These include " Seasons Change" by Exposé, " Thinking of You" by Sa-Fire, " One More Try" by Timmy T, " Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" by Stevie B, and " If Wishes Came True" by Sweet Sensation.
Several primarily freestyle artists released ballads during the 1980s and early 1990s that crossed over to the pop charts and charted higher than their previous work.
Their records were produced by Full Force, who had also worked with UTFO and James Brown. These hits were followed by the success of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, who had been one of the earliest freestyle acts. "Temptation" reached the number 6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The songs were released in 1991, almost simultaneously, and caused a resurgence in the style when they were embraced by Top 40 radio. Carlos Berrios and Platinum producer Frankie Cutlass used a freestyle production on " Temptation" by Corina and " Together Forever" by Lisette Melendez. 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. Many early or popular freestyle artists and DJs, such as Jellybean, Tony Torres, Raul Soto, Roman Ricardo, Lil Suzy, and Nocera were of Puerto Rican or Italian ancestry, which was one reason for the style's popularity among Puerto Rican Americans and Italian Americans in the New York City area and Philadelphia.ġ987–1992: A pop-crossover genre įreestyle'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. Pitchfork considers the Miami Mix of ABC's single " When Smokey Sings" to be proto-freestyle, despite that version being released in 1987. House music, based partly on disco rhythms, was by 1992 challenging the relatively upbeat, syncopated freestyle sound. 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. By 1987, freestyle began getting more airplay on American pop radio stations. In 1985, a Spanish version of the song was released with the title "No Te Vayas". 23 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. 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. 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. Sampling, as found in synth-pop music and hip-hop, was incorporated.
It initially was a fusion of synthetic instrumentation and syncopated percussion of 1980s electro, as favored by fans of breakdancing.