Freestyle’s infamous 1985 hit “Don’t Stop the Rock” is a flagship of the Freestyle music movement and the early Bboy era.
Freestyle, as a genre, is a pillar of Bboy Music, along with the prominent sources Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, and otherwise, and is largely credited as developing in New York City’s Latin American community in the early 1980s.
Already-existing Bboy Jams like Shannon’s “Let the Music Play” and Afrika Bambaataa‘s “Planet Rock” held a significant influence over the genre’s formation, and we can definitely hear the influence of Bambaataa behind the patterns and even choices of individual sounds.
If you’re an 80s child like us, “Don’t Stop the Rock” was guaranteed to be part of the skating rink playlist, along with joints like Planet Patrol’s “Play at Your Own Risk”.
Peep some background on Freestyle from the Freestyle Lives blog:
One of the most prolific and influential of the 80’s Electro artist, Miami-based producer Tony Butler(Trinere,Debbie Deb) recorded a string of popular club tracks on Power/Jam Packed and his own Music Secialist label in the mid-80’s, helping build the electro legacy that would give birth to Miami style bass music and freestyle.
This was another one of his creations. Freestyle’s “Dont Stop The Rock” was a huge Miami anthem in the 80’s, a timelss piece that never gets old. It’s also One of my all time favorite records which i still spin from time to time. Although it’s more electro than actually latin Freestyle, it was still a big part of the genre since it was always mixed with Freestyle records. Released in 1985 on Music Specialist, and later on Jam Packed.
