In the ’80s and early ’90s, freestyle music took over dance clubs in New York, Miami, and Philadelphia, bringing together Puerto Rican and Italian-American communities under the banner of infectious electronic dance music powered by thumping syncopated beats and space-age synthesizers. This Staten Island throwback jam pairs two freestyle stars—The Original Cover Girls, best known for hits like “Show Me” and “Because of You,” and Cynthia, who charted with “Dreamboy / Dreamgirl” and “Break Up to Make Up”—with a pair of hip-hop acts responsible for some of the genre’s most enduring recordings. Frankie Cutlass is the Puerto Rican DJ responsible for importing the Miami Bass group Poison Clan’s iconic hook from “Shake Whatcha’ Mama Gave Ya” for a new hit by Stik E & the Hoodz, as well as the iconic chant from his 1993 track “Puerto Rico.” Opener Black Sheep were part of the Native Tongues crew and first appeared on De La Soul’s classic sophomore album De La Soul is Dead, but are perhaps best known for their 1991 hit “The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)” and its callback to the now defunct number 9 subway train.

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop.

This show is supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation.