Freestyle music, also called Latin freestyle or Latin hip-hop(sic) is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia, primarily among Puerto Ricans and Italian Americans in the 1980s. It experienced its greatest popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. A common theme of freestyle lyricism originated as heartbreak in an urban environment typified by New York City.
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group from New York City. The band was formed by DJ Kurtis Mantronik and rapper MC Tee. The group is primarily remembered for its pioneering blend of old school hip hop, electronic, and club music. They underwent several genre and line-up changes during its seven-year existence between 1984 and 1991, and released five albums beginning with their 1985 debut Mantronix: The Album.
Reginald Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label.
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members: emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. During an interview on college radio station WHOV in 1987, Parrish Smith stated that the name evolved from the original: "We were originally known as "EEPMD", but chose to go with EPMD because it was easier to say." He also stated that they dropped the two "E's" because N.W.A.'s Eric Wright was already using "Eazy-E" as his stage name. The group has been active for 35 years, and is one of the most prominent acts in east coast hip hop.
Kurtis el Khaleel, known by the stage name Kurtis Mantronik, is a Jamaican-born hip hop and electronic-music artist, DJ, remixer, and producer. He was the leader, DJ, and keyboardist of the influential 1980s hip hop and electro-funk group Mantronix. He currently lives in South Africa, where he has produced and remixed house and techno music tracks by artists such as India, Junior Senior, Kylie Minogue, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Michael Gray, Victoria Beckham, Liberty X, and Mim. Mantronik was influential in the development of hip hop music: notably, he laid the foundations for Southern hip hop genres such as Miami bass and trap music, and helped popularize the Amen break.
James Roberts, better known as Ed Lover, is an American rapper, actor, musician, radio personality, and former MTV VJ. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on SiriusXM's old-school hip hop station, BackSpin. As of April 12, 2018, he hosts the morning show at classic hip-hop "104.3 Jams" WBMX in Chicago.
Erick Sermon is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg, most of the label's releases were by members of the Juice Crew, a loosely knit group of artists centered on producer Marley Marl. In 1998, the label shut down, and the majority of its expansive catalog was bought by Massachusetts-based LandSpeed Records.
Whut? Thee Album is the debut studio album by American rapper Redman; it was released on September 22, 1992, by Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings, distributed by Columbia Records. Taking place at Ian London Studios, North Shore Soundworks and Power Play Studios, recording sessions began in 1991 and continued into 1992. The album features production from mentor and fellow Hit Squad member Erick Sermon, as well as Redman himself under his birth name Reggie Noble, with additional production from Pete Rock.
Unfinished Business is the second album by hip hop duo EPMD. Released August 1, 1989, the album built upon the success of the group's previous album Strictly Business, which was released the previous year. The lead single, "So Wat Cha Sayin'," was the only charting single released from the album. It was the second album from the group to hit #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Business as Usual is the third album by hip hop duo EPMD. It was released on December 18, 1990, and was their first on Def Jam, after being signed from their former label, Fresh Records. It was also the first release under Def Jam's new Rush subsidiary, which allowed founder Russell Simmons more control and more ownership over its material, as the masters for proper Def Jam releases at that time were primarily owned by Sony Music's Columbia Records.
The Album is the debut album by the group Mantronix.
Music Madness is the second album by old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix. Music Madness was the final Mantronix album released on the independent Sleeping Bag Records label. The hip hop album features club-oriented production by Kurtis Mantronik and MC Tee's b-boy-based rapping.
Touré Embden, known by the stage name MC Tee, is a Haitian American emcee and co-founder of the 1980s old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix.
Fresh Records was a New York City-based independent record label that operated from 1985 to 1992. The label was a subsidiary of Sleeping Bag Records that sold hip hop music. The label's roster included EPMD, Nice & Smooth, Just-Ice, and T La Rock; house-music pioneer Todd Terry; and electro artists Hanson & Davis and Chocolette.
Nice & Smooth is the debut studio album by American hip-hop duo Nice & Smooth from The Bronx, NY. It was released on May 16, 1989 via Fresh Records and Sleeping Bag Records. The album is notable for its sense of humor and comedy rhymes. The release singles of the album are "Early to Rise" and "Funky for You." This was the duo's only release on Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records before it signed with Def Jam Recordings sub-label RAL Records. It was included in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. It was one of three titles acquired by Priority Records when Sleeping Bag went out of business in 1992.
Warlock Records is a record label based in New York City that was founded in 1985 by Adam Levy, whose father was record producer Morris Levy. Artists that recorded for Warlock Records include Jungle Brothers, Royal House, Skinny Boys, C-Bo, Esham, Tuff Crew, Blac Haze, Juvenile, Half a Mill, Poison Clan, The Last Mr. Bigg, and Kim Waters.
Strictly Business is the debut album by hip-hop duo EPMD. It was released on June 7, 1988, by Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records around the world and BCM Records in Germany. It peaked at No. 80 on the Billboard 200 soon after release, yet it earned an RIAA gold album certification within four months of its release. In addition, it has received much positive critical attention since its release. In 2012, the album was ranked number 453 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The Best of Mantronix (1986–1988) is a compact disc and vinyl record compilation album by hip hop/electo funk group Mantronix. The album was released on the Ten record label in 1990.
Steve Williams, known by his stage name Stezo, was an American rapper and producer.
