans in
Detroit, Los Angeles County, New Orleans and the Gulf coast; and
Filipino Americans in Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, and the
San Francisco Bay Area. Notable performers in the freestyle genre
include Stevie B, Corina, Lil Suzy, Timmy T, George Lamond, TKA, Noel,
Company B, Exposé, Debbie Deb, Brenda K. Starr, the Cover Girls, Lisa
Lisa and Cult Jam, Stacey Q, Sa-Fire, Shannon, Coro, Lisette Melendez,
Judy Torres, Rockell, Paris by Air, Joyce Sims, and many
others.Freestyle music developed in the early 1980s, primarily in the
Hispanic (Puerto Rican) communities of Upper Manhattan and The Bronx
and the Italian-American communities in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and other
boroughs of New York City, later spreading throughout New York's five
boroughs and into New Jersey. It initially was a fusion of synthetic
instrumentation and syncopated percussion of 1980s electro, as favored
by fans of breakdancing. Sampling, as found in synth-pop music and
hip-hop, was incorporated. Key influences include Afrika Bambaataa &
Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock" (1982) and Shannon's "Let the Music
Play" (1983), the latter was a top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hit. In 1984,
a Latin presence was established when the first song recorded in the
genre by a Latin American artist, "Please Don't Go", by newcomer
Nayobe (a singer from Brooklyn and of Afro-Cuban descent) was recorded
and released. The song became a success, reaching No. 23 on the
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In 1985, a Spanish version
of the song was released with the title "No Te Vayas". By 1987,
freestyle began getting more airplay on American pop radio stations.
Songs such as "Come Go with Me" by Exposé, "Show Me" by the Cover
Girls, "Fascinated" by Company B, "Silent Morning" by Noel, and "Catch
Me (I'm Falling)" by Pretty Poison, brought freestyle into the
mainstream. House music, based partly on disco rhythms, was by 1992
challenging the relatively upbeat, syncopated freestyle sound.
Pitchfork considers the Miami Mix of ABC's single "When Smokey Sings"
to be proto-freestyle.Freestyle's Top 40 Radio airplay started to
really take off by 1987, and it began to disappear from the airwaves
in the early 1990s as radio stations moved to Top 40-only formats.
Artists such as George Lamond, Exposé, Sweet Sensation, and Stevie B
were still heard on mainstream radio, but other notable freestyle
artists did not fare as well. Carlos Berrios and Platinum producer
Frankie Cutlass used a freestyle production on "Temptation" by Corina
and "Together Forever" by Lisette Melendez. The songs were released in
1991, almost simultaneously, and caused a resurgence in the style when
they were embraced by Top 40 radio. "Temptation" reached the number 6
spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. These hits were followed by the
success of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, who had been one of the earliest
freestyle acts. Their records were produced by Full Force, who had
also worked with UTFO and James Brown.
freestyle music is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in
the New York metropolitan area in the 1980s. It experienced its
greatest popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. A
common theme of freestyle lyricism is heartbreak in the city. The
first freestyle hit is largely attributed to "Let the Music Play" by
Shannon.The music was largely made popular on radio stations such as
WKTU and "pre-hip hop" Hot 97 in New York City, and it became
especially popular among Italian Americans and Puerto Rican Americans
in the New York metro area, Philadelphia metro area, Chicago metro
area, New England, and Baltimore metro area; Cuban Americans in the
Miami area; Hispanic and Latino Americans and Italian Americans in
Detroit, Los Angeles County, New Orleans and the Gulf coast; and
Filipino Americans in Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, and the
San Francisco Bay Area. Notable performers in the freestyle genre
include Stevie B, Corina, Lil Suzy, Timmy T, George Lamond, TKA, Noel,
Company B, Exposé, Debbie Deb, Brenda K. Starr, the Cover Girls, Lisa
Lisa and Cult Jam, Stacey Q, Sa-Fire, Shannon, Coro, Lisette Melendez,
Judy Torres, Rockell, Paris by Air, Joyce Sims, and many
others.Freestyle music developed in the early 1980s, primarily in the
Hispanic (Puerto Rican) communities of Upper Manhattan and The Bronx
and the Italian-American communities in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and other
boroughs of New York City, later spreading throughout New York's five
boroughs and into New Jersey. It initially was a fusion of synthetic
instrumentation and syncopated percussion of 1980s electro, as favored
by fans of breakdancing. Sampling, as found in synth-pop music and
hip-hop, was incorporated. Key influences include Afrika Bambaataa &
Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock" (1982) and Shannon's "Let the Music
Play" (1983), the latter was a top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hit. In 1984,
a Latin presence was established when the first song recorded in the
genre by a Latin American artist, "Please Don't Go", by newcomer
Nayobe (a singer from Brooklyn and of Afro-Cuban descent) was recorded
and released. The song became a success, reaching No. 23 on the
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In 1985, a Spanish version
of the song was released with the title "No Te Vayas". By 1987,
freestyle began getting more airplay on American pop radio stations.
Songs such as "Come Go with Me" by Exposé, "Show Me" by the Cover
Girls, "Fascinated" by Company B, "Silent Morning" by Noel, and "Catch
Me (I'm Falling)" by Pretty Poison, brought freestyle into the
mainstream. House music, based partly on disco rhythms, was by 1992
challenging the relatively upbeat, syncopated freestyle sound.
Pitchfork considers the Miami Mix of ABC's single "When Smokey Sings"
to be proto-freestyle.Freestyle's Top 40 Radio airplay started to
really take off by 1987, and it began to disappear from the airwaves
in the early 1990s as radio stations moved to Top 40-only formats.
Artists such as George Lamond, Exposé, Sweet Sensation, and Stevie B
were still heard on mainstream radio, but other notable freestyle
artists did not fare as well. Carlos Berrios and Platinum producer
Frankie Cutlass used a freestyle production on "Temptation" by Corina
and "Together Forever" by Lisette Melendez. The songs were released in
1991, almost simultaneously, and caused a resurgence in the style when
they were embraced by Top 40 radio. "Temptation" reached the number 6
spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. These hits were followed by the
success of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, who had been one of the earliest
freestyle acts. Their records were produced by Full Force, who had
also worked with UTFO and James Brown.
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