The Freestyle Thread!

[CellarDweller]

We have threads for disco and trance, so here's one for Freestyle!

Not sure what 'freestyle' is? Freestyle is a genre of dance music that was popular from the mid 80s to the mid 90s, and although no longer popular, artists are still making freestyle songs today.

Here's a commercial for a two CD set of freestyle songs (put together by someone who doesn't know what freestyle is, because some of them are NOT freestyle! LOL) but this will give you a quick idea what freestyle is.

Follow up posts will give you true examples of freestyle songs.

[CellarDweller]

Funny thing about freestyle, is that it got its start with some songs that are NOT freestyle.

In 1984, dance music was finally coming back from the 'death' of disco and four artists in particular were instrumental in bringing the sound back to radio.

Alisha and Debbie Deb didn't cross over to the pop charts, but their songs got major radio airplay and paved the way for future songs. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam managed to hit the Top 40 with their 'electro-funk' song, "I Wonder If I Take You Home". Shannon broke the barrier by going Top 10 with her 'electro-funk' song "Let The Music Play". Once Shannon had that hit, electro funk opened the door for the first freestyle songs, then called "Latin Hip-Hop".

[CellarDweller]

At this point, the music evolved, and added more typical "Latin" elements such as percussion, timbales, and merged the club sound with sounds of salsa and merengue.

The first "true" freestyle artist (in the opinions of fans and freestyle musicians and producers) was Nayobe. Nayobe's debut CD put three freestyle songs on the dance charts.

[yousir]

Damn man this stuff is hot!!! Its funky, alive and vivid. Thanks for educating me!

[CellarDweller]

Good to see you here!!!

Much more to come

[CellarDweller]

Freestyle soon had a huge collection of "girl groups" all vying for attention.

The first group was Exposé. Exposé was originally three women named Laurie, Sandeé (San-day) and Alé (Al-ay). Put together by producer Louise Martinee, they recorded two singles together, "Point of No Return" and "Exposed to Love", and then they broke up.

Martinee had an album's worth of music ready, so he replaced them with Gioia Bruno, Jeanette Jurado, and Ann Curless. The new Exposé's first two singles, "Come Go With Me" and a re-recorded "Point Of No Return" both hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #5 .

[yousir]

This stuff is THE SHIT. Its got an iconic sound. Id rip up the floor to this. Love it.
Did gays in those days give as much of a damn about the "diva" behind the music as they do these days??? Because it seems such focus is put on how attention seeking or "iconic" the singer is that the music itself suffers and deteriorates into characterless homogeny.

[CellarDweller]

The second big girl group to come out of freestyle was The Cover Girls.

discovered by Andy "Panda", the group released three CDs of freestyle music, and hit the Billboard Hot 100 a number of times with their freestyle songs.

[CellarDweller]

This stuff is THE SHIT. Its got an iconic sound. Id rip up the floor to this. Love it.
Did gays in those days give as much of a damn about the "diva" behind the music as they do these days??? Because it seems such focus is put on how attention seeking or "iconic" the singer is that the music itself suffers and deteriorates into characterless homogeny.

Maybe it wasn't as evident as it is now, but Cyndi Lauper and Madonna were huge in gay clubs and considered "divas" at the time.

The genre of freestyle really didn't have divas, though there were some heated debates who were the kings and queens of freestyle. LOL

[CellarDweller]

While there were others, the last girl group to break out big was Sweet Sensation.

Formed in 1986, SS (Betty, Margie and Mari) released the songs "Hooked On You", "Victim Of Love", "Take It While It's Hot". At this point Mari left the group and Sheila replaced her. Sweet Sensation crossed over big at this point, getting 4 Top 15 singles on the Billboard 100, their ballad went all the way to #1 . One of the tracks was a re-recording of their debut single (Hooked on You).