What Freestyle artist made the biggest crossover to mainstream music?

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Italian_FreeStyler said:
Yes i do agree i guess of Expose ......maybe Lisa Lisa .....DUH beaten again!!
It is deffinately Expose.

Expose was able to reach a status that no other freestlye group was able to do so at their time,and that was to be nominated for a grammy.

Expose producer Lewis Martinee during his Expose days was also honored with a BMI song writer award.

Many groups had cross over success, but they did not have the promotion machines behind them to totally blow them up,such groups as Company B,Secret Society,TKA,Will To Power,Stevie B to name a few sold greatly beyond their expectations with little or no promotional campaigns while having an enormous amount of radio play, and not to mention dance club play.

Now,one can also claim that Debbie Gibson is probably one of (or) the biggest cross over freestyle artist as Only In My Dreams during the time was considered to be a freestyle related song.
 
marc anthony. he was a freestyle singer and writer before he blew up with his first salsa album. several salsa/english albums later he is still at the top of the game.
 
payac said:
marc anthony. he was a freestyle singer and writer before he blew up with his first salsa album. several salsa/english albums later he is still at the top of the game.
I remember that he was one of the backup singers for Chrissy I-eece.
 
he also wrote and performed on "Boy I've Been Told" for Safire.
 
marc anthony is way bigger than Stevie B and Expose combined. Frankly I thinks Stevie B is Big in and around Florida and in some south american countries but Marc is Big everywhere. Not to mention the fact that Marc is a Grammy winner. Im not sure but I don't think Stevie is a Grammy winner. I could be wrong about that.
 
Today, I guess it would have to be Marc. (Although he didn't crossover until almost 15 years in the biz, lol).

Back in the days, it was most of the girl-groups that got the best of the cross-over successs.
Expose'
The Cover Girls
Sweet Sensation, etc. Also, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.

*Other artists that started off with their first singles being Dance/Freestyle oriented, but then quickly went Pop or R&B are: Jody Watley, Taylor Dayne, & Paula Abdul, etc.
 
The difference between Marc Anthony and Exposè & Stevie B., is that Marc Anthony didn't get the success mentioned until he left freestyle.

Exposè and Stevie B. got their success while they performed freestyle.
 
ChuckD said:
The difference between Marc Anthony and Exposè & Stevie B., is that Marc Anthony didn't get the success mentioned until he left freestyle.

Exposè and Stevie B. got their success while they performed freestyle.
CHUCKD... I BELIEVE THE QUESTION WAS "WHAT FREESTYLE ARTIST MADE THE BIGGEST CROSSOVER TO MAINSTREAM MUSIC". SO SINCE MARC WAS FIRST A FREETSYLE ARTIST AND EVENTUALLY CROSSED OVER TO MAINSTREAM I STILL BELEIVE HE IS THE ONE.

IF THE QUESTION WAS "WHICH FREESTYLE ARTIST MADE THE BIGGEST CROSSOVER TO MAINSTREET WHILE STILL PERFORMING FREESTYLE" THEN STEVE B AND EXPOSE WOULD BE THE PEOPLE.

THE PERSON WHO ASKED THE QUESTION WAS SPECIFIC NOT TO ANY TIME PERIOD
 
It's a matter of how you are reading the question.

You are saying that Marc Anthony crossed over to mainstream success, and was a freestyle artist at one time, so he should get that title.

Ok, by using that reasoning, let's say that Shana Petrone records a new country album, that sells 10 million copies next year.

Because she hit back in the 80's with "I Want You", would that make her the freestyle artist with the biggest cross over?

When I read that question, I take it to mean an artist that was ACTIVELY recording freestyle when they hit it big. Not someone who crossed over years after moving to a different genre.
 
I agree with Chuck on the interpretation query. In Reggaeton Lets use Daddy Yankee for example. Gasolina has been played worldwide in its accepted form.. Reggaeton. He did not change his genre to reach mainstream success. Where as Marc to achieve Grammy success he did it as a Salsa recording artist and not as a freestyle artist. (Altho Im about start off another debate cause I felt I need to know was oozing freestyle ) Where as Expose reached thier success still in thier Genre much like the likes of some Reggaeton Artists
 
ok chuckd using your reasoning if george lamond drops out of sight for 15 years and then comes back as the biggest pop singer since Michael Jackson .. are you saying he won't earn the title of the freestlye artist who made the biggest cross over?

marc may not have been actively recording and performing freestlye at the time his first crossover album hit but he was originally a freestyle singer who crossed over and achived the highest level of stardom thus far.

i do understand your theory and props to stevie and expose for doing their thing but marc came in the game as a freestyle artist and blew the hell up later when he went into salsa. it doesn't really matter to me how later.
 
DJ Soul said:
I agree with Chuck on the interpretation query. In Reggaeton Lets use Daddy Yankee for example. Gasolina has been played worldwide in its accepted form.. Reggaeton. He did not change his genre to reach mainstream success. Where as Marc to achieve Grammy success he did it as a Salsa recording artist and not as a freestyle artist. (Altho Im about start off another debate cause I felt I need to know was oozing freestyle ) Where as Expose reached thier success still in thier Genre much like the likes of some Reggaeton Artists
dj soul... the question again never mentioned if the artist never changed their genre to reach mainstream otherwise it wouldn't be called "cross over". daddy yankee is a reageaton artist and never crossed over to anything else so how does he fit in to this equation as a good example?
 
Well if you read what I posted I used Daddy Yankee as an example of an artist crossing over as himself, in his own genre "Mainstream". It didnt matter that he was not a freestyle artist, but the fact he didnt change he's style to make it main stream. I interpreted in reference of what freestyle artists crossed over mainstream as being "The one Bringing freestyle music over into mainstream" If your interpreting it in the direction of An Artist formerly known as a freestyle artist making it big in another genre and making that genre heard mainstream then you are absolutly right Marc onthony is the one. I interpreted the question one way and formed my reply in that manner. We are each expressing our views as we each percieve the question to be.
 
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