Three-part feature on freestylemusic, AKA latin hip hop. Features a DLable compilation mixed by Michael F. Gill, at the link below.
“People called it Latin hip-hop, but the pop producers didn’t want to use that term because hip-hop had negative connotations. So they started calling it freestyle.”
01. Shannon - Let The Music Play - Emergency Records 1983 02. Jellybean - The Mexican - EMI 1984 03. Lisa Lisa - I Wonder If I Take You Home - Columbia/CBS 1984 04. Nayobe - Good Things Come To Those Who Wait - Fever Records 1986 05. Amoretto - Clave Rocks - PKO Records 1986 06. Sa Fire - Love Is On Her Mind - Cutting Records 1988 07. Cover Girls - Show Me - Fever Records 1986 08. TKA - One Way Love - Tommy Boy Music 1986 09. Cover Girls - Inside Outside - Fever Records 1988 10. Nayobe - Please Don’t Go - Fever Records 1984 11. Alisha - All Night Passion - Vanguard 1984 12. Company B - Fascinated - Atlantic 1986 13. Expose - Point Of No Return - Arista 1985 14. Nocera - Summertime Summertime - Sleeping Bag Records 1986 15. Information Society - Running - Tommy Boy Music 1985 16. Debbie Deb - When I Hear Music - Jam Packed 1983 17. Debbie Deb - Lookout Weekend - Jam Packed 1984 18. Nice N’ Wild - Diamond Girl - Atlantic 1986 19. Judy Torres - No Reason To Cry - Profile Records 1986
Part 2 (second compilation available for download at the link below):
It’s not an exaggeration to say that almost every freestyle song deals with variations on love lost, love found, love lost again. But what sets the genre apart in this regard is how literal the emotional appeals are presented: no matter how overwrought and dramatic the vocals may seem, there is no winking or irony to be found on these records.
01. Debbie Harry - In Love With Love (Heart Of Fire Mix) - Geffen 1987 02. Connie - Funky Little Beat - Sunnyview Records 1985 03. Sly Fox - Como Tu Te Llama? - Capitol Records 1985 04. Noel - Silent Morning 4th and Broadway - 1987 05. Giggles - Love Letter Cutting/Atlantic - 1987 06. Will To Power - Dreamin’ - Epic 1987 07. Sweet Sensation Hooked On You Next Plateau 1986 08. Trinere - I’ll Be All You Ever Need - Jam Packed 1986 09. Sweet Sensation - Victim Of Love - Next Plateau 1987 10. TKA - Come Get My Love - Tommy Boy Music 1986 11. Pajama Party - Yo No Se - Atlantic 1988 12. Nayobe - Second Chance For Love - Fever Records 1986 13. Latin Rascals - Arabian Knights - Tin Pan Apple 1987 14. Sa-Fire - Let Me Be The One - Cutting Records 1987 15. Cover Girls - Because Of You - Fever Records 1987 16. Trinere - How Can We Be Wrong - Jam Packed 1986 17. Stevie B. - Dreaming Of Love - Lefrak-Moelis Records 1988 18. Stevie B. - In My Eyes - Lefrak-Moelis Records 1988 19. Johnny O. - Fantasy Girl - MicMac Records 1988 20. Stevie B - Spring Love - Lefrak-Moelis Records 1988
Third and final part, with mix to download at the link:
It’s not that there weren’t big freestyle singles during the first few years of the ‘90s. It’s that the majority of what was being produced wasn’t moving beyond the established template. The closest freestyle got to progressing was by adding more house rhythms and modern sounding hip-hop loops into the mix.
01. TKA - Maria - Tommy Boy Music 1992 02. Sa-Fire - Don’t Break My Heart - Cutting Records 1986 03. Jaya - If You Leave Me Now - Lefrak-Moelis Records 1989 04. Cynthia & Johnny O - Dreamboy/Dreamgirl - MicMac Records 1990 05. Lil’ Suzy - Take Me In Your Arms - High Power Records 1991 06. Collage - I’ll Be Loving You - Viper 7 Records 1993 07. Laissez Faire - In Paradise - Metropolitan Recording Corporation 1992 08. TKA - Louder Than Love - Tommy Boy Music 1990 09. Cynthia - Change On Me - MicMac Records 1989 10. Judy Torres - Love you, Will You Love Me - Profile Records 1989 11. George Lamond - Without You - Columbia 1989 12. George Lamond - Bad Of The Heart - Columbia 1990 13. George Lamond - Where Does That Leave Love - Columbia 1992 14. Lisette Melendez - Together Forever - Columbia 1990 15. Corina - Temptation - ATCO/Cutting 1991 16. Two Without Hats - 3 On The Mic - MicMac Records 1991 17. Rockell - In A Dream - Robbins Entertainment 1997 18. Jocelyn Enriquez - Do You Miss Me - Classified Records 1996
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